Want to be more mindful in 2017? It all starts at home

As mindfulness gathers momentum in our lives, 2017 could be the year of bringing the lifestyle trend into your home.

“In many ways, the world is becoming faster-paced and we have a more distracted existence,” says Dr Craig Hassed, co-author of The Mindful Home. “We’re packing more things into our work and leisure time and we don’t have any sanctuary from this, which impacts on stress levels.”

Your home serves many purposes, but in a busy world perhaps its most important calling is as a mindfulness retreat. “The home is the last frontier: an opportunity to find some real peace, space and connection in our lives,” Hassed says.

Disconnect in order to reconnect

Work, mobile devices, television screens – it feels like a demanding world that’s impossible to escape. But what if you could turn your home into a retreat away from it all?

“For many people, the home is turning into anything but a sanctuary,” Hassed says. “Work is increasingly impinging on the home, largely because of technology, and families are retreating to separate spaces and screens.”

Switch it off, is the mindfulness message. “You can make a conscious decision to turn the home into a more mindful and connected environment,” Hassed says. “The environment can influence us in profound ways – for better or for worse – and we need to be conscious of creating an environment that helps us to connect, rather than one that’s distracted.”

This doesn’t mean you have to turn your back on work when you’re at home – that’s an unrealistic idea for many of us. But what we can do is be more conscious about how it comes into our space. “The home office can be a great facility,” Hassed says “It’s also a great space to close off and walk out of, ready to connect with the other people you’re living with.”

Be mindful of all five senses

Being mindful incorporates every part of you, and you can play around with how this affects you at home. “You can connect with your home using all five senses,” Hassed says. “A home that’s too dark or with lighting that’s too harsh can affect you, as can lots of noise and a sensory overload. There’s also the importance of smell and tasting meals where you connect with each other.”

You can create this retreat for the senses in each part of your home. “Create a space to dine together in, a bedroom that isn’t invaded by the computer and screens, a space for your hobbies, a space to really rest and a quiet space to meditate,” Hassed suggests.

“If you really stop and be mindful and connect with each space, you may make a more conscious decision about how you decorate, which colours you use, the way you use light and how you bring greenery into the house.”

How is the health of your home?

Mindfulness incorporates more than you may have imagined, and living with this level of consciousness spreads throughout every aspect of your home.

“The home environment can either be healthy or unhealthy,” Hassed says. “Think about the kinds of chemicals and products you’re exposed to. Being mindful is a way of living.”

Ultimately, the aim of creating a mindful home is to give you an opportunity to recharge. “We can then go back out into the world feeling refuelled and refreshed and deal with the things we need to deal with.”

It can be more than a pipe dream. Create a mindful home and your space could help you to be mindful in life.