During times of social distancing and fear, finding ways to spark joy may take a bit longer to cultivate these days. However, being home for an extended period of time doesn’t have to be negative. There are many simple ways that you can spark joy at home, and I will share how in this post.

But first, let’s define what home means…

Home can mean different things to different people. Home could be your current residence, reference your homeland, or a place where you feel the most peace which may not be a dwelling at all!

Whichever that sense of home is to you, home is our safe haven. It is where we retreat to replenish the soul, so we could go out into the world and accomplish great things. We may not be able to physically go out in the world at this time but we still can accomplish great things from home.

How to Spark Joy at Home

The quote from one of my favorite books, “Home is a Mirror of Self” states it best. Our home fulfills many needs and those who are lucky enough to have a home, may rarely reflect on the luxury of having a place to call home. Before I dive into the many ways we can spark joy at home, let’s start with a moment gratitude.

REFLECTION + gratitude

This is the perfect opportunity to take time to reflect on your home and the life you created there. Appreciate your home for what it is. Remember all the loved ones that have gathered. Remember all the holidays that were enjoyed. Remember every birthday that was celebrated at home. If you share your home with a partner or spouse, remember all the anniversaries that were toasted to! If you have children, remember all the “firsts” that took place there.

Remember all the happy memories that were had. Cherish those precious moments that your home has “housed” for you.

While we celebrate the good times, let’s also remember the not-so-good times that your home sheltered you during. Be grateful that you have your home to find refuge during this time. Appreciate the times where you had your bedroom to escape to after a difficult day, week, or season of life.

After you have expressed gratitude for your home, the next step is to observe the feeling of your home and how you feel in it.

This isn’t my dog but I really love on my Client’s pups when I come over the house.

our emotions + home

Our interior environment is deeply connected to our internal being. Whether you are conscious of it or not, our home is a reflection of who we are and the stage of life we are in, and vise versa.

Have you ever noticed that when life gets messy, home does too? I don’t know about you, but that is definitely true for me. When I am feeling stressed, scattered, or anxious; my home mirrors those emotions. When my home gets out of order, this triggers and/or heightens my emotions.

** cue the anxious cleaning spree **

I go on a cleaning and organizing frenzy to relieve stress and get things back in order. Ahhh, a sigh of relief. A wave of peace and calm washes over me. Order has been restored. Anxiety and stress has lifted. My home is restoring inner peace.

It is important to tap into how you are feeling and become aware of how your surroundings are influencing your emotions. As stress, fear, and overwhelm are heightened during this time; make sure your environment does not reflect or manifest those negative emotions.

This step may be tricky to recognize as it is more intuitive, but here is a tip:

What negative phrases are you repeating?

“I can’t seem to get a grip on life….”
- Check the usability and function of items that you have to open/close. Whether that be doors, cabinets, or drawer handles. If those items are not in working order, that phrase is being affirmed in your psyche that you can’t seem to grasp anything.
“I am so drained….”
- Check the flow of water in your home. Do you have a leaky faucet? Is your toilet working properly? Do you sleep near a bathroom or near a kitchen? This is where water is being drained, hence, the energy may feel drained from you.
“ I can’t stay focused…..”
- This could refer to many things, as it depends on the task you are working on and where you work. How organized is your work station? Can you easily access the things you need to work? Do you have outside distractions? How is the quality of lighting while you work?

Those are just a few examples of how our thoughts manifest in our home. While I tend to focus on the brightside, it is important to reflect on the shadows of your mind. Take a moment to analyze your surroundings to see where that emotion is being affirmed.

HOW TO spark more joy AT HOME

I encourage you to read a previous post that I wrote, Does your Home Spark Joy? Take the happiness assessment to observe the items in your home that bring joy and those that don’t.

In addition to taking the happiness assessment, there are other ways that you can cultivate more joy and positivity at home.

Think of your favorite room in the house.

What about it brings you the most joy?
How does the room make you feel?
What colors or patterns do you have there?
Is it the sunniest room in the house?
Is it the quietest room or is it the most connected room of the house?
Does it bring up positive memories of your childhood?
How does that room smell? (Scent triggers emotions too!)

Once you have identified the things that brings you joy, enhance those elements and try to bring that element into other areas of the house.

If it is color, bring more of your favorite color into other rooms. Keep in mind that saturated colors may not be appropriate in soothing environments on a large scale and are best as accents.

If it is natural sunlight, you obviously can’t move the sun to another room BUT you can swap out light bulbs to daylight bulbs. You can also play with color to make your room have that “light and bright” feeling.

How will you cultivate more love, positivity, and happiness in your home? Please share with me by leaving a comment below!

With the efforts to spread more joy, I encourage you to share this post with a friend or to your Pinterest board for inspiration later!

In the meantime, happy decorating and stay tuned for part 2 of this series!