Where Design and Interiors Meets Happiness and Wellbeing
Do you have objects around your home that you dislike?
Perhaps you keep them around because you feel you have to. Or maybe out of a sense of guilt because they were gifts?
How do they make you feel each time you look at them? Do they bring back bad memories or make you feel negative?
When used as positive anchors, home accessories really can make you feel happier. But conversely, if they have negative associations, the opposite is also true.
As the year 2013 comes to an end, there is a tendency to look back and reflect on the past year. I hope it was a good one for you?
The media news reviews though, invariably make it look like it was a bleak year. That the world is a rather messed up and unhappy place. And there is no denying that some sad and terrible events did take place. But at the same time, let’s remember that drama and bad news sells. Good things do happen, and there are so many ordinary people who do small acts of kindness every day. Even if they don’t always make the news.
We may not be able to change the world – but we can change ourselves and how we feel. We are responsible for our own happiness. And while things won’t always go right, the challenge is in how we react to those events.
Can home accessories make us feel happier?
I don’t just mean simply because you like the colour, pattern or design of your homeware. But much deeper than that: could they actually change your mood?
In neuro-linguistic programming there is a concept known as ‘anchors’. These are stimuli that have an effect on our thoughts or emotions and can change our state of mind. This can be positive or negative and the source could be visual, auditory or tactile.
It happens to us all the time. Sometimes it’s subconscious, and we may not even be aware that it is happening.
When the weather is cold and dreary – and winter feels like it’s everlasting – it’s easy to start feeling a bit low.
So I thought I would compile some cosy ideas to warm you up on a cold day, that can’t help but lift your spirits too!
