Healing Space

I've been reading a lot on the positive affects that your environment can have on your well being and peace of mind. I'm beginning to appreciate the magical affects that a positive and happy mind can have on your body (I've lost 10lb since beginning the Pleasurable Weight Loss programme). My previous scoffing that health and spirit are inextricably linked have been well and truly silenced. 

We are moving house on Saturday (I hope!) and as you can imagine it's a potential situation for stress. Boxes are piled high, we can't find things we've packed, the new housemate's stuff is blocking most doors, there are bills to sort, things to purchase and of course our jobs and all the regular stuff which need doing. It's a typical scenario where I would be freaking out and eating to get away from my anxiety and to calm myself down.

It is claimed that in places of healing, lovely smells can reduce blood pressure and lower pain perception levels, music or stories provide a restful atmosphere for patients and may improve immune system function, while art and images with positive subjects is said to reduce anxiety. If just a few tweaks to a hospital can do all this, imagine what a tidy and calming home can do. 

This weekend I have made sure that the bed is made, some nice music is playing, candles are lit and it feels like a pleasurable environment to be in. Even just a few things changed the mood (and so our moods) completely and I've already noticed the difference. Moving house is a time when everything is in complete disarray, so just spending 10 minutes balancing that out provides tranquility that I am missing in the chaos. 

In the past my attitude to cleaning, housework and keeping a made bed has been one of reluctance and apathy. My motivation has always been a "should". Now I know it gives me pleasure to have such a lovely environment (pleasure that truly feeds me) and of course the good it can do mentally, spiritually and therefore physically, it's completely changed to something I can't wait to do. When we move into our new home interior design is going to be one of my main pleasurable pass times!