Environmental wellbeing

Feeling in control of our own physical environment can reduce feelings of stress and improve our mood. Conversely disorder and clutter can have a negative effect on our wellbeing and make it more difficult to to feel positive and/ or relax and switch off. This may be because a busy, untidy or unclean space reminds us of a never-ending to-do list and adds to a feeling of overwhelm.

It can be at work such as, our desk, storage or consulting room or it could be our home environment. We all have a cupboard we would rather not open.
Having an organised consult room, back of the work car or storage room can actually increase our efficiency, prevent us from over ordering products we already have in stock and ultimately reduce waste. Reduced waste is beneficial both from a financial and environmental perspective.

Keeping things minimal and clutter free is perhaps most important in spaces like our bedroom or sitting room where we sleep and relax (For more information please see the sleep section in the Physical Wellbeing Pillar).

If you haven’t had a clear out for a while it may feel like quite an overwhelming task.
So, how to get started?

Useful tips for decluttering:

• Break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable ones. Rather than achieving a declutter and reorganisation of a whole room, tackle it one cupboard, shelf or draw a time.
• Try sorting items into piles like keep, rehome, recycle/dispose of.
• Replace the items you are keeping so you can see what you have, with more used items easy to access. The less full the space the easier it will be to find things.
• Consider updating your storage setup.
• Designate specific time to it (if this is possible), or in practice a specific team member to oversee it.
• Start decluttering items that are easier to sort through. If this is in your home space try using this order: clothes, books, paperwork and finally sentimental items. By tackling the easier categories of items you encourage yourself to keep going.

Research has shown that if we have a connection with nature and spend time outdoors in green and blue spaces, it can reduce stress levels and be restorative.

Engaging our five senses: touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight when we are out in nature can help build this feeling of connectedness with it. This feeling of connectedness with nature will increase the benefits of it.

• Touch: take a moment to run your hands through the grass, soil, sand or run them down the trunk of a tree. Try to be mindful (present) with how it feels and focus on that.
• Taste: Have you ever eaten an apple fresh from the tree? Picked a blackberry whilst out on a walk, or tasted something you have grown yourself? Even if you do not have access to a garden, growing tomatoes or herbs can be achieved in your kitchen. Take a moment to taste your fresh produce.
• Smell: Next time you step out into a green or blue space, close your eyes and breathe in the smells around you, does it change with the seasons and the weather? Can you picture a positive memory that you associate with this smell?
• Hearing: Close your eyes and focus on the sounds around you. At first it might sound like there isn’t too much, but if you focus your attention on what you can hear you might notice birds chattering, the waves crashing against the shore or the sound of the wind in the trees. Sometimes we have so much internal noise we don’t notice the sounds around us.
• Sight: Look around you, at the wider landscape, perhaps there is a lot to take in. Then focus your attention on an individual object, perhaps it is a flower or a leaf, notice how perfect it is, how it is one of many of the same intricate design, and consider how we are part of this world filled with so many intricate and detailed living things.