5 Things You Can Do Today to Make Your Home More Peaceful
Here are 5 things you can do today today to clear the energy in your home and make it more peaceful. It won't break your back and it's kinda fun, I promise.
1. Buy a houseplant.
Any kind of plant. Start small. A cactus. Or maybe my favorite, a money tree. Go to Home Depot, English Gardens, anywhere. Greenery in the home is a source of renewal and cleansing. Not only does a houseplant help purify the air, but it helps to clear the mind. I like to keep a money tree right next to the kitchen sink or a small succulent near a bathroom sink. Super easy to water and trust me, I have a brown thumb. If I can do it, you can too. (Please, no plastics.)
Great tutorial here from Amber Lewis on how-to incorporate plant life in your home
2. Clear out your entry space.
Start somewhere manageable and a place that sets the tone for your home. Take 10-15 minutes and clear all the clutter from the area where you and guests enter the home. Put shoes away, hang coats up, sweep up a bit and clear off the tops of any console tables in entry way. Notice how it feels afterwards.
Clearing clutter allows the energy to easily flow in and out.
3. Discard anything in sight that does not spark joy.
I am so moved by a book I've just read, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. I picked this up a while ago and couldn't put it down and recently saw it at a bookstore on the non-fiction bestseller shelf. My number one takeaway: Get rid of anything that does not spark joy. Isn't that genius? Don't hold on to something because you've had it for twenty years or someone special gave it to you and you feel guilty about throwing it out. Only keep things that spark joy. But this is the catch - you have to physically touch it and ask yourself, "Does this spark joy?" You'll be surprised how many things spark sadness and heaviness. Make the connection with it and listen. If it doesn't spark joy, let it go. You will be so surprised how few things you actually need.
4. Light a candle, incense, diffuser or open a window.
My current favorite is burning palo santo incense sticks which come from a tree found in Peru and Ecuador that has been used for thousands of years for its healing properties. It smells like a crisp, clean earthy woodfire and puts me in a restful state of mind. Whenever people come over after I've burned it, they always ask me what it is. I discovered it years ago living in New York when it constantly appeared at parties and homes of my Columbian friends.
Palo Santo Incense Sticks
5. Let go of the expectation that your home has to be perfect.
Most interior photographs are perfectly lit and staged. This is real living.
Embrace the imperfections. The scuffs on the walls, the dog prints on the white area rug, the dead bush in the front yard. Don't make excuses for it. Love all of it. Your home is a living ecosystem and constant work in progress. It never reaches a final point of being "done."