Instant Stress-Relief for Your Home

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Article Title:

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Instant Stress-Relief for Your Home

Article Description:

====================

I'll often come home from a long day and notice that my

house looks out of control, as if someone threw a party

in my absence. When my house is stressed, I feel stressed,

too.

Additional Article Information:

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954 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: Thu Jul 21 02:11:23 EDT 2005

Written By: Christi Lehner, H.H.C., AADP

Copyright: 2005

Contact Email: mailto:christi.lehner@...

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Instant Stress-Relief for Your Home

Copyright © 2005 Christi Lehner, H.H.C., AADP

Boston Health Coach

http://www.bostonhealthcoach.com/special_offer.html

When was the last time you noticed that your home was stressed

out? I notice this kind of stress in my home sometimes. I woke

up yesterday and realized that my house felt burdened. This

isn't the first time this has happened. I'll often come home

from a long day and notice that my house looks out of control,

as if someone threw a party in my absence.

This kind of burdened, out-of-control environment is contagious.

When my house is stressed, I feel stressed, too.

My friend Cheryl says, " If we don't create our environments,

they will be created for us. " This month, take the time to

lovingly cultivate your home environment. Get ready to lighten

its burden, release its true spirit, and create a haven that

makes your soul sing!

Take a few minutes right now to walk around your house and look

for simmering stress pockets. Take a small notebook with you to

write down your observations. Don't put this exercise off until

tomorrow - it will only take a few minutes.

First, use your eyes as your guide. Notice which areas are

offensive to your eyes. Visual stress zones will make your eyes

glance away quickly. Note: just because an area is cluttered does

not mean that it's a stress zone. You may really like the

clutter in certain parts of your home.

In contrast, notice the areas that attract you and call to your

soul. What is about these areas that is so sweet and gorgeous?

Second, rely on your ears. Listen for the sounds that cause

stress to percolate in your home.

In contrast, notice the sounds that soothe you.

Third, call on your sense of touch. Be very conscious of the

fabrics, surfaces, and materials that do not fully embrace your

body.

In contrast, notice the touch experiences that you look forward

to and love.

Fourth, ask your nose to lead the way. Go around and do a

sniff-test on your home. See what scents attract you and which

ones repel you.

When I did this exercise today in my home, I noticed several

stressors:

Using my eyes: My biggest visual stress zone was actually my

bedroom. Not because it's cluttered, but because it's too

masculine. There aren't enough soft edges, delicate details,

and " cozy spots " to suit my feminine soul.

The sights I loved were: the light streaming through my windows,

the plants in my kitchen and dining room, and the color on the

walls of my office.

Using my ears: Since my apartment is usually very quiet, I was

in for quite a surprise today! Since it was the first nice day in

weeks, I opened the windows up. The open windows brought in all

kinds of stressful sounds: a power trimmer, a vacuum downstairs,

kids cursing outside, and cars passing. I also noticed that the

buzzing of my laptop was rather bothersome (how had I never

noticed that before?), as was the sound of the TV at night.

The noises that I loved were: the birds chirping, the church

bells ringing, and the sound of the breeze coming in through

the windows.

Using my touch: I realized I really don't enjoy my hard

dining room chairs that are too painful to sit in for more

than 5 minutes. The dishes piled in the sink created a tactile

discomfort for me because there was no room for me to fill up

my water bottle.

The touches that soothed me were my soft couch, velvet bed

comforter, and clean countertops.

Using my smell: This was interesting. When it came to smells,

I didn't notice anything! No good smells... but no unpleasant

smells either. There's obviously room for me to play and

experiment.

What did you find in your home?

Now that you've identified the sources of stress for you and your

home, use the beauty of this week to make some changes that will

truly support your health and relieve your stress.

Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

For your eyes:

* Take curtains off your windows to allow the summer sunlight

through

* Add a new plant to an austere corner of your house for an

instant 'life-lift'

* Hang a new piece of artwork on the wall

* Get rid of a pile of clutter

For your ears:

* Create a media-free zone for an evening by turning off the

TV, radio, and phone. Enjoy the blissful silence.

* Put a small stereo in a room that is plagued by neighborhood

noises.

* Make sure your CD collection includes music for all of your

moods. Be picky about the music you listen to - only the

very best will do!

* If noise disrupts your sleep at night, get a noisemaker for

your bedroom. You can buy a fancy one that plays nature

noises, or you can use a $10 fan from Target.

For your touch:

* Put soft, smooth all-cotton sheets on your bed

* Remove your heavy winter duvet cover and replace it with

a soft, light summer blanket

* Buy a soft, lush kitchen towel

* Invest in all-natural cleaners (like Seventh Generation)

so that you can clean your countertops and dishes with

chemical-free materials

For your nose:

* Put peppermint or lavender essential oil in a bowl of water

and leave these fragrance-filled treasures around the house

* Dab a few drops of lavender essential oil on your pillowcase

to relax you at night

* Place scented sachets into your dresser drawers and closet

shelves

* Light candles that will release sensational scents into your

home

This month, select just one change that will make your home less

stressful, and have fun making it happen!

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Christi Lehner, H.H.C., AADP Certified Holistic Health Counselor

http://www.bostonhealthcoach.com ; 617.492.6450

Based in Boston, but inspiring people everywhere to fall in love

with healthy eating, juicy living, and guilt-free self-care!

Author of the forthcoming book " You Don't Have to Be Superwoman

To Be Healthy: 50 Ways to Reclaim Your Health "

Do you sabotage your health? Take this quiz to find out:

http://www.bostonhealthcoach.com/special_offer.html

Copyright © 2005, Christi Lehner