The recent pandemic and subsequent lockdown have been tough for all of us. But parents are among those who have been hit the hardest. Having to navigate the perils and pitfalls of working at home (or staying safe while working elsewhere) alongside living with stressed and frustrated youngsters is enough to test the patience of even the most saintly Mum and Dad. Many of you have probably been longing to make your home a calmer place in all of this.

Parenting, while wonderful and richly rewarding, is insanely stressful even at the best of times. Couple this with the current feelings of political unrest, economic turmoil and social upheaval and it’s little wonder that so many parents feel as though they just can’t cope anymore. But hang on in there! The light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter by the day. Even though it’ll probably be a long while until we get over the effects of the pandemic fully, you will bounce back.

However, in the meantime, it’s important that your home be a place of Calm solitude and refuge from the turmoil that has plagued the country and the world. While nobody’s saying that you shouldn’t engage with political injustices like the BLM protests, or give the government a pass for the weeks of inaction that has cost countless lives, you need to be able to compartmentalise. 

With that said, here are some ways in which you can make your home a Calmer place…

Keep your clutter in storage

Clutter can quickly become part of the furniture. You no longer notice it because you take it for granted as part of your home. But the truth is that clutter can be really damaging to your mental health, elevating your stress levels and making your home harder to clean. To help make your home a calmer place, you need to invest in sufficient storage to keep clutter at bay.

Keep it natural

Carpets and furniture made from synthetic fibres, plastic furniture, fake flowers. It may be affordable, but it looks and feels “wrong” to us on a subconscious level. Swap out synthetic materials for natural alternatives like wooden parquet flooring, cotton or bamboo furnishings and stone or ceramic accessories to help make your home a calmer place – you may be surprised at how much more calming it makes your home.  

Keep it easy to clean

Cleaning your home can be therapeutic… but not when you have to labour through the day to keep it that way. Try and focus on furnishings that are easy to wipe clean or can be removed and put in the washing machine. 

Plants, plants and more plants

Never underestimate the power of plants to keep your home looking and feeling calm. To help make your home a calmer place, some of the best plants for elevating your mood and inspiring calm include;

• Peace lilies
• Rubber plants
• Philodendrons
• Aloe vera
• Snake plants
• Boston ferns
• Pothos

Breathe in calm

Finally, a sense of calm isn’t just absorbed through the eyes. It is also breathed in. Try and position a few essential oil diffusers around your home to fill it with a fresh and relaxing scent. Sandalwood and bergamot are good for the living room, peppermint and citrus are great for freshening up the kitchen or bathroom and jasmine, ylang ylang and lavender are fantastic for helping you to relax when you go to bed. 

We hope the above tips help to make your home a calmer place – goodness knows we all need it in these times!

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