In mid-winter, with its shorter days and longer nights, it’s all too easy to get caught up in a depressed frame of mind.
Instead of wanting to spend your waking hours in bed longing for summer, you can create your own positive energy by being active and proactive. In the process, you will be making your home a more welcoming space.
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Decluttering
Being surrounded by clutter in the home can sap your energy. As the piles grow, you may feel overwhelmed and unsure where to start to bring things back to normal.
However, if you work through your home room by room, you will realise the task isn’t nearly as big as you expected. As you progress, you will be surprised at your increased energy levels.
- To end up with a home full of items that give you joy, the first step is to discard items that you no longer have any use for.
- Get some large boxes or bin bags in which to put items to be recycled, donated to charities, or given to friends or family. Have separate bin bags for items you are throwing away.
- Don’t fall into the trap of keeping things ‘because you might need them in future’. If you haven’t worn those boots for three years, now is the time to part with them.
- Once all your unwanted belongings are in bags or boxes, you will find it much easier to store the things you are keeping effectively so that your home is a pleasure to live in. It may even inspire you to undertake some minor renovations, like giving your walls a fresh coat of paint.
- Be sure to dispose of all the bags and boxes of unwanted items, so you don’t have them piling up.
Gardening
Many garden plants are dormant in winter, but there is still plenty to do out of doors. This is an excellent time to do some landscaping and general garden maintenance as well as tackle projects like putting up a pergola, laying down new paving or making a water feature.
- Refurbish old pathways by lifting the pavers, levelling with sand, installing weed guard and then repaving.
- Lift pebbled areas, clean up the space and repack them so that they look fresh once more.
- Plan your summer garden, and get your pruning and spraying equipment ready for pruning later in winter.
Getting out into the garden is one of the best ways of boosting your energy levels, so make the most of this invigorating activity.
Family time
Spending time with your family is a great way to boost positivity. It takes time to build solid relationships where people build enough trust to share their innermost thoughts and feelings. The time you invest now in family members will positively affect all of you for many years to come.
Because spending time together doesn’t have to cost money, family time can also be a boon for your budget – a definite source of positive energy. So instead of a family outing at the mall where everyone goes their separate ways, organise family movies or games evenings at home.
And remember that getting your children and partner involved in activities like decluttering and gardening also counts as family time.
Over and above, making room for more positive energy must be a conscious decision for the good of everyone.
Writer :Sarah-Jane Meyer