The outside does count!
How it affects your inside and what to do about it

One question I ask my clients is what’s outside their space. At first, some might think “well, ehhh… so what? It’s my home I want help with, and I can’t do much about what’s out there anyway.”

True.

But the thing is; what’s out there will still affect you in here – even if you can’t see it.
(That sounds way more woo-woo than it is!?)

So let’s see how you can deal with it, and own your space – from outside in!

Take it all in!

(well, not literarily but figurative!?)

No matter if you live in a house or in an apartment, on the first floor or on the 15th – your outer surrounding will affect you.

That’s outer as in outside of your windows – what you can see. But also outer as in the other side of your walls and doors – things you might not see, but still hear or feel.

Maybe you have a busy street outside or a calm forest. Or a loud neighbor on the other side of the wall. Or a hallway with a lot of people passing by your door all the time.

They will all affect you, but in different ways – depending on who you are, your preferences, and what you use your space for.

The busy street might make you feel stressed
– or give you energy.

The calm forest might make you feel alone
– or give you peace of mind.

The loud neighbor might make you feel irritated
– or give you a hint that it’s very silent at your place. (Music, maestro!)

The crowded hallway might make you feel disturbed
– or give you comfort, knowing there’re people around.

You get the idea. Different scenarios affect different people in different ways.

But not only can it affect how you feel, it can also result in how you act.

Maybe that loud neighbor on the other side of the wall makes you not so keen to sit by your dinner table, so you end up in another room, by a little coffee table – balancing food, plates, and beverages the best you can. Hmm – not the most fabulous way to enjoy your Friday dinner.?

Or that busy street that keeps you awake all night because it’s outside your bedroom.

Or you adore that calm, peaceful forest out there, and gaze at it all day long. Actually, way more than on your computer screen – and don’t get much work done.

So, what to do about it?!?

Sometimes it’s enough with some small tweaks. Other times you want more radical changes.

Anyhow, it all starts with being aware (you’ve heard that many times from me, and you’ll hear it many more times!?)

So, start to be aware what’s outside of your space – and how it affects you. Notice how your surroundings make you feel and maybe even behave. Pay attention. Sometimes you know immediately. Sometimes you need to give it some more time to realize how it actually affects you.

If it supports you – is there a way to benefit even more from it?

• Spend more time in there?
• Use the room for another purpose that allows you to be there more?
• Place a chair or table by the window, have shorter curtains (if any) if you enjoy the view?

If it doesn’t support you – how can you deal with it so it affects you less?

• Can you create some feeling of shelter? Drapes in front of that door to the hallway with all those people passing by?
• Rearrange the room? Move the dinner table, place high bookcases or cabinets along the wall with the loud neighbor on the other side?
• Swop spaces? Maybe that bedroom with the busy street outside actually can be used as a home office instead?

As always, there’s no “one size fits all” solution.

The trick is to find out how YOUR surrounding affects YOU in this particular space – and from there, try to find solutions.

Okay, over to you!

• What’s your biggest “aha” after reading this?
• Do you have a space that you got some concerns with when it comes to the surroundings?
• Have you come up with some great solutions yourself with one of your rooms?

Share in the comments below, I’d be so happy to hear from you!

And if you have any questions – ask away below too. Your question might help somebody else, and I’m happy to answer! And, of course, there is no such thing as a stupid question – but you know that already, right?

I look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for reading!
And thanks for leaving your comment and thoughts in English
– doing that will allow more of us to be able to read it.
?

Photo by freddie marriage on Unsplash