Being stuck within the same four walls isn’t good for anyone! Given the recent times, I thought carrying on from my last blog post.
A quick overview of Biophilic Design, as I am sure some of you have no idea what it is (like me up until a few months ago). Biophilic Design is a concept used to increased occupant connectivity to the natural environment, through the use of direct natures, indirect nature and the space/place conditions.
Incorporating this type of design into your living space**, has been found to have the following effects:
> Reduce fatigue by 38%
> Reduce depression by 58%
> Reduced anxiety & tension by 18%
> Wellbeing increased by 13%
> Homes could see price increase between 4-5%
> Increased learning rates 20-25% (could be useful if you are still or continuing to home school).
**some studies where done in a workplace environment**
With all of the benefits, why would you not bring some form of the design practice into your home?
You can also start small & work up to big changes, here are 5 ways how you can start small!
1) Buy some plants –
No not faux flowers/plants, pop to a garden centre & buy some air purifying plants. Nurture them & watch them grow. This is a key element, caring for them is part of the process, you get to see them transform and can start to be a very relaxing part of your weekly routine.
2) De-Clutter (Feng Shui)
Can’t stress the importance of this enough, as I have mentioned this several times in other blogs. Having clutter around your home is also keeping clutter in your mind (fuelling the stress, anxiety). Be ruthless if I haven’t used or worn something in 6-8 months it goes!
3) Natural light
The same as when we are outdoors in the sunshine (depending on the weather, of course), it makes us feel so much better! Try to spend as much time as possible in the room with the most natural light, if this isn’t possible or you don’t have much natural light, then create it! I know you are thinking “well then it’s not natural light!”, but it will have a similar effect. Table & floor lamps to create a relaxed mood.
4) Scent
The way our space smells will have an effect on you! If you don’t like candles or strong scents, I would go for a small defuser or an electric defuser (so you can turn it off.) You can choose scents to enhance or even change your mood:
Uplifting: Rosemary – this is the perfect Monday morning pick-me-up. In addition to improving memory retention, rosemary has stimulating properties that fight physical exhaustion, headaches and mental fatigue.
Calming: Jasmine – Like lavender, jasmine it is also used to calm nerves, but this oil is also commonly used as an anti-depressant.
5) Fresh air or Air circulation
Real simple one, open the windows & get the air circulation around your environment. During this hot weather, this is pretty easy. In winter however people would be less inclined. However I would still highly recommend doing so, crack them open slightly, create a flow of air & if it is cold stick on a jump to get cosy (along with some candles!).
These are only scratching the surface of how to implement some Biophilic Design elements to your living environment. There are actually 12 in depth elements to this design movement, which I am still learning.
We can create an environment within our homes, that benefits us enormously and this is just the start!
For more information on ,Biophilic Design – please go and watch my
Speak soon & hope some of you make these small changes!
Alice
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