Todd NesnickThe human senses are often underappreciated, despite their importance for vital functions such as communication, protection, and healthy eating. Studies have shown, for instance, that olfaction is so vital to human wellbeing that when smell alterations appear, those affected experience increased social isolation and mental and emotional effects. Considering the fact that people spend up to 90% of their time indoors, designing spaces that take the senses of sight, smell, touch, and hearing are all important. If you are thinking of making small but impactful changes that will pamper your loved one’s senses, read on.
Catering to Your Sense of Sight through Tidiness
It is no wonder that Japanese tidying expert, Marie Kondo, is such a hit across the globe. An untidy home can impact your mental and emotional health in more ways than you may imagine. It can increase stress and anxiety, hamper your sleep quality, and make it harder to focus. Visual distraction promotes cognitive overload and affects your working memory. To tidy your home up, start by eliminating things you either do not need, or that do not make life more fulfilling. With unwanted furniture, clothing, toys, and other items, you can do good for your community by holding a garage sale and donating proceeds to charity, or by directly donating items that are in good condition.
Indulging Your Sense of Smell
A study carried out in partnership with sneaker brand, NIKE, showed that ambient smell can influence a person’s cognitive and affective (pleasure and stimulation) responses. Harvard academics, meanwhile, have found that smell, emotion, and memory are intertwined, which is a great reason to ensure your home smells clean and pleasant. An essential oil diffuser filled with therapeutic grade essential oils like lavender and bergamot, can relax or energize home dwellers. Go beyond the superficial, though, and try to look for sources of bad smells, such as mold, exposed garbage cans, and dirty sneakers. Machine wash dirty sneakers in a mesh bag, making sure to remove laces and insoles beforehand. Consider adding a pine oil disinfectant at the beginning of the wash cycle, running the washer on warm. Avoid placing shoes and other delicate items in the dryer, since the latter can damage the glue and cause shoes to warp.
Giving In to Textural Pleasure
One hot trend in current interior design is that of biophilic design, which involves blurring the lines between interior and exterior living, and creating a stronger bond with nature. One of the tenets of biophilic design involves imbuing indoor spaces with the varied textures that can be found in nature. You can incorporate this trend at home if you like through features like stone walls, ceramic decorative pieces, macramé chandeliers, soft rugs and cushions, and of course, live plants.
Calming Sounds
The exposure to natural sounds has been found to improve health outcomes and decrease stress and annoyance. Water sounds, in particular, have the largest effect on health and positive affective responses, while bird sounds are the optimal way to alleviate stress and annoyance. To bring some of these sounds in your home, you can set up a water fountain in your patio/garden zone, play recordings of bird sounds, or simply spend more time outdoors, where you can hear the sounds of wild birds flying in your area.
If you want to be healthy and happy, prioritize your senses. Within your home, there are many ways to pamper your senses of sight, smell, touch, and hearing. Of course, don’t forget your sense of taste, whipping up beautiful meals in your clean, tidy, fragrant home.