Hi lovelies,

Stress will kill you. That’s something we’ve all been told growing up, and it’s also one of those bits of folksy wisdom that also turns out to be backed up by scientific evidence.

When our stress levels are elevated, it’s not just a matter of us “feeling” one way or another. The sensation of stress is connected to “stress hormones,” particularly cortisol and adrenaline. In short-term situations, elevated levels of these hormones may save our lives. But when they are heightened over a prolonged period of time, they contribute to systematic damage to the various organs of the body – not to mention premature ageing.

Our homes should be naturally relaxing paradises – but often they just add to the stress we are already experiencing.

Here are some tips on how to turn your home into a de-stressing centre, instead.

Fill it with furniture and features that up the comfort level dramatically

It would be difficult to relax and de-stress your home, if you had no comfortable furniture, and the overall ornamentation and style of the home naturally worked against you.

The first step in helping to turn your home into a de-stressing paradise, is to get some furniture that you find both comfortable and visually appealing. For some, that may mean classic shell chairs, for others, the kind of plush sofas you can melt into.

It’s generally pretty easy to figure out when your furniture is making it more difficult for you to relax. Just ask yourself the question, “is there anywhere in this house other than the bed where I’d feel comfortable curling up with a good book?”

If not, you’ve got some work to do.

Be sparing with the gadgets – and don’t have too many things going at one time

It’s difficult to de-stress when you are constantly being bombarded with information from all sides at once. And yet, that is the situation that most of us find ourselves in, in the modern world.

Not only do we have to deal with the demands of our bosses, take care of those ominous-looking letters from Inland Revenue, and deal with everything that goes along with maintaining family and social connections – but we also have to deal with dozens of daily news reports that convince us that we’re facing the end times. Then, there’s the latest entertainment gossip, and more.

If you want your home to be a de-stress paradise, consider going easy on the gadgets. Specifically, spend less time online, and less time watching TV.

Also, try to do only one thing at a time if you can, rather than overloading your attention and stressing yourself out by “multitasking.”

Always have the fridge stocked with nutritious, home-cooked meals

It’s hardly a secret that home-cooked meals, from whole food ingredients, are better for us than processed snacks.

But it’s not only a matter of how long you might live, or how free you might be from some kind of illness years down the line. Eating nutritious food – and the right amount of it – helps to regulate your hormones and keep everything behaving as it should.

When you don’t have enough nutritious food in the house, you’ll likely tend to either starve yourself (which contributes to significantly elevated stress hormone levels), or you will order takeaway, and experience mood and energy instability as a result.

Cook your food in big batches, and always keep the fridge stocked with nutritious meals.

*Photo credit for collaborative post: Pixabay - CC0 License