How rearranging your furniture can reduce stress
The Psychological Benefits of Rearranging Furniture
By making time to declutter and rearrange the furniture in your home and using it as part of your self-care routine, you will elevate your mood and reduce stress. It's a creative act that will help you to feel more energetic, effective and satisfied. Teamed with a good old fashioned spring clean - you can reconnect with things you love and say goodbye to items that have no purpose or meaning in your life. It is this change of energy in your home that is said to have very powerful benefits to your health. Dr Carrie Barron M.C. discusses achieving inner and outer harmony by moving things around "As you rearrange your personal space, you hone your aesthetic and identify what you truly love, want, or need. Such specificity brings relief.".
So what is 'Wellbeing'? And how is it different from 'Wellness'? In simple terms, 'Wellbeing' refers to a more holistic, whole of life experience, whereas 'Wellness' refers to physical health. While not entirely the same, each informs the other and it's important to nurture your wellbeing in order to maintain optimum wellness. Founder of The Owl & The Apothecary, Katy Theakston, is an expert in wellbeing and positive energy. Katy started her business to share her own experiences to help others realise their person, place and purpose.
“I was a bit stuck, so started researching tools & techniques to help me move forward. I discovered a love of ancient rituals – I loved the act of quietly doing something. This sparked some big, and wonderful shifts in my life… I lost weight, mended a broken heart and left a loved job to move from London to Dorset. Then I took the path of IVF as a solo mother and now live with my lovely little boy. I am really proud of un-sticking myself – and it gives me such pleasure to be helping others find their happy happenings too”. - Katy Theakston, The Owl & The Apothecary.
Through creative workshops, ritual kits and wellbeing products; The Owl & The Apothecary aims to bring you a beautiful, balanced & blessed experience. Included in their offering is their Wild Smudge Sticks, which you might have heard of. "Smudging is a powerful cleansing ceremony which casts out negative energy and brings in a positive, healing life force.". A ceremonial daily ritual, smudging is a spiritual spring clean for your home.
To explore wellbeing further we asked Katy to share with us her top tips for creating positive energy in the home. You can read her guest post below which will guide you through some ideas to try at home. Plus, at the end of this post, you'll discover how to WIN a years supply of smudge sticks for you and a friend!
Wellbeing for house & home - by Katy Theakston
Our home environment plays a big role in influencing the way we think, feel and act and all too often we neglect this element of our life.
A happy home is where energy flows freely; a place to rest and relax and where you can nourish and nurture you and your family. No matter if you live in a little cottage or a city apartment, it’s really easy for you to create a home that will improve your mood and instil a positive approach to living life well.
Little wins will work wonders for your wellbeing… the simple act of rearranging furniture and decluttering your home will not only help create space physically but will create space mentally to do more of the things you love. What's more, by choosing colours that reflect the purpose of the room you can transform the energy and your body will respond to that. Not to mention the joy of being greeted by a few treasured objects displayed in pride of place on sideboards as you come home from a busy day.
Your home should be your sanctuary - a place to recharge, reconnect and relax. Here are my tips for a happy, high-vibe home...
Declutter & cleanse
The act of clearing your home will help begin to clear your mind. So throw open your windows, let the sunshine in and set to washing your sheets, tidying up shelves and cupboards, and wiping down the windows and sills. Throw away old chipped crockery and invest in pieces that give you daily pleasure. Store non-seasonal clothes away in trunks. All of this will help create space for the meaningful objects that you love and want to surround yourself with.
Finally, give your home a spiritual Spring clean. Our homes & bodies vibrate with gentle, invisible energy and smudging will help clear away any unwanted vibes that may have gathered. Smudging is a powerful cleansing ceremony which casts out negative energy & brings in a positive, healing life force.
Top tip: Make sure you do the corners of each room - that’s where stagnant energy can gather. And always smudge in a well-ventilated area - you need an escape route for all that old energy!
Create a sacred space
A sacred space is quite simply having a place in your home where you can go to connect with yourself & the Earth. It doesn’t have to be snazzy, it’s just about dedicating a specific area to the rejuvenation of your spirit. A total expression of you. Over time, when you go to the same place to sit quietly & be - and wonderful energy builds... your mind knows this as a space of rest & respite. Whichever talismans, ornaments or sacred objects that you place in this space will hold energy for you too.
You may like to use a small table or a tray or even a mirror. Simply place items that you find beautiful or love on your tables such as things you collected on a walk amongst nature, little animal ornaments to represent your spirit, pictures of family or inspirational quotes. These items should speak to your soul in a way that is both nurturing and inspiring, and that connects you to your self. Add cushions, throws and blankets to make your space super comfy and cosy.
Tip Top: Now, this beautiful gold moon (aka The Art Deco Drinks Trolley) would be a super snazzy place to set your sacred space - or simply with a wooden tray. It’s about what speaks to your soul.
Move with the seasons
Working with nature is a wonderful way to improve wellbeing - a way to lift your gaze above the everyday-ness of life. The changing elements and landscapes serve as a reminder to remain open to change and new possibility and help us to connect with ourselves, our communities and the world we live in. A healthy outlook and sense of place will help ground you and bring a sense of balance and calm.
Mark the changing seasons in your home with little switch-ups in all that you surround yourself with… colour, texture, patterns can all be played with here. Surround yourself with things that inspire you, decorate with colours that make you happy and wallpapers you really love.
Get outdoors - a great way to clear the mind and settle the heart - and gather greenery, herbs and flowers or alternatively invest in a few air-purifying plants. Bring seasonal ornaments out to create displays to celebrate the season. Get creative and personalise your furniture with mood-enhancing colours - or even wallpapers and stencils. These little rituals will help you think about how you would like to be living your life and how you can reflect your choices in your home.
Top tip: Sit quietly and reflect on what you want this season to bring… start to gather objects and miscellany that reflects your intention and place them around your house to act as a reminder of your promise to yourself.
Bliss in the bedroom
Your bedroom is your sanctuary - a place for rest, relaxation and intimacy. A cluttered bedroom can be depressing and overwhelming, which is not conducive to a good nights sleep, so make sure you have storage aplenty for all your essential and non-essential items.
Your bed is the most significant element for a good night’s rest, so invest in beautiful bedding - good natural linen sheets will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer - calming shades of pale grey are perfect for a good night’s sleep. Choose calming hues for walls - muted tones and light pastels will have a calming and restorative effect and darker colours will make it seem intimate and warm.
Top tip: Be mindful about what you store under your bed. Ideally, nothing, but if you have built-in storage, only have low vibrational items under your bed, like towels and sheets. Letters from exes and banks statements can be a real mood killer.
Competition: Win A Years Supply of Smudge Sticks
Whether you are a smudging expert or total novice, this competition will enable you to transform the spiritual energy in your home all year round. Open to anyone with an Instagram account, simply head over to our brand account page and follow the entry instructions below.
Follow @rockettstgeorge.co.uk and @owlapothecary
Find our Wellbeing competition post and like it
Tag the friend who you'd like to win the prize with, in the comments
Gain a bonus entry when you share the post on your stories.
Good Luck!
*This competition is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Instagram. By entering you agree that you are 18+ years of age and that you release Instagram of all responsibility and agree to Instagrams terms of service. Competition is to win a year's supply of smudge sticks - 2 per month. Competition closes on Sunday 23rd February 2020 at 23:59. One winner and their tagged friend will be chosen at random from all valid entries at midday on Monday 24th February and contacted via Instagram. Should the prize not be claimed for 3 weeks an alternative winner will be selected at random from the remaining valid entries.
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Don’t Move, Improve | A Guide to Improving The Home You Have
