May is Mental Health Month
As caregivers, we are often reminded to take care of our own needs, but it can be difficult to coordinate our mental health alongside the needs of the person we’re caring for. If regularly setting time aside for yourself feels overwhelming, another strategy can be to optimize the environment you are already finding yourself in. A healthy home environment can be a boost to your overall mental well-being, especially if it’s harder to get away than it used to be.
Mental Health America outlines four options for optimizing your home space.
1. Practice Tidiness: Neat and tidy spaces can help to improve feelings of calm and clarity, and reduce feelings of stress, fatigue, and anxiety. Keeping your entire home tidy may feel unachievable, but consider setting aside a room (or even a corner of a room!) as a ‘mental calm zone.’
This could also be a task to delegate. If hiring housekeeping services isn’t within budget, tidying a couple spaces could also be a task for a family member or friend who wants to help out.
2. Make Your Bedroom Sleep-Friendly: Quality sleep can have a protective effect on your mental well-being. Optimize the temperature, light, and noise levels in your sleep environment for your particular comfort level. If the person you are caring for is needing your support during the night, consider:
Being in regular communication with their medical provider about incontinence, pain, or other nighttime needs.
If incontinence or urgency are regular nighttime challenges, consider ways to shorten awake times, like using a handheld urinal or bedside commode, tapering liquids at the end of the day, asking for a medication review, and adding an extra layer of absorbency to clothing and/or bedding.
Asking for overnight help. If someone else (friend, family, or paid provider) can provide regular (or even occasional) support at night, you may be able to rest and recharge to more fully engage the next day.
3. Create Comfort: A calm and supportive space can help to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. Notice the spaces in your home that already make you feel the most comfortable and plan for ways to build on that feeling. These could be small changes like adding favorite photos in the area where you change your clothes, using a favorite scented candle while bathing or toileting, or putting on music while preparing meals.
4. Check Air Quality: Higher oxygen levels can boost your mood and reduce your stress levels. Going outside, opening a window, or using an air purifier can all help, in addition to adding breathing exercises to your routine. Be sure to check the day’s air quality rating (https://www.airnow.gov/) before spending too much time outdoors, particularly in the summer.
5. Set Yourself Up for Success: Remove as many barriers as you can. This may look like setting reminders, preparing yourself the night before for a smoother morning, or asking others for help. But remember that your healthy home environment will look different from another person’s; you are optimizing the space for your own needs!
You can see Mental Health America’s full list of Healthy Home recommendations here.
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