How To Create a More Calming and Warm Home Atmosphere for Your Family

Home is supposed to be a place where your family can "lay their heads" after their long days. A place that is calm, warm and inviting.

Often we don't realize common mental disruptions in our own homes. The physical environment has a huge impact on our minds and bodies. Things we may never even consider can have massive impacts on ourselves and our kids.

Let's talk about a few simple things you can do in your home to create a more calming environment for your family:

*lighting: There are many different environmentally friendly LED lights that may be in your home. As much as they may save you money and help the environment, it is important to understand that they often have blue light undertones, which can disrupt sleep. Blue light suppresses melatonin. In rooms that you want to relax in, we suggest, dimmer warm red, orange, yellow undertone lighting and dimmers are your friends! Atmosphere is key here. Investing in fake candles (or real if your kids are older) can also set a calming tone in your home.

*clean and organized: this can be very difficult to do with young children as most of you know, so be easy on yourself. Organization will be key for you here. If you can analyze your space and see where you can organize, so it makes keeping it clean easier, that will be huge. Also, as your kids grow older, it is imperative to teach them to clean and respect the space. Don't do everything for them. It will be extremely draining on you as a parent if you do this.

*minimal: less objects in the home will help you to keep the house clean because you won't need to move things around as much

*sound: having soft, even instrumental music in the background in your home will often calm down the body, and funny enough, can prevent people from raising their voices in your home! Music is key to your home. When the mood is right, some fun music blasting away can create a dance party and ease tension! Nature sounds can also work to calm. We have some calming YouTube cozy coffee shop channels we like to use in our homes!

*smell: such as candles or essential oils have been proven to calm the mind, body and soul.

*touch: like textiles, cozy pillows and blankets help to create the vibe you want in your home.

*the four elements are key to keep in mind for a calming home:

fire- fireplaces, candles, bonfires, fake fireplaces

water- water features such as small fountains, baths are very calming

air- fresh air, open windows, smells

earth- plants, grounding mats, grounding bedding (we will talk about grounding products more in the future but they can be game-changing in calming the nervous system and aiding in deep sleep)

*the last one connects back to sound and overall climate of your home. Is the environment tense? Is it loud? Is there a lot of fighting within the home? Micro-managing? Criticizing? It's normal to have tense moments, especially with younger children in the home, but be honest with yourself here.

What do you think the overall environment in your home is. What does it feel like?

These answers do and will affect your kids. You can always do your part to change that environment and empower yourself and family to make those changes!