Three Steps to a Healthy Home

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We all want to relax and be ourselves when we get home. Yet too often that is not so easy. There are responsibilities and burdens which await us, bills to pay, dishes to wash, messes to clean up. For some, home is a place of conflict and unease. Amidst the stress and demands of daily life we all need a refuge.

Your home is meant to be the central oasis of day to day life, a sacred safe space where you can tap in and experience your true inner self, away from the external world. This can only happen when your home is an emotionally healthy space.

Here are 3 essential steps to having an emotionally healthy home:

Make Peaceful Relationships the Soul of Your Home

Peace is not just the absence of conflict, it is the heartfelt soul of a relationship. When we create and live in peace with ourselves, our spouses and family, we strengthen the home as a peaceful space. Everyone benefits. We want to be there. We feel better, calmer, safer.  Our children are happier. The modeling of peace is especially important from parents to children. This modeling happens through displays of mutual respect and through shared values which tie the home together, creating a broad sense of purpose and meaning.

Create a Loving Atmosphere

Space matters. Make your home appear warm and inviting to almost any stranger who may enter it. This does not require lavish furnishings, but only that there is an environment where people would want to gather. The physical aspects of a home should reflect the kind and peaceful spirit that your family aspires to. Dress your home with symbols of care, display images which inspire and affirm your values. The physical layout of a home creates the atmosphere where peace and love can be nurtured.

Unify Time

Time passes quickly and we can each get caught in our own bubble without really being present to the people who share our home. We may even find that some people in the home live a separate life. While respecting personal space, create a sense of togetherness. Structure the day to function in a harmonious way. Create responsibilities in a way that values each person’s contribution and creates a sense of dignity. Unify time in a way which says to each person in the home: “You matter.”

Exercise: Peace: Is there a central model of peace and respect in your home? If yes, think of one way to enhance and nurture it. If not, think one one action you can do to introduce peace into your home. Atmosphere: Does your home feel welcoming? Consider how to adjust one room (or a part of a room) to become a space where you would want to spend your time and feel at ease. Time: Does your home run smoothly and allow for sharing responsibilities? Think of a way to better manage time and responsibilities in a positive way. Write about it in your free MyMLC Journal.


Go deeper into this subject:  Toward a Meaningful Life | All Articles About Home & Family | The Importance of Home and Family |


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