3 Ways to Stress Less about the Mess in Your Home*

You know it well, the never-ending to-do list. No need to even write it down, the reminders are everywhere … the laundry piles, dishes in the sink, incomplete fixer-upper projects etc. Seeing these reminders all day, every day really wore me down my first two years as a stay-at-home mom. Mess and chaos is part of daily life with small kids. The secret is to redirect your focus by decorating your home in a way that inspires you. Here are three practical ways you can start doing this right away!

1)  Display more of what you LOVE - We all know it’s important to take ‘me time’ to pursue activities we enjoy BUT often this gets pushed to the bottom of the to-do list.  The only way it works is if we get intentional about it. A great way to do this is with your home décor! Decorate your home in a way that reminds you to do activities that you enjoy and activities that you want to do more often as a family! Want to knit more? Put your knitting needs and yarn in pretty basket and display it on a shelf.  Seeing this pretty display will both motivate and remind you to carve some more time out for knitting. 

2) Enhance the areas you’re grateful for –  Often when we think about having a nice space, what comes to mind FIRST is what can be improved, the ‘problem areas’ where something needs to be fixed or changed.  This pattern of thinking just adds to our stress by reminding us of the never-ending to-do list. INSTEAD, pay more attention to the areas in your home that you already enjoy or appreciate. These tend to be simple things: a view from the window, a favorite chair.  Take time to make those areas look even more attractive by adding pretty curtains or a colorful pillow. Make it catch your eye! So you start paying MORE attention to those areas than the areas of your home that still need work.

3)  Put up more wall décor - There’s so much untapped potential in our walls, especially among families with young kids! Add something beautiful or memorable to your walls that will keep you looking up instead of down at the random toys, clothes, and kitchen utensils on the floor.  It doesn’t have to be a picture. It can be a shelf, mirror, or an object…be creative and have fun with it! If you need a little inspiration or fresh ideas for your walls I highly recommend checking out the Wall-Decor mini-course. I created it specifically to help you find wall decor that's meaningful and beautiful to you. In fact, all 3 of these steps are covered in the course, so it's a win win haha.

So there you go! Three things you can start doing today to focus less (and consequently stress less) about the mess and chaos that is part of life at home with little ones ;)

Happy Decorating!
Yun-A

*This blog post was orginially written for and featured in Family Health Tips.