A study in the 1990s determined that the average individual spends 90 percent of their time indoors. This includes home, work and recreational places like bars and restaurants. Although this study was done over 20 years ago, it is still relevant to today. Just think about all of the time that you probably spend inside—no matter how sedentary or active you may be while indoors.
However, being cooped up inside all of the time can have an effect on your personal well-being. Thankfully, though, there are some things that you can do to improve the quality of your life while you are indoors. Here are just a few of those things:
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Open the Windows
It is well-known that there are a lot of benefits to being outdoors—like sunshine and fresh air. Yet, you don’t necessarily need to go outside to get them. All you have to do is open a window in your home or in your work office. Doing so can boost your mood, focus and energy levels. It is also a good way to air out whatever room you’re in so that you can breathe in fresh air and not have to deal with any musty air that may be lingering around. If the window is facing the sun, opening it will allow you to soak up some Vitamin, which is a necessary nutrient that our bodies crave.
Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
You might be unfamiliar with terms like “formaldehyde” and “trichloroethylene,” but they’re the pollutants that are escaping from your paint cans and laundry detergents as you read this. The good news is that they’re easy to remove, especially if you have a green thumb. Plants like mums, ferns and peace lilies have been shown to strip the atmosphere of toxins and improve indoor air quality, so they can be both beautiful and valuable tools for breathing more cleanly.
Install an Air Conditioner
To go along with the above idea about improving air quality, an AC can really help with that. Temperatures inside a house can reach dangerous levels without the benefit of an air conditioner. This is why power outages in summertime are such a risk for children and the elderly. Even when it’s not fatal, boiling inside your living room is still uncomfortable and unwanted, so do yourself a favor and have an air conditioner installed in your home. Once the temperatures reach 90° and above, you’ll be glad that you did.
Improve Your Ergonomics
If your back hurts after a long day in your office chair, it’s time to replace it with something a little more comfortable. Untended aches and pains can blossom into full-blown health conditions down the line, and it’s an entirely avoidable fate if you invest in something ergonomic. Look for chairs with things like neck support, padded seats, adjustable inclines and removable arm rests. You can even find chairs that will gently correct your posture over time.
Another idea that you might want to consider as well is to get a standup desk. Basically, this is a desk platform that goes on top of your own desk and can be raised and lowered to fit your needs. This allows you to stand but still work whenever you feel the need to stretch out your back.
Add Some Color
Vibrant colors have been known to be stimulating and have the ability to change our moods. That is why it’s important to decorate the indoors, specifically in areas that we tend to be the most—living room, work office or cubicle, etc. Don’t just let yourself be surrounded by bland, neutral colors like black, white, and brown. Get some red, green, and blue in there. Yellow is also a great color that you should have around if you deal with depression or another emotional disorder. That is because yellow represents happiness and can alter your mood. You don’t even have to paint the walls to get these colorful effects. Pick out some paintings or accent items that are the color that you’re looking for and that should do the trick.
With that idea, you might even want to take the color idea to your wardrobe. Do you tend to wear a lot of black or other bland colors? If so, it’s time to change it up! Wear a yellow shirt or something that is very colorful. Doing so can help keep your mood on the positive track as well.
Even if you aren’t stuck inside for 90 percent of the day, it’s likely that you spend more time at home or work than sun tanning in the grass. Let these tips improve your quality of life in an indoor space.
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