11 Things in Your Home That Are Making You Unhappy

featured this month in HouseBeautiful by Brie Dyas

When you walk into a room, pay attention to how you feel. Do your surroundings inspire you? Or do you experience a vaguely persistent "blah" feeling? If the latter rings true, you might want to take a second look at the decor and clutter within the space. Surprisingly, these things can have an impact on your day-to-day emotions, according to experts.

Broken Items

Every time you open the cabinet, there it is: The broken vintage teacup that you curse yourself for dropping, but still haven't gotten around to fixing. It might be past repair, but you still hesitate throwing it out. "My theory is that it's a feeling of lack," says Anjie Cho, architect, certified feng shui consultant and founder of Holistic Spaces. "We're scared of not having enough, it's a poverty mentality. Which really is about not feeling "enough" or worthy in ourselves. The fear of letting go of things."

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Best 4 Home Décor Tips That Will Improve Your Mood This Fall

featured this week on The Huffington Post by Diane Passage

Do you find that you’re dreading the colder weather because it means spending more time indoors? The state of your home can influence your sense of wellbeing more than you think.

Feeling overwhelmed by clutter and being unable to relax at home can be a real downer especially when coupled with shorter daylight time.

As a coach, I can safely say that the majority of my clients’ moods and behaviors are impacted by the condition of their home environments. This includes mess, perfection, design, decoration, and even domestic relationships with roommates, neighbors and more.

While dwellings are only a small piece of the puzzle, I usually take it into consideration when working with clients because, for some, it’s an easier area to start regaining a sense of control in life.

Plus, even a minor adjustment can boost mood drastically, which then improves attitude and outlook when attempting some of life’s bigger goals.

I reached out to a few pros to get their best advice on how anyone can make simple and smart decorating adjustments to feel more energetic, inspired, comfortable and cozy this season.

4. Diffuse

Many of us are aware that aromatherapy can be useful for relieving anxiety and stress, boosting energy, easing headaches and more.

Anjie Cho, Architect and Author of 108 Ways to Create Holistic Spaces: Feng Shui and Green Design for Healing and Organic Homes, recommends embracing the scents of the season and inviting them into your space.

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Go Fair Trade in Your Holistic Spaces

October is Fair Trade Month, which is exciting for us, because Fair Trade principles align closely with what we work toward in creating truly nourishing holistic spaces. There are numerous organizations dedicated to moving us closer to a Fair Trade society, and though each of them has their own set of specific standards and guidelines, there are a few underlying principles that really define what it means to encourage Fair Trade. 

First, let's define "fair trade." According to Merriam-Webster, fair trade is 

“a movement whose goal is to help producers in developing countries to get a fair price for their products so as to reduce poverty, provide for the ethical treatment of workers and farmers, and promote environmentally sustainable practices.”

Following this general push to ensure that producers around the world are treated fairly and humanely, Fair Trade principles require that organizations participating in this trade meet the following guidelines:

  • Seek to create opportunities for disadvantaged producers

  • Maintain clear and understandable processes and procedures

  • Establish fair prices that will both benefit producers and find sustainability in market

  • Refrain from engaging in any sort of child labor or forced labor

  • Refrain from discrimination for any reason, including but not limited to, age, gender, caste, nationality, HIV status and political beliefs

  • Provide good working conditions

  • Provide training and beneficial opportunities for workers to build their skills

  • Actively promote fair trade

  • Respect the environment

These conditions ensure that employers and companies not only reach out to third-world producers to take an active part in relieving poverty, but that each of these service providers and producers are treated with humane, dignified conditions that establish an enhanced quality of life. 

This is all great, but what can each of us do to help encourage fair trading in our society? We can seek out Fair Trade products! The most common Fair Trade items are coffee, wine, fresh fruits and handicrafts. When you're creating a holistic space, Fair Trade handicrafts can be a fantastic way to fill your space with beautiful items while helping others at the same time! 

Keep an eye out for:

  • hand knit, organic textiles

  • hand carved statues and home decor

  • hand embroidered wall hangings and other art made from natural materials like jute. (Organic cotton is farmed with much higher regard for our environment, and often by family farmers in disadvantaged areas. Likewise, jute is a 100% biodegradable and recyclable rain-fed crop that grows predominately in Bangladesh and other Indian countries. )

  • fair trade essential oils, (like the ones we use in our home mists!)

Like everything, there are products that will give the impression of Fair Trade without meeting the requirements, so be sure to look for a Fair Trade seal and do your research! Check out My Favorite Things this month to get your search started!

by Anjie Cho

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