Trends like Marie Kondo’s philosophy and minimalism, in general, have firmly taken root in our collective consciousness in recent years. Part of the alluring nature of these interests is the way that they impact more than just our living spaces. While a clean house is great, the mindset behind how you treat your living space can make all of the difference in how you, yourself, feel.

Self-Care: Home Edition

Self-care is a hot topic these days. Mantras like “you only live once” and “you do you” have been steadily chanted as everyone turns their attention inward to improve themselves. However, improving your life doesn’t just come through retrospection, rest, or a trip to the spa. It also includes the way you treat the space you live in. 

In much of the same way that the clothes you wear can inspire confidence, induce relaxation, and so on, feeling good about your home can be a game changer for your own day-to-day relaxation and inspiration. 

There are plenty of different ways to do this, and many of them will be specifically tailored to your own tastes. For instance, if you’re a music buff, having your collection of albums proudly on display can be genuinely motivating. If you’re a health and fitness nut, having a work out room is probably imperative. No matter what your interests, though, there are several things that are universally helpful in bettering your home — and in the process, bettering yourself, too.

Start with a Good Foundation

No, not the foundation of your home itself, we’re talking about the foundation of your rooms themselves. If your house is outdated, run down, or straight up dilapidated, you’re going to notice no matter how much you clean and decorate. 

One simple, affordable, and shockingly transformative way to overhaul a room is to give it a fresh coat of paint. You can go the easy route and simply paint with white in order to bring a sense of lighter largess to your spaces. Another option, though, is to consider your color options and pick out accent walls to break up the monotony of a room and bring a sense of vibrancy to its overall appearance.

Another consideration is the flooring. While reflooring can be a bit more labor intensive — not to mention pricey — compared to painting, there are many ways to retrofit your floors in order to get them in fine style and at a reasonable cost. For instance, it’s easy to find affordable, trendy faux wood vinyl flooring that’s extremely easy to install. Even if you can’t put a new floor in, though, you may want to consider something like a larger area rug to help provide a clean surface and tie a room together.

Declutter Your Home to Declutter Your Mind

Minimalism isn’t just a trendy way to get rid of your stuff. It can literally help improve your health, reduce your stress, and bring peace of mind. 

Once you have a good foundation to work from, take the time to thoughtfully go through your house, room by room, and simplify wherever possible. That doesn’t mean dispose of anything and everything in your path. In fact, it’s important to go about minimizing your living space with a plan of action. 

Begin by getting into a good mindset. If you’re feeling stressed or angry, you’re likely to make a lot of bad decisions. Aim to maintain a healthy, positive mental state as you thoughtfully consider each item you own. What is its purpose? Is it necessary? Does it bring you joy? 

As you pare down the excess, try to visualize what you want each space to ultimately look like and then work towards that goal. 

Time to Clean

Once your home’s foundation is spruced up and your rooms are minimized and organized, you’re going to want to make a final effort to make sure that everything is also clean. Tidy and neat are good things to strive for, but if a room isn’t clean, you’re going to feel it. 

Sticky floors, dusty shelves, dirty carpets, they all add up if left unattended to. If you want to create a place where your mind can truly find some rest and relaxation, you’re going to want to create an effective, practical cleaning schedule and stick to it as much as possible. 

Take things Outdoors

While tending to the inside of your house is a huge part of the battle, you’re also going to want to take some time to care for your home’s exterior appearance as well. Tend to your landscaping, power wash the house’s siding from time to time, minimize and organize the garage, and keep the roof and gutters clean.

In addition to the obvious stuff, though, you may also want to seriously invest yourself into your gardening. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, it’s worth the effort, as gardening is an ancient practice that is well-known for being as good for the soul as it is for the yard.

Feeling Better About Your Home

There are many different ways to thoughtfully tend to your home. Not only do the tips mentioned provide a clean, tidy living space, but the organized, minimized state of your abode can help you feel better about yourself as well. It provides a sense of peacefulness, tranquility, and calm that can be difficult to find when your house is constantly in a state of chaos. So make your plans, shift your state of mind, and before you know it, both you and your home will be transformed for the better.