School of Holistic Design®

One of the quickest ways to impact change in our life is addressing the interior space of our home. There’s an interconnected relationship between our home, our peace of mind and what’s showing up in our life. Once we recognise the interconnected nature between our home, mind & life, we become more empowered to create living environments which encourage and even accelerate our overall well-being and happiness. What this means is that our home can help us feel happier and move us closer toward the things we desire. So how might our home help us find the sweet spot of happiness? Think of home as your three dimensional vision board, because in essence that’s exactly what our home offers. Every vision board begins with an intention and the understanding that when our ideals are visually reflected back to us on a regular basis they eventually manifest into form. Our home offers a similar canvas, it’s just a matter of consciously aligning our space with our values and intentions. Something in our life shifts when our home reflects the values, intentions and aspirations we hold dear. We’re subject to whatever our home communicates whether we realise it or not, so we want to make certain we curate a space aligned with what we desire. Our home perpetuates what we think about and how we feel, making it one of most significant relationships of our life. What we display within our home directly impacts how we feel from moment to moment, over time the cumulative effects of those feelings influence our behavior, choices and personality…ultimately impacting the trajectory of our life. Winter The change of seasons invites a fabulous opportunity for us to seed our intentions within our home. Each season brings a unique perspective, making winter a wonderful time for going in, both literally and figuratively. Winter invites us to make our home our sanctuary, as well as invitation for deeper contemplation of our life and desires. It’s helpful to get curious and ask: What’s essential for me and my happiness? What’s working? What’s definitely not working? What’s no longer serving me, my life and my home? What are my primary objectives this winter and how might my space better support me and those ideals? From here, we instigate the change we seek. In order to curate a home which supports happiness, we must first address the obstacles getting in our way. This alone will shift our happiness immensely and immediately. #1 Make certain there’s no toxic clutter. Toxic clutter is any object that brings up a negative feeling, emotion or memory. Toxic clutter acts like visual poison in our home. We don’t want anything in our sanctuary to conjure uncomfortable feelings. #2 Address the physical clutter or objects no longer serving us, in order to make space for more of what we want. Here’s a helpful litmus test for identifying clutter: Do I use it? Do I love it? Does it support my objectives? If the answer is no, we want to ask ourself, “Why am I holding onto this?”. #3 Infuse our intentions into our routines and habitual patterns every day. This is how we instigate meaningful change by simply optimising our time and space at home. Quick Home+Happiness Hacks: Rearranging furnishings, decor or art with an intention offers an effective and a fun way for our space to communicate our own process of growth and evolving. When we rearrange items with an intention, we’re changing the energy as we’re deeply seeding our space to support our desires and we immediately feel the difference. Balance the diminishing daylight with extra candles throughout the home, making candlelight a part of morning and evening rituals & routines. Before lighting candles, set an intention. Before blowing them out, make a wish! This simple act of connecting intentions with our actions creates neural grooves within the brain supporting our well-being. Remember, Routine + Intention = Ritual (this is where the magic lives) Keep the drapes or blinds wide open during daylight hours. Direct sunlight feels uplifting and nourishes our body, especially necessary during the prolonged darkness of winter. Ask yourself, “What’s the first thing I see upon entering my home?”. Making the entry welcoming with something reminiscent of what we love about ourself and our life infuses the moments which follow. Choose a few indulgences for keeping cozy close! Whether it’s a cashmere throw over the sofa, a pair of plush indoor-only fleece lined slippers awaiting bedside in the morning or a specialty tea, kettle and favorite mug, those little pleasures on display remind us of what we love about being home and being human. Kimberly Garner founded the School of Holistic Design and pioneers the field of NeuroSpatial Linguistics. Her work as design curator, teacher, writer and philosopher has led her to the simple fact that home is an essential ingredient for well-being, human flourishing and personal evolving.