Bring a Bit of the Outdoors Into Your Home

As the seasons change, so do our habits and routines. Shorter daylight and longer evenings tend to mean more time indoors. Depending on where you reside in the world, there are many factors to consider when it comes to your environmental and well-being needs. Damp and rainy weather, or regions that experience the frigid cold and harsh winter can make getting time outdoors less frequent or unalluring. 

Considering that this is the second year navigating the global pandemic, dealing with extended times indoors may bring concern or effects such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), depression, loneliness, fatigue, and vitamin D deficiency. Lack of time outdoors, in nature can impact the collective mental health. 

According to many researchers, time spent in nature – up to 120 minutes – or about two hours, or the more experiences you can have in nature is associated with your psychological well-being and overall health. Your connection to nature can generate a positive effect on your happiness. It can help decrease stress levels, depression, and mental illness while improving your social interactions and engagement, focus, and how you manage your daily life. 

As known in the blue zones, your surroundings impact your overall well-being. When you create an environment that supports your goals, a positive mood, and an active lifestyle, you naturally live a happier and healthier life. If you do not have the ability to be outdoors, as suggested this season, how can you ensure you are not missing out on the health benefits? Try out some of these home goods to bring a piece of nature into your home and peace of mind into the soul. 

Brighten Your Space, Brighten Your Mood

Sunlight exposes you to a natural form of Vitamin D which supports the immune system and bone health. Even 10 to 20 minutes of sun can provide big benefits. This portable therapy light brings the sunlight indoors to help ensure you get your daily dose of sun. It helps to keep you focused, increases your energy, and even optimizes your sleep. Brighten your home and boost your mood with this sun lamp. While it is best to step outside and meet the fresh air and sunlight as much as possible, even sitting near an open window and letting the light hit your eyes can help boost your productivity. Some research has even claimed that sustainably designed offices — that is, offices in buildings that are relatively energy efficient, filter air, and maximize the use of natural light — improve worker productivity. But when you can’t open the windows or step outside, this handy light will be there for you when it is not accessible. And may just put a smile on your face! 

Keep Your Herbs Fresh

Keeping fresh herbs in the kitchen encourages you to cook with fresh ingredients. Preserve herbs grown from your garden with this convenient glass container that fits anywhere in your kitchen. Consider adding a mini herb garden to your window sill to bring the garden inside and grow herbs all year long. Then, keep them fresh and thriving to enjoy with meals. Perfect for basil, thyme, cilantro, rosemary, and more, you can create healthy dishes with enhanced flavors.

Sitting on the Floor Made Easy

Grab one of these rock-inspired floor pillows, take a seat, and get comfy. You can incorporate sitting on the floor as a daily practice or use them for meditation. You may not be used to sitting on the floor but this practice can help with mobility, longevity, and your overall health. In Okinawa, Japan, sitting on the floor instead of high chairs is traditional for reading, eating, and talking. By placing these pillows around the house, you are more likely to sit on the floor, which can strengthen your muscles and core in the act of getting up and down. It is a fun habit that can get the whole family involved. 

Indoor Gardens as Wall Art

During quarantine, did you notice yourself buying more plants or adding greenery to your space? Houseplant purchases surged during lockdown. People turned to green friends as ways to fulfill social voids, to provide fresh, clean air, bring comfort into their space, and offer a sense of purpose. Gardening at home is a form of exercise that helps to boost your mood and overall well-being. Keep greenery and houseplants alive in your immediate space to provide emotional, mental, and physical benefits by adding a hanging garden!

The relative abundance of greenery visible from the home or in the neighborhood was associated with reduced depressive/anxiety symptoms and lower depression/anxiety rates. Having more houseplants or a garden was also associated with some of these markers of mental health.

It is a great way to keep your plant life season extended and thriving while also protected from weather like frost. Plus, it creates a beautiful wall decoration and saves lots of space.

Garden in Harmony with the Moon

Whether you are new to gardening or already rocking a green thumb, enhance your crop with this useful moon calendar. The tool follows the lunar cycle to get the most out of your gardening schedule. Learn how to grow specific crops as the seasons change so you can cultivate flourishing plants, flowers, and herbs. This product encourages how you think about gardening as well:  “It’s a Conscious Shift: Think about gardening from a different perspective, not by focusing on our inputs, but attuning to the deeper rhythms of nature that can do the work for us.” 

There is so much value to cultivating a space that supports growing your own food. Align yourself with the moon cycle gardening calendar so you can bring in fresh crops all year long.

Where the Eyes Go the Attention Goes

Keeping a beautiful bowl full of fruits and veggies on the kitchen counter can inspire you to grab a healthier snack throughout the day. When hunger hits, you want to fulfill the craving fast. By having vibrant fruit and veggie options out in the open, you are more likely to grab and go versus searching and decide on what to snack on. It is a simple lifestyle trick that is not only convenient but makes your life healthier.

Add Natural Scenery

Artwork can enhance any environment. It also has positive effects on your body and mind! Research studies show that simply looking at an image, photo, or video of nature can result in a more relaxed body. From mountain ranges, forests, beaches, and flowers or fields — viewing these types of scenes can act as a form of nature therapy. You can easily transform any room by adding photos of natural elements and therefore, generate more positive energy in your home.