Going through a divorce can be an emotional time, so it’s important to have a place where you can relax and feel comfortable. In this article, we’ll explore the ways reinventing your home can improve your mental health…
Divorce can be a trying time for any family. Of course, with the introduction of no-fault divorce, couples are managing to end their marriages more amicably, meaning less emotional harm to the family.
If you’re going through a divorce and you’re not completely aware of this law, it’s best to get in contact with divorce solicitors to discuss your options. This can make a huge difference in how smooth a process the split can be.
Although being in the know about your divorce options can help massively, there’s no doubt that the emotional side of it all won’t be solved as quickly. If you’ve come out the other side of divorce and are grieving the relationship, you may be seeking a change in your life. Here is how reinventing and changing up your home can improve your mental health post-divorce…
How Does Changing Your Environment Improve Mental Health?
On average, we spend 62% of our time at home, so it makes sense to put a lot of effort into making your environment a warm comfortable place where you can feel at peace. Your home is your fortress of solitude after a divorce, so make it the best fortress possible.
The places we spend the most time can have a significant impact on our mental and physical health. What we see, hear and smell can impact mood and stress levels. Even making small changes like allowing more sunlight into a room could significantly improve mood levels.
You may have heard the phrase ‘clean home, clean mind’; well there is some truth to this. If you’ve not heard of Mrs Hinch, then we strongly suggest giving her a follow-on Instagram for demonstrations and tips on keeping a clean home and how that effectively reduces anxiety levels.
During a divorce, there may also be an added incentive to change things up, as your home may bring reminders of your previous relationship. You want your future to start on a clean slate, so playing around with your home interiors may help you to get the ball rolling positively.
5 Ways to Reinvent Rooms Around Your Home Post-Divorce
You may be surprised by what you can accomplish within your home on a small budget. It doesn’t cost much to make effective changes and could be as simple as a lick of paint and good old dust. Here are some strong ways to reinvent your home after your divorce, so you can start off on a clean slate…
1. Declutter
Decluttering your home is a zero-cost way to improve your surroundings. If you’re continuing to live in the family home, you may want to declutter your ex-spouses’ belongings.
We recommend not throwing their stuff out (even if you want to) and putting it aside to give them the opportunity to pick it up. By creating cleaner surfaces and opening spaces up, your eyes won’t be drawn to pointless clutter that can negatively impact your mood.
If you’re a person who loves the clutter, however, then by decluttering old things you can replace it with new clutter. Think of it as updating the clutter! Either way, throwing out the old or donating to charity will give you a great sense of achievement and can even be therapeutic.
2. Add a Splash of Colour
Even if you like the colour of your walls, ask yourself when was the last time they were painted? It’s been suggested by decorating professionals that the dining room and living room should be repainted every 5-7 years, and the bedrooms and hallways painted 2-3 years.
You can either colour match and give your walls a touch-up, or branch out and change the colour. Not only will your home look brighter but who doesn’t love the smell of fresh paint?
3. Lighting
As mentioned, more sunlight in a room can improve mood levels. If you work from home or spend most of the time indoors, it’s likely you don’t get enough Vitamin D from sunlight.
It’s best to assess each room and look at how you can allow more light into each one individually. Some ways could include replacing heavy curtains with light blinds, decluttering windowsills that block light, removing any stickers or posters from windows, or even changing your windows completely.
If your home isn’t positioned in the sun, it can be trickier as we can’t simply conjure sunlight out of nowhere. In this case, consider adding mood lighting to a room with fairy lights, bedside table lamps, or spotlights to give a room a soft glow when it’s feeling dim.
4. Rearrange Furniture
Rearranging a room can give it a completely different look. Deciding how to go about changing a room can also be quite fun, and an easy way to create space and get the creative juices flowing.
Rearranging a room can make the most noticeable impact. By moving the sofa, for example, you’d be sitting and seeing from a totally different perspective which can alter your mindset.
5. Plants
There are so many plants that help reduce stress and anxiety. Red-Edged dracaena and Snake plants are actually some of the two recommended for improving mood. They also last for years and are really hard to kill.
Adding some foliage to a room can drastically improve the overall look. There are plenty of cute pots available to finish off the look too. Get to your local gardening centre, choose a new leaf baby, and watch them grow in your home.
Divorce Can Be a Good Opportunity to Make Positive Changes…
Divorce can be an emotional process, but it doesn’t have to mean the end for everything. Take the opportunity the make positive changes to your life, whether it’s getting more sunlight in your home or raising a new plant. The smallest of changes will impact your home massively and, consequently, improve your mental health.
