School of Integrative Design™

How are Home and Well-being Related? Why has the model of health and well-being ignored the place we call home? Seriously, I don’t understand why when we go to our general practitioner, our naturopath, our therapist, they don’t ask us about our living environment. I’m also willing to go as far as to say there is likely a mirrored pathology between our home and our body. Yes, I know that’s a bold, outrageous statement, but why would that not be true? If my life feels in chaos, there’s a pretty good chance I’m experiencing overwhelm in my living environment and the cells in my body are coming along for the ride by default. When we’re stressed we behave in ways that are outside our “normal”. Similarly if our body is stressed, it behaves in a different way than if it’s feeling stasis and vitality. When stressed we’re quicker to judge, quicker to react, act a little more sharply; our breathing is more shallow, our adrenals working a bit harder, our heart rate a little faster. Imagine the experience of a traffic jam while your hoping to make an appointment versus sitting on a blanket listening to the sounds of waves gently reaching shore without a care for the time of day. Our body feels the difference. There is a connection between wellbeing and environment. This is precisely why the state of your living environment is so important to your peace of mind and well-being. This is what I call “dwell-being” – the experience of peace and wellbeing supported by a harmonic and cherished living environment. We are creative beings in constant flow and flux. When one part of our life is demanding more attention, other areas in our life are left more quiet or neglected. Our home is the expression of our life’s story, some of it a micro glimpse, some more overarching. If life experiences a super hectic curve ball, the kitchen might be left in disarray for the morning or afternoon. When life is hectic on a sustained basis, the physical chaos at home becomes more noticeable and a part of the norm. At this point, the marriage of home and life becomes a bit of “which came first the chicken or the egg?.” Is my life more chaotic because my home is in chaos, or is my home in chaos because my life is so chaotic? I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to matter which came first. Here’s why: you can instigate a change regardless of what started the crazy and you’ll feel a change within your physical body and notice a difference in your outer life. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve discovered. I’m so excited for you to experience the power your home holds in your life. It’s like discovering a friend who’s been right in front of you all along and just now you’ve been given the opportunity to grow a meaningful lasting relationship, and you’re the driving force. This is Dwellosophy, the result, your dwell-being. Kimberly Garner, design curator, researcher and mystic, has developed the School of Holistic Design® in order to share her passion for home. Her studies have lead her to the simple fact that our home is an essential part of our well-being.Let her show you how to turn your shelter into your sanctuary.