More and more you hear about mental health and the different considerations you should take to keep yourself healthy in that area. This might have you thinking about work, about how you can change your professional life to suit your personal life better. That is a good ambition to have, but it might also be an idea to focus on improving aspects of your personal life.

In particular, how you can alter your home to support your mental health. This is where you come back to after a long day and potentially where you spend much more time if you work from home, which makes it an area that is potentially a bigger part of your life than you suspect.

1.   Focus on Light

With mental health as your priority, the first thing on your agenda should perhaps be the topic of light. Unfortunately, not every property will be equal in this regard – some will have fewer windows or might be facing a direction that does not afford them much light. In that case, you need to make the most of what you have available. First, you can identify where natural light is coming into your home, and then carefully use reflective surfaces like mirrors to redirect this light to other parts of your home. This can also have the added benefit of helping your home to feel larger. On top of this, painting your walls a lighter color can add to this effort, and it can also give you the added effect that certain colors can have on mood.

2.   A Space to Relax

Throughout this process, it is worth asking yourself some questions in order to get a better sense of how you feel about your home environment.

One such question is, do you feel relaxed at home? Some rooms might feel more relaxing than others, but if you do not feel as though you can go home and unwind due to how the space makes you feel, you will likely need to make some changes. Lighting can have a lot to do with this – perhaps incorporating some warmer, more gentle lighting into the rooms rather than always relying on the overhead lights, but so do seating and decoration. House plants can be incredibly helpful in giving the home a more natural presentation.

It is also important to consider how you prefer to relax. If you prefer to read, a space by a window where you can settle in and ponder the view might complement your chosen activity. If you’re into gaming, consider the console – a comfortable chair a good distance from the TV for a home console, or perhaps a similar situation to the reading nook if you enjoy mobile games like machine a sous.

3.   What Does a Bed Need?

There are several areas of your home that are functional and necessary for you to live there. The bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen and arguably the living room, though even that could be cut if you are talking about what is strictly required to live. The bedroom, however, can be confusing because it is possible to design it in such a way that feels more homely, and is often spent time in to relax. It’s important to remember that your bed does have a job to do, though it needs to provide support and allow you to get a healthy rest. If your bed is not uncomfortable or leads to poor sleep, it might be time to seek improvement.

4.   Is Space a Concern?

If you discover that the way your home is laid out is the problem itself, it can feel as though you have hit something of a dead end. Think about the space that you have, and that can lead you to some potential solutions. If you have rooms like an attic that are not used for much other than storage, could it be worth the investment to turn this into another lounge or bedroom? Similarly, might knocking down a wall help to give your home a more airy and open plan feel?

5.   The Potential of Outdoor Space

This is yet another area that will not apply to everyone, but if you do find that you have access to a garden with your property (even a communal one), make sure to make the most of it. It’s easy to ignore how much of an impact outdoor spaces can have on your mental health, but making sure to spend more time outside can showcase this gentle shift first-hand.

If your green space is not yet at a point where you feel as though it would be very relaxing to spend time in, this project in itself can be something that can help your mental health. Getting into gardening is reported to have therapeutic benefits, and this project of yours can turn into a hobby that adds some variety to your schedule, letting you spend more time outside.

6.   Conversions and Overhauls

As mentioned previously when discussing how much space you have available in your home, you might feel as though you are somewhat restricted by the way that your home is currently structured or designed. While this can certainly represent a more difficult obstacle than where to move a mirror, it is not insurmountable. In fact, if you have a clear idea of what you want your home to look like and the changes you want to make, you can begin talking to the right professionals to make these ambitions come to life.

In order for this to go ahead, you should think carefully about your future in how it relates to this home. It is your home now, yes, but will it always be? If it is somewhere that you’re renting, you obviously won’t be able to start knocking down doors, but even if you do own it, it might be that something so intensive isn’t the right way forward if you’re planning on moving soon anyway.