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The experts weigh in.
When something feels off, we tend to look at our habits. Maybe we need more sleep. Less scrolling. More steps. Less wine. More water. Rarely do we consider the room we’re sitting in. We should, though, says Sally Augustin, PhD, an environmental/design psychologist and the principal at Design With Science. “The brain pulls from the sensory inputs it’s receiving at any given moment.” As a result, our spaces directly influence how stressed we feel, how well we focus and rest, and our overall well-being. She’s not just talking about the obvious clutter and disorganization, either, although those are good places to start. Your home plays a powerful role in how you feel each day. With a few thoughtful adjustments, it can benefit your mental health, foster a sense of balance, and become a steady source of calm.
With many of us continuing to spend more time at home, our surroundings deserve closer attention. To help, we gathered expert-backed tips from designers and organizers who prioritize mental wellness. Three clear principles emerged—each with lots of small-yet-impactful changes.
Related: If You’re the One Managing the "Mental Load" of a Clean Home, Here’s How to Finally Lighten It
Clean, Declutter, and Set Up Systems
First things first—it’s time to cut some of that clutter and noise out of your home to relieve any unintentional stress that it might be causing you.
Take a Moment
“I find that people always overestimate how long a dreaded task will take, so they don’t do it because it seems so overwhelming,” says Shira Gill, home organizing expert and author of the book LifeStyled, all about how to simplify your home and your life. “I ask myself, What can I accomplish in 15 minutes?” Set a timer. Anything that’s out of place gets put away. Junk gets thrown away. Dirty surfaces get a quick wipe. You’ll be amazed at what you can get done.
Be a Gatekeeper
Like a bouncer at your own front door, you can ruthlessly vet what enters your home, Gill says. Before anything gets in, ask yourself a few key questions: Where will I put this? Do I already have something similar? Will this add value to my life, or will it add more stress? The less stuff you let in, the less you have to clean, organize, and manage, she points out.
Say No to New
With the goal of owning less stuff, Gill suggests a purchase pause—30 days of buying only the essentials. Even after that’s over, make impulse shopping harder by deleting saved credit cards from all your devices. Also, the next time you want to buy something, wait 48 hours and see if you still want it. “It’s wildly effective because 99% of the time you can’t even remember what it was,” Gill says. Lastly, gamify things by putting the exact amount of money you would have spent into a savings account. These tricks can help you stress less about the amount of stuff in your house and help you feel better about your finances.
Practice Generosity
Donating gently used items that you no longer need or use is a win for many reasons. It helps people, frees up space, and feels good. In fact, the World Happiness Report from 2025 found that altruistic behaviors are consistently associated with higher life satisfaction and emotional well-being. Make it easy by creating a permanent donation zone in your house, says Gill. This can be as simple as a tote bag in the hall closet. When it’s full, donate immediately.
Rethink How You Do Things
Smart systems automate and simplify your daily tasks, says Annie Guest, therapist and author of Design For Your Mind. You can have the best shoe rack in the world, but if everyone leaves their sneakers piled by the door, it’s not all that helpful. “Systems should be easy to maintain— not sources of new stress or frustration,” she adds. If you’re spending too much time putting everyone’s kicks away, maybe it’s time to switch to, say, a basket by the door.
Keep Your Goals in Mind
We often make design choices based on how things look. Instead, think about how you want to feel, suggests interior designer Olga Naiman, whose book, Spatial Alchemy, is rooted in the idea that small design tweaks can propel you toward the life you want. Maybe you’re part of the sandwich generation—juggling work, children, and aging parents. Life is chaotic, and when you walk through your front door, you just want to relax. Here are some tips to get you on the right track.
Pick the Right Colors
The setup of the room you’re in should align with what you do in the space, says Augustin, who adds that color is extremely important. “Research consistently shows that looking at shades of green enhances our ability to think creatively,” she says. While a sage green could be good for an office, Augustin suggests colors that are less saturated and lighter for areas where you’re trying to relax. Also: “Warm colors give the impression that the people we’re with are friendlier,” she says, offering a slightly smoky peach color for a living room or anywhere you gather.
Address Tripping Hazards
If you’re feeling frustrated and stuck in life, take the time to see what could be holding you back at home as well, and eliminate those problems. “These are the small daily annoyances you’ve learned to ignore,” says Naiman. “But here’s what’s really happening: every time you tolerate a small dysfunction at home, you’re practicing tolerating dysfunction in your life.” They can be literal, like a rug that won’t stay flat, or more metaphorical, like a nightstand with no place to rest a glass of water. Fixing them is usually easy, and you’ll feel gratified and empowered when you do.
Resolve Obstacles
Notice what’s physically hindering you, too: furniture that blocks movement through a room or impedes conversation, light switches that are inconvenient to reach, a foyer that doesn’t function properly. Keep assessing what your needs are and tweaking your home to meet them. Move that ottoman, add a table lamp into the mix, get a narrow console. “You’ll start to realize that the way you move through your home is connected to the way you move through the world,” Naiman says.
Cozy Up a Corner
“You need at least one seat where you can feel very safe—where nothing can sneak up on you from behind,” Augustin says. Humans may have evolved, but our brains still seek physical security. An upholstered chair with a high back, tucked into a corner or niche, offers that sense of protection. “A seat like this for a person who’s having a challenging day can help them feel physically safe and secure, even when we rationally know that we’re not going to come to any harm in our home.”
Treat Yourself
Seemingly tiny upgrades can actually improve your sense of self-worth, Naiman says. Things like matching hangers in the closet and dish brushes with wooden handles elevate your daily touch points. “Individually, they’re small changes, but cumulatively, you’re surrounding yourself with dozens of nice moments throughout the day,” Naiman says. Similarly, laughter is a powerful tool too; it releases endorphins in the brain, which can reduce stress and boost your mood.
Rest Easy
Naiman is a big fan of creating a bedroom that encourages decompression as a step toward a better night’s rest. Consider soft textiles throughout (upholstered bed frames instead of metal ones, and curtains not blinds), plus warm, dimmable lighting and low-contrast color palettes. “Color is restful if you down-level the tone,” she says, pointing out the difference between a bright clementine orange and a softer burnt orange.
Tap Into Nature’s Calming Powers
It’s no secret that nature can have a calming and restorative effect on our mental health—here are some ways to integrate it into your home.
Bring in More Plants—But Not Too Many
Plants can be decorative, yes. They can also calm the nervous system, reduce cognitive fatigue, improve air quality, and add life to a space. “Greenery also reinforces our innate connection to care, rhythm, and stability. These are key elements for emotional balance at home,” says designer Anita Yokota. Don’t have much of a green thumb? She recommends low-maintenance houseplants like the moonshine snake plant, rubber plant, satin pothos, and jade (which symbolizes prosperity). Be sure to keep things manageable, Augustin warns. “Don’t bring in too many plants, because then you get high levels of visual clutter. Just a few plants in the room, not a jungle.”
Emphasize What’s Outside
Exposure to nature relieves mental fatigue, Guest says. “Watching the birds at a bird feeder through the window as we take a break from studying helps refresh our brains and clear our minds.” Another idea: “If you can sit near a window with natural light and a view of trees and other elements of nature as you work, you may find that you can focus and think clearly for longer periods of time.”
Take Advantage of Scent
Certain fragrances can influence how we feel in a space—because scent sends signals to the amygdala, a part of our brain responsible for processing emotions. Take lavender, for example: Research suggests it may help reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality (try slipping a satchel under your pillow). Other calming and grounding scents include cedarwood and hinoki, says Yokota, who favors citrus notes like bergamot or orange for a gentle boost in alertness. “These nature-based scents can help shift mood by re-creating sensory cues associated with safety and vitality,” she says.
Mimic the Sun’s Rythym
Research shows lighting that evokes natural daylight patterns (called biodynamic lighting) can play a key role in regulating sleep, mood, and energy levels. “This allows the nervous system to stay balanced and aligned with its natural biological timing,” Yokota says. Try sheer curtains and bamboo shades to let in dappled, natural moving light (an effect that has been shown to reduce anxiety). And look at the number of kelvins to gauge a bulb’s color temperature. The lower the number, the warmer the glow—2700K evokes candlelight and is best in rooms where you want to relax; 5000K channels daylight for rooms where you want to feel alert.
Incorporate Water
The sight and sound of water can lower stress levels and heart rates, and gently capture attention in a way that feels restorative rather than demanding, Yokota says. Your smart alarm clock likely includes rain sounds as a wind-down option. A humidifier can add gentle ambient noise while helping ease physical discomfort from dry air. For a more immersive experience, consider swapping your showerhead for a rain shower option that invites you to linger. At the end of the day (and, really, all throughout it), wellness is about slowing down and giving yourself permission to pause, reset, reflect.
Read the original article on Real Simple
