How to Live a Calm Life
Arrange your home to facilitate calmness., Build a calm workspace., Take advantage of color and light., Get away from it all.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Arrange your home to facilitate calmness.
There are many things you can do to make your home a place of tranquility, even if you have a busy family life.
Use interior design and organization to your advantage and give yourself a little breathing space at home.
Organize your entryway to reduce clutter.
Being greeted with a mess as soon as you walk in the door is a recipe for stress.
Give your shoes, umbrellas, and other everyday items a dedicated place near the door.
They’ll be out of sight, and out of mind.
Dedicate a space for clutter, and try to confine it there.
Keeping an entire house neat and tidy all the time is impractical, especially when children are involved.
Instead, dedicate just one or two areas where everyone can drop their bags, pile up the mail, and so on.
Add a little music.
Classical music, or other instrumental styles like jazz, can calm nerves and soothe tempers.
The music should be slow and quiet to get that calming effect.Keeping a little ambient music going is a great way to keep an even keel.
Pamper your bedroom.
You will spend up to a third of your life in bed: make sure your bedroom is a place of refuge.
It’s the last place you see in the evening, and the first you encounter in the morning.
Use comfortable bedding, with soft, high-thread count sheets to give yourself a good night’s rest, and consider a wake-up light as an alternative to a conventional alarm clock for a smoother start to your day. -
Step 2: Build a calm workspace.
You’ll probably spend a good portion of your waking hours at work, so it’s wise to build a soothing space there where possible.
Workplaces vary widely, from offices to the outdoors, so tailor changes to suit your individual needs.
Reduce clutter and clear your work area of unnecessary items.
This can help reduce distractions and keep you focused on the task at hand.
Keep it clean.
Get rid of trash, stains, spots, and smells to reduce potential sources of displeasure.
Just as with clutter, this will be an ongoing battle, so don’t let the cleaning itself become a distraction or source of stress.
Regular maintenance is the key.
Post pictures of pleasant things.
Photographs of your family, or of calming scenes, or places you’d like to visit can enhance your workday with reminders of what’s good in life and why you’re at work in the first place.
If you have your own office, shut the door.
It will discourage visitors, keep out noise, and give you a sense of privacy and perhaps even isolation.
If your job requires frequent collaboration with others, pick out brief periods of the day for some closed-door time before reopening to the world., Certain arrangement of color and lighting can have dramatic effects on your mood and productivity.Adjusting the shade, tone, and intensity of the decor around you is an under-appreciated way to maintain a peaceful environment.
Choose muted colors over bright ones.
Bright tones can lead to anxiety, so softer shades are a better choice.
Relatedly, use matte (non-reflective) rather than glossy tones to reduce reflections and distractions.Blues and lavenders are preferable for bedrooms and areas that should be calm and tranquil.Use recessed lighting and floor or desk lamps to create a sense of closeness.
This also reduces the harsh light from bare, direct light bulbs.
Install warm-white bulbs (check the packaging when you buy) to keep the tone soft.
Bright-white bulbs can give off an industrial vibe and are harsh to look at. , Spend time out in nature to calm yourself and recharge.
Anything from a quick walk in the park, to an extended trek in the wilderness can be calming and restorative, especially if you spend most of your time in urban environments.
Take it slow.
Get out in the outdoors, and take the time to soak in your surroundings.
Watch clouds for a bit, or perhaps kick off your shoes and enjoy the feeling of grass between your toes.
Do a little photography while you’re out.
If you come across a landscape that inspires you, capture the moment so you can come back to it later for a bit of restoration.
Engage with nature.
If you’re so inclined, take up a hobby that requires active involvement with nature.
Fly fishing, for example, requires both peaceful, relaxing motion and the willingness to understand the mechanics of rivers, lakes, and many forms of aquatic life.
Rock climbing can take you to breathtaking views and some personal knowledge of geology.
In any case, feeling closer to the natural world is a great way to de-stress and build a calm space in your life. -
Step 3: Take advantage of color and light.
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Step 4: Get away from it all.
Detailed Guide
There are many things you can do to make your home a place of tranquility, even if you have a busy family life.
Use interior design and organization to your advantage and give yourself a little breathing space at home.
Organize your entryway to reduce clutter.
Being greeted with a mess as soon as you walk in the door is a recipe for stress.
Give your shoes, umbrellas, and other everyday items a dedicated place near the door.
They’ll be out of sight, and out of mind.
Dedicate a space for clutter, and try to confine it there.
Keeping an entire house neat and tidy all the time is impractical, especially when children are involved.
Instead, dedicate just one or two areas where everyone can drop their bags, pile up the mail, and so on.
Add a little music.
Classical music, or other instrumental styles like jazz, can calm nerves and soothe tempers.
The music should be slow and quiet to get that calming effect.Keeping a little ambient music going is a great way to keep an even keel.
Pamper your bedroom.
You will spend up to a third of your life in bed: make sure your bedroom is a place of refuge.
It’s the last place you see in the evening, and the first you encounter in the morning.
Use comfortable bedding, with soft, high-thread count sheets to give yourself a good night’s rest, and consider a wake-up light as an alternative to a conventional alarm clock for a smoother start to your day.
You’ll probably spend a good portion of your waking hours at work, so it’s wise to build a soothing space there where possible.
Workplaces vary widely, from offices to the outdoors, so tailor changes to suit your individual needs.
Reduce clutter and clear your work area of unnecessary items.
This can help reduce distractions and keep you focused on the task at hand.
Keep it clean.
Get rid of trash, stains, spots, and smells to reduce potential sources of displeasure.
Just as with clutter, this will be an ongoing battle, so don’t let the cleaning itself become a distraction or source of stress.
Regular maintenance is the key.
Post pictures of pleasant things.
Photographs of your family, or of calming scenes, or places you’d like to visit can enhance your workday with reminders of what’s good in life and why you’re at work in the first place.
If you have your own office, shut the door.
It will discourage visitors, keep out noise, and give you a sense of privacy and perhaps even isolation.
If your job requires frequent collaboration with others, pick out brief periods of the day for some closed-door time before reopening to the world., Certain arrangement of color and lighting can have dramatic effects on your mood and productivity.Adjusting the shade, tone, and intensity of the decor around you is an under-appreciated way to maintain a peaceful environment.
Choose muted colors over bright ones.
Bright tones can lead to anxiety, so softer shades are a better choice.
Relatedly, use matte (non-reflective) rather than glossy tones to reduce reflections and distractions.Blues and lavenders are preferable for bedrooms and areas that should be calm and tranquil.Use recessed lighting and floor or desk lamps to create a sense of closeness.
This also reduces the harsh light from bare, direct light bulbs.
Install warm-white bulbs (check the packaging when you buy) to keep the tone soft.
Bright-white bulbs can give off an industrial vibe and are harsh to look at. , Spend time out in nature to calm yourself and recharge.
Anything from a quick walk in the park, to an extended trek in the wilderness can be calming and restorative, especially if you spend most of your time in urban environments.
Take it slow.
Get out in the outdoors, and take the time to soak in your surroundings.
Watch clouds for a bit, or perhaps kick off your shoes and enjoy the feeling of grass between your toes.
Do a little photography while you’re out.
If you come across a landscape that inspires you, capture the moment so you can come back to it later for a bit of restoration.
Engage with nature.
If you’re so inclined, take up a hobby that requires active involvement with nature.
Fly fishing, for example, requires both peaceful, relaxing motion and the willingness to understand the mechanics of rivers, lakes, and many forms of aquatic life.
Rock climbing can take you to breathtaking views and some personal knowledge of geology.
In any case, feeling closer to the natural world is a great way to de-stress and build a calm space in your life.
About the Author
Nathan Jordan
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow DIY projects tutorials.
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