6 Things in Your House That Could Be Triggering Stress

Your home should be your sanctuary, but the reality is that sometimes a house can actually cause unwanted stress. Understanding your stress triggers and knowing how to get rid of them is important to help you function more optimally throughout the day. Consider whether you’re living with any of the following causes of stress in the home and discover how to fix it.

What's Stressing Your Mind, Body, and Home?

1. Cluttered Space

According to researchers at UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families (CELF), there’s a link between high cortisol (a stress hormone) and women who own homes with a “high density of household objects.” This means all those piles of toys, papers, and clothes are possible stressors.

Fix: Banish the Clutter in Stages

Every time you wake up, you can start the day feeling productive and organized by first making the bed. You can also set aside time each season, month, or week to get rid of the unnecessary objects in your home like old clothes, unused toys, books, and craft items. Focus on things you don’t use anymore.

[Read: “How I Finally Let Go of Paper Clutter.” ]

2. Poor Air Quality

In addition to indoor allergens that can trigger respiratory problems and other issues, addressing your air quality is key for your overall health.

Fix: Filter, Purify, Circulate

Maintain a clean home by changing your filters, investing in an air purifier or essential oil diffusers, and letting in fresh air by opening windows. Indoor house plants can help improve your home air quality as well.

3. Lack of a Morning Wellness Routine

Waking up and racing to your to-do list can wreak havoc on your health. Tending to your inner world is an important part of keeping stress at bay. When we jump right into the day without giving ourselves time to get in touch with the body, mind, and spirit, we skip important aspects of our wellness routine.

Fix: Always Begin With a Spiritual Practice

Start your day with a nurturing daily practice. Begin with gratitude, meditation, gentle yoga flow, or a nature walk. Some enjoy tarot, an oracle card, or journaling. Establishing a spiritual routine first thing in the morning will help you stay aligned and centered throughout the day.

[Read: “Create an Intentional Morning Routine.”]

4. Your Netflix Queue & Social Media Feed

A quick review of the top 10 shows in the US on Netflix (at the time of writing) shows 7 of the 10 are violent, focusing on murder, post-apologetic worlds, or trauma creation. What we consume will always consume us. Look at your media intake and see what is lowering your vibration based on the content. If your energy plummets or you feel worse after you watch it or scroll through it, it’s time to turn it off.

Fix: Grasp the Good

Fill your feed with positive, uplifting accounts. Instead of watching Netflix, get back into hobbies. Bake, color, spend more time outdoors and with loved ones—get back to basics and turn off the screens.

5. The Food in Your Pantry & Fridge

According to the UK-based Stress Management Society, what you put in your body has a direct correlation to your anxiety levels. Healthy foods with high vitamin and mineral levels will help relieve stress, while packaged foods and chemically grown ones induce stress.

Fix: Think of Food as Medicine First

Focus on whole, natural foods that come from the earth and feel good to eat. See food as medicine, and choose healthy alternatives to your old favorites. By keeping a super-strong immune system, include adaptogen and Ayurveda practices, you will feel more balanced throughout the day. You can also add more plant proteins, adaptogenic super herbs, and mushrooms to elevate body, beauty, and consciousness and to help reduce the effects of stress for balanced energy and a calm mind.

6. Chemicals in Your Products

Aroma changes our mood, relaxes us, and even takes us back to a specific memory. But the fragrances in your beauty and cleaning products, even in your essential oils, could be harming you and stressing the body out. Many traditional home-scenting products and essential oil companies use artificial or synthetic fragrances, which can be harmful to breathe on a daily basis.

Fix: Turn Away from Toxins

Start by educating yourself on what toxins you should be avoiding, looking into products that are made using natural and naturally derived ingredients. Look for nontoxic, all-natural, 100 percent pure essential oils and cleaning and beauty products derived from plants that are expertly sourced and blended into unique aromas.

Mind, Body, and Home

A vital step to managing your stress at home is recognizing the problem and the factors causing it. Making your way to solve these problems is an effective way to manage your everyday responsibilities.

Is your home cluttered with energy that isn’t serving you? Try Shannon’s sacred home cleanse using vibrational energy clearing.