Coffee Break #65

The universe is funny sometimes, isn’t it? Out of perpetual quiet, there can suddenly be consistent, pervasive, and even loud “themes” that come into your consciousness from lots of different directions. Over the past few months, I’ve had several women in my life experience personal turmoil. And without my prompting or even suggesting it, almost all of them have, in their own way and own time, turned to fixing, changing, and updating their home spaces as a way to cope, heal, and persevere. I can recognize it for what it is…because it’s at the very heart of why I decorate too. 

From the Start

I’ll never forget the first person who said to me, “Why do you even bother decorating your home? We’re gonna move again so soon.” 

And I remember being utterly flabbergasted by the question. 

At the time, I was newly married, living in our very first apartment overseas…far away from all the friends and family we’d ever known. This was pre-Pinterest, pre-home blogs, and I didn’t know the first thing about decorating or sewing or lighting or colors or…anything! 

But I did, almost suddenly, feel a deep, strong, feverish instinct to create a home for Greg and I. 

And over the course of decorating that very first apartment, it was imprinted on me that when our home space looked and felt “just right,” I was mentally, physically, and emotionally fortified to handle the harder parts of our life too. 

What The Science Says

The correlation between our homes and our moods, productivity, sleep, and overall well being is actually fairly well established.

Here are just a few examples:

Clutter and disorganization is known to cause increased cortisol levels, anxiety, and lack of concentration.

This can explain why when we first move into a new home, organization comes first and decorating comes second. Or why I can’t sit down to write without my bed made or the dishes loaded into the dishwasher.

The amount of light in a home (and even certain colors) have been linked to increased happiness and overall well-being.

You might assume I swap out all the light fixtures in our homes simply because they look better. Well…yes, that’s part of it. But I’ve also learned that I am incredibly sensitive to light. When I’m home, all the blinds are open, all the lights are on. I need my spaces well-lit in order to feel focused, energized, productive, and positive.

Greenery and plants certainly look nice, but they also improve air quality and calm the nervous system.

Most designers will say a room doesn’t look complete until it has a plant in it. Maybe what we assume is purely an aesthetic addition is actually our nervous system yearning for balance.  

A bedroom that promotes sleep (via light, textiles, sounds, and other comforts) can significantly boost mood and lessen depressive symptoms.

Our bedroom always seem to be the very last room on our decorating lists because no one ever sees it. But perhaps this is where we should start. Because once the bedroom is a true sanctuary to rest and rejuvenate, everything else (the house, life, kids, work) will become more bearable.

Doing something yourself gives you a sense of pride, accomplishment, self-confidence, and optimism. 

As I taught myself how to sew a pillow, or paint a wall, or install a drywall anchor, I slowly-but-surely adopted a “I can do this” attitude, which has certainly enabled me to handle some of the unique aspects of our military lifestyle. 

Sources: One | Two | Three

Even When No One Is Looking

Even though decorating, and sharing it here on the blog, is now my job, I know for a fact, I’d still do it even if no one was looking.

About a year ago, we had just moved back to Southern California. I wasn’t really planning on returning here to the blog, so I didn’t have any big home plans. 

But feeling alone and overwhelmed by starting yet another new life…and growing anxious about all the unknowns ahead for our family…I found myself yet again browsing backsplash options, scheming how to get our rugs to fit into our new house, and organizing the heck out of every single closet.

Because I now know that fixing up our home is where I start when I’m not quite sure what else to do. And through the process of fixing and adjusting and making things organized and beautiful on the inside, I tend to find my way through life on the outside too.