Balance starts at home
IKEA annually conducts a global research called “Life at Home”. Its topic differs every year and gives a clearer understanding of how the life at home looks like today – and how we can help in making it better for the many.This year, in times of great uncertainty, we wanted to kickstart a conversation about what matters most – our mental wellbeing. We asked 1000 people in Lithuania to share thoughts on the intimate relationship between their homes and their mental wellbeing. Here is what we've learned.
Findings
After the challenging 12 months, 29% of people in Lithuania say their mental health has suffered.Through the research, we learned that a home you love can help protect your inner balance: almost every fourth in Lithuania who felt more positive towards their home also saw a positive impact on their mental wellbeing.
But there’s a flipside. When people are unhappy at home, they are more likely to experience negative mental health impacts. This is why we asked experts to share their advice on how to find balance at home.
7 things that bring happiness home
How to improve mental wellbeing? How can your home adapt to your emotional needs and become a sanctuary of inner balance? Here are the most important factors identified by psychologist Paulius Rakštikas:- Get organised.
- Create separate spaces.
- Prioritize comfort.
- Get enough sleep.
- Bring nature into your home.
- Plan a time to relax.
- Foster relationships.
Learn more
Homemade body scrub for your own SPA
Ingredients:- 1 cup of sea salt (coarse salt gives a stronger effect of the scrub; if your skin is sensitive, choose the fine salt instead),
- 1/3 cup of hemp seed oil,
- 1 tbsp. of ground hemp seeds,
- 10 drops of peppermint essential oil.
More tips
Tidy home, tidy mind
Clutter is the biggest enemy, when it comes to relaxing at home. It is caused by unnecessary, damaged, unpleasant things, various gifts that we do not dare to throw away, and everything we keep thinking that maybe it will be needed someday. If you have decided to get more organised, you should get rid of such things first and foremost. This will give more space and time for other activities that make you happy and keep you balanced.Learn more
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10% of people in Lithuania would like to spend more time in privacy.
For those who say that they do not have such an opportunity, psychologist Paulius Rakštikas offers a way out: a practice of attentiveness that restores inner balance.
Do we know how to relax?
The harder we work, the better rest we should have, says the psychologist Paulius Rakštikas. This needs to be done on a regular, systematic, and varied basis. It is best to combine both active and passive activities. The rest period should not be a day or a few, but longer: two hours a day, two days a week, 3-4 days a season and three uninterrupted weeks a year. Only then you will be able to take a psychological break.
Is clutter at home a reason not to have guests?
If you avoid inviting guests due to long-overdue repairs, update only the most worn-out furniture or outdated accessories and textiles. If you are worried about clutter, put smaller items into boxes and find each of them the right place. Lack of space at the table? An extendable table and folding chairs will do the job. Or maybe the reason why you cannot invite relatives or friends is because you don’t have a guest room for them to stay? Choose a functional sofa-bed or a day bed that will offer a comfortable seating during the day and will turn into a double bed at night.
News portal lrytas.lt owns the copyright of this video.
Half of people in Lithuania associate their mental wellbeing with the opportunity to relax at home.
One of the ways to relax at home is to enjoy a fragrant herbal tea. Žavinta Pašiulevičė who owns the blog called Herbal Fairy, shares her recipes and ideas.Key ingredients for a balanced life at home:
- Relationships
- Space
- Rituals
- Community
Relationships
Relationships at home are vital to our mental wellbeing
The pandemic has forced many of us to spend more time at home with family and loved ones. 35% of people in Lithuania say their relationships with their families have improved over the last 12 months. However, 18% admit that their friendships have been negatively impacted.No room for guests?
Only 1 in 3 Lithuanians believe that their home is suitable for socialising. However, according to IKEA interior designer Eimantė Nemanė, having guests is possible even in the smallest houses. An extendable table and some folding chairs will make room for everyone. When not in use, such pieces of furniture can be stored on the wall or inside the closet.
“Language is a tool that can both maintain and damage relationships. However, the most important thing is not speaking, but listening. Hearing others affects the quality of our relationships and therefore our psychological wellbeing both at home and elsewhere.”
Paulius Rakštikas, psychologist
Paulius Rakštikas, psychologist
Space
Is your home space supporting your headspace?
How we use our spaces has altered over the past year. To achieve balance, many of us have adapted our spaces to match. 60% both in the Baltics and globally say they’ve had to change the way their home is organized to do the activities they want or need to do at home. Our survey has also shown that a home that is easy to clean and keep clutter free became even higher in importance during the last 12 months.
“Neat and tidy home where all the things have their place and are easy to access without looking for too long, helps us feel the control in turbulent times and the peace of mind that is crucial for our wellbeing. Hence starting a day from making your bed is a worthy advice that exists for a reason.”
Paulius Rakštikas, psychologist
Paulius Rakštikas, psychologist
How to keep home neat and tidy?
One of the most important tips from our interior designer is to organize drawers in the hallway, bedroom or kitchen using inserts and boxes. This way, your drawers will remain clutter free, there will be more room for items inside them, and you will be able to re-organize them less frequently.Decorative boxes and wicker baskets can help you organize the things without hiding. They will provide you with both practical storage and a stylish way to decorate your interior.
Divide household chores by days, e.g., do the washing on Mondays, vacuum the floor on Tuesdays, and so on. Having such daily routines only requires half an hour every day instead of half a weekend, so you can spend the rest of your time on some other heart-pleasing activities.
Rituals
Is home providing us with enough opportunities to look after ourselves?
The role of the home has been transformed. Now it is a place for activity and productivity as well as relaxation. Finding balance through good daily routines is key for our mental wellbeing.Every fifth in Lithuania say that self-care and relaxing at home SPA are the most important in terms of helping to maintain a sense of mental wellbeing.
“Have your own SPA treatment box with all the essentials (body scrub, face mask, sea salt, scented candles, etc.) in one place. Then, just by opening it you will know that it's time for yourself and everything else can wait. Hang some twigs of eucalyptus in the shower and let them spread their scents in the humid air. If your bathroom does not provide a relaxing atmosphere, refresh the room with textiles and accessories: choose a shower curtain, bath mat, and towels in matching colours, add a beautiful soap dish or boxes for smaller items. The mood in the bathroom will instantly shift to nice and cosy.”
Eimantė Nemanė, IKEA interior designer
Eimantė Nemanė, IKEA interior designer
The ability to relax is essential for our wellbeing
According to psychologist Paulius Rakštikas, setting up an office at home should come together with a dedicated place for relaxation after the work is done. If you work in a living room, find another place where you can recover. It can be a corner, a chair, a rug, or anything you associate with the transition from work mode to home mode.IKEA interior designer Eimantė Nemanė recommends having a separate space for each relaxing activity. Think about the tools and environment you need. Home textiles will provide cosiness and lighting will set the right mood. Reading a book or doing handicrafts will require high-quality functional lighting, while dimmable lamps or candles will be just perfect for listening to music or enjoying a cup of tea.
Community
How much do your communities do for you?
Whether it’s local neighbourhoods or Messenger groups, communities are important to us. They support our practical, social, and emotional needs – and we have been turning to them more over the last 12 months.After spending more time in their neighbourhoods, 13% in Lithuania say that their mental wellbeing benefited from having a sense of belonging in the neighbourhood.
Future home
How close are you to your dream life at home?
People are clearer than ever about what they want and need from where they live. The things which best describe our expectations towards the ideal home now is making private space for everyone living in the household, living close to friends and family, and most of all - having an immediate access to green spaces and nature.Psychologist P. Rakštikas advises: if you cannot enjoy nature close to home, invite it into your home. Grow indoor plants or install a green corner and change it depending on the time of year. Changing and following seasons will make you to feel part of nature even if you live in the big city.
“Home is a living organism that changes together with people who live in. In different situations, it is worth having a new look at your home as well, as if you were asking yourself: could it be cosier and more comfortable; how can my home get even closer to my needs and dreams? Let us not be fooled into hearing the spontaneous answer that everything is good as it is. Maybe it's just the effect of carrying a backpack on one shoulder? It seems comfortable, but the spine keeps asking to carry that backpack on both shoulders.”
Paulius Rakštikas, psychologist
Paulius Rakštikas, psychologist