How Your Home Affects Your Mental Health More Than You Think

Friend, can we talk about something that doesn't get said enough? Your home is affecting how you feel every single day and most of us don't even realize it.

In today's episode I'm getting a little personal and sharing why I truly believe your home is your family's safe haven, and what happens to our mental state when it doesn't feel that way. From the chaos of renovations to those quiet Sunday morning coffees - our environment shapes us more than we give it credit for.

And the good news? You don't need a Pinterest-worthy house to feel at peace in your space. You just need a few small, intentional changes and I'm going to walk you through exactly where to start.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Why your home environment has a direct effect on your cortisol levels and overall stress
• How to stop playing the comparison game with what you see on Instagram
• Simple, low-pressure ways to make your home feel calmer right now (we're talking plants, paint, a cozy blanket, and a diffuser — nothing overwhelming)
• Why focusing on what you love about your home first is the secret to making progress
• How to take baby steps toward a space that actually reflects you and your family

The Reminder You Might Need Today:
Leave the birthday balloons up a little longer. Let your girls do a big craft at the dining room table and leave it there. Those aren't signs of a messy home — they're signs of a full one.
Your home doesn't need to look like anyone else's. It just needs to feel like yours.

Resources Mentioned:

🎯 Take the Free 2-Minute DIY Quiz → Find out exactly which first project is right for you, plus get a how-to video and template to help you tackle it with confidence. Link: https://quiz.sheriwalker.ca/diy-quiz-page

📩 Want to work together? I'm looking for a few women who want to get a simple DIY project started in their home — at no charge while I'm just getting this off the ground. Think painting, caulking baseboards, or a simple drywall patch. Email me at hello@sheriwalker.ca and let's make it happen.

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear from you. Send me a message, seriously, it makes my day! And if you know a friend who needs this reminder today, share this episode with her. 🤍

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Your home affects your mental state more than you'd realize. That's what I'm wanting to talk about on today's episode. It's been a hot minute since I've been on here. Um, I don't have any excuses other than life and springtime. And you know how it is when you have uh young children and all the activities. And uh I've had a couple, my both of my daughters had their birthday parties in May and June. I actually just celebrated my little one's fifth birthday yesterday, which is why you can still see the uh happy birthday banner behind me. And then if I flip the camera, you'd see balloons and birthday presents everywhere. Um, but yeah, today I wanted to chime in on here and talk about how our homes affect our mental state more than we realize. Um, I'm a firm believer that our homes are a safe haven for our families and ourselves, and that when though our environment, our home environment is not um that sense of calm, that it really does have this subtle but um strong effect on our overall mental state. And I have personally experienced this um at different times in my life. I think about um when I was in high school and uh my parents got divorced and our home, it was yeah, in a bit of a upheaval. And that how much that um added stress to myself and also my siblings, and obviously my parents, of course. And on a like a less serious note, um during times that we've renovated our house, it has been a bit that little extra element of chaos. It adds that subtle but strong amount of stress that um yeah, can affect your daily life. And um, and then on the other side of that coin, when the like when I look back on the happiest moments of my life, it's been at home, you know, taking our babies at home for the first time, having those quiet Sunday morning coffees while the girls are playing and enjoying just being home together as a family, Friday night movie nights, and that, you know, that sense of peace and just happiness that you know we're where we belong. And uh I hope you've had that similar feeling. Um, and if you don't, how can we work towards making home that sense of like um peace and calm that we're all craving? And this is actually backed up by science in that, you know, when you're living in an environment of chaos, it does add that spike to your cortisol levels and um affect your overall stress level. So what can we do about it, especially as you know, really busy women that are have like a to-do list a mile long? What are some practical things that we can do to make our house feel like a calm space that doesn't feel like yet another thing that we have to add to our plate? Because I don't know about you, but when I've been on social media lately, I've um it's really hard not to compla compare that. Oh, sorry, pardon me, play that compare game when you're seeing all these beautiful homes and you're like, okay, mine doesn't measure up and am I not creating a good home? And I think we need to get a away from that narrative because um home isn't about having a Pinterest-worthy cover of a magazine house. It's about creating a space that you feel peace in, that your family feels peace, and that um that you have control over. And I think the beautiful thing about having a home, whether you own your home or renting, is that we do have it's kind of the one environment that we have control over in our life. You know, you can't always um change your work environment, you can't always change like a school environment for your kids, but your home, it is yours and you have that ability to make changes. And so um simple things that I have found that have worked um to create that, you know, sense of like peace in our home is um simply putting up plants. Um, you know, that greenery really makes your home feel well, cleans the air for one, but also makes it seem calm and fresh. Um, a fresh coat of paint, I mean, since we've moved in, I've painted pretty much our whole house except for um our one upstairs bathroom here is the one place where I haven't uh touched yet. Um, but a fresh coat of paint really does go a long way. But it could be even simpler than that. Put on like um a cozy thrill blanket that you're um that makes you feel like you want to cuddle up on your couch with your kids. Um do a simple thing like a diffuser, change like this a scent in your home that makes you feel like at peace and allows you to exhale. If it's a corner of a room or like a bunch of clutter, just slowly tackle it. Um, and it really will make a huge difference. And I also think it's super important for us to focus on what we really love about our homes too, and not even like the decorations, maybe like I love this couch, I love the color of the hardwood floor, I like that my girls can grow up sharing a room together, like just really focus on the positives because I think a lot of the time we get so focused on the big picture and what we would want our home to look like right now instead of like what we're working with in the moment. And uh really try not to get too caught up in that comparison game. And I'm speaking to myself here because Instagram, it is like a um a collection of highlight reels, and it doesn't always reflect the true state of someone's house, and it doesn't even matter, all that is extra noise. What matters is how you feel about the space you're living in and how your family feels, and um creating that that safe haven that um that your kids feel like they can do a big craft at the dining room table and it doesn't need to be cleaned up right away. Um leave those first sea balloons out for a little bit longer because it just makes your youngest kid happy. Like just do um do those little things that make your home feel like yours because it really is worth it. And you like we all deserve a place where we can feel happy at peace and in control. Because let's face it, a lot of the world does not feel uh super in control. But our homes, uh how we feel about our homes, how we feel about ourselves, how we feel about our family, that is in our control. And I really think focusing on what's really important and creating with baby steps, little small projects, a home that feels like ours really goes acres into improving our um overall mental state and our environment where we spend the most of our time, it does affect um how we feel about our life and ourselves. And so look around and just think, okay, what do I like? And what are some small little things that I can change to make my space reflect myself and our family. And you know, that doesn't mean um your style might not be the same as my style or what you see reflect on Instagram, but do what feels good to you. Like if a red wall feels like something that you need to do, do it. If a forest green living room feels calming and coastal, do it. Like take that plunge and make don't worry about trends, but worry, not don't even worry, but do what makes your home feel like yours and uh your family. Um yeah, I really, I just really want to impress upon you guys that it doesn't have to be complicated. It doesn't simple is best. Like all the things that I've done in my house to really change the feel of it have all been simple. Simple painting jobs, simple caulking of baseboards, simple like painting trim, even though I don't, it's dated trim that I don't love, but painting it anyways to make it look brighter. Um hang up pictures, do like the little things, and it really will go a long way to making your house feel like you. And so if you're needing help and kind of feeling like I don't know where to get started, uh there's a couple things that I think will help you. I've created actually a super fun two-minute quiz which based it'll ask you just um simple questions about uh your personality, your goals, and it's a total of eight questions. And at the end, you'll get a first DIY project and a video from me and a template on how to conquer that DIY project in your home. And they're all simple, very stress-free. So I'll post that in the show notes because I think that'll be um if you're feeling stuck, a really good place to get started. And again, it's free, two minutes, very low pressure. Um, and the other thing is I'm actually looking for a couple clients that um I we can practice doing DIY skills in your home and getting a project started. And right now, because I'm just getting started with this offering, I'm looking for people that to do it with me uh at no charge, just to um both help each other out. So uh you can email, I'll post that in the show notes as well, but you can email me at uh hello at sherywalker.ca and again I'll put that in the show notes. But I would love to work with you and help you make your home uh reflect you and so you can create a space that feels peaceful, calming, and just reflects you and your family and your goals. Because after all, our homes really are the backdrop of our family story. And you want a home that can reflect your story and your family's story because it is worth it. You are worth it, and your family is worth it. So I really hope this uh episode has resonated with you. If it has, please send me a message. I would love to hear from you and uh check out my quiz and email me if you want to get started on a DIY project together. That's very simple. I'm looking uh for people that are wanting to do like a simple painting project, work on um caulking of baseboards, um, just basic like drywall patch repair, just to kind of get your foot in the door and get you feeling confident and uh in control. And uh yeah, I've been really enjoyed popping on here today. And I hope you have a great rest of your week and that you can work towards creating a home that feels peaceful, restorative, and reflects you and your family story. I have really enjoyed spending this time with you and uh look forward to talking to you again soon.