4 Key Components Of Holistic And Supportive Spaces

One thing that I’m pretty adamant about is that clutter = lack of clarity. You have to be intentional about the purposes of your home spaces in order to reap the benefits of having holistic and supportive spaces. If you want more time, more energy, and more breathing room- well, that all starts on home base.

You shouldn't just focus on throwing things out but on developing a personalized supportive plan.

So, how do you do that? How do you create intentional living spaces and know what changes are gonna make your home more supportive in the first place? Well, today I'm sharing what I consider to be 4 core components of creating holistic and supportive spaces.

Now, I'm sure you can think of other factors to add to your list but my hope is that this will just bring a little clarity to the process. You know, 'clarity' is always that first tricky step that causes the boat to stay docked because there’s no real destination. So, today we're getting a destination.

What You Plan For And Make Space For Is What You Get More Of

Here's the important thing to understand: What you plan for and make space for is what you get more of. With all of the things you’re trying to accomplish or move forward in your life, your home can either be your biggest support system or your greatest obstacle.

So, let's talk about 4 categories of a holistic and supportive space that our homes can fulfill for us as well as some insight on ways to strategize within these categories. The goal is to find a nice balance of these 4 categories for yourself inside of your home.

Remember, what you plan for and make space for is what you’re going to get. Those are the things that are going to be in your face every day. Without further ado, let's dive into the 4 core components of creating a holistic, supportive space.

Love (or relationships)

Now, love means different things to different people. You might also call this one "relationships". What are things you like to do with your loved ones?

Maybe you have kids, a spouse, or are actively dating. Or you may have a pet, like Charlie here, who you love and who also needs a dedicated space for a bed, food and water bowl, or to lounge like a lioness while sunbathing.

It could be as simple as firmly dedicating the dining room as the non-negotiable family meal spot for rehashing the day over a hot plate of comfort food.

If movie nights are important to you and your partner then that may be an important space to consider. You can curate spaces that naturally encourage togetherness. Whatever 'love' means in your world, you need to consider it when you’re carving out your spaces.

Ambition

We all have ambitions of some kind. Even full-time weed smokers like Seth Rogen have personal ambitions. If you're a stay-at-home-mom then your ambitions might be to renovate your home or create amazing new recipes. If you're retired, your goals might be to create gorgeous crocheted blankets for family members or have the best yard on the street.

CEOs, entrepreneurs, artists with a side job, cross -country motorcyclists with a passion for tattoo artistry- if you're a human you have some kind of ambition.

Whatever it is that you’re trying to create, produce, develop, or become- you need to make sure that there is space for that in your home as well. Learn more about how your home environment can support you and help you to grow in my article, 'The BIG 3 Reasons To Declutter'.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need a hobby room, an office, or a motorcycle shop. It just means that whatever actions your ambitions require, you should have some kind of space to pursue that ambition. Our ambitions are often our passions and you can't have holistic and supportive spaces without 'em.

Health

Just getting the clutter out will improve your health. See 'Sneaky Ways Clutter Impacts Your Health and Wellness'. But you can go beyond that and optimize your space for health and wellness even more. This all goes back to- "what you see is what you use".

I recently bought some pears and put them in the bottom drawer in the fridge. We’re typically an apples and bananas family- we don’t eat a lot of pears. So, a few days later the pears still hadn’t been touched. I mentioned it to the kids every time they wanted a snack but their response was “meh”.

So, after a couple of days, I took them out of the bottom drawer of the fridge and placed them in a bowl on display- right in the middle of the counter. Within 24 hours the kids were arguing over who was going to get the last pear! They were the same pears. The only thing that changed was the more convenient space I created for them.

If you’re wanting to optimize your eating and exercise habits (or anything else that impacts your health) convenient placement is key. This is what creating holistic and supportive spaces is all about. For me, that means having plenty of spare floor space and a yoga mat. You may require a whole room dedicated to fitness.

Whatever your personal health goals and requirements are its an important aspect of your holistic wellbeing and therefore is important for holistic and supportive spaces in your home.

Pleasure

While it may not be optimal to have your home double as one giant entertainment center, pleasure is certainly a part of our life satisfaction. It should definitely be a primary category when creating intentional living spaces for yourself. Remember, your home is where you draw your energy and recharge.

How do you decompress? What do you enjoy doing? This could be anything from video games to knitting to Netflix. Obviously, everyone’s interests are different so, it shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all. The perfect setup for me would not necessarily be the perfect setup for you.

Each category does not have to have its own room. There are a lot of rooms that have multiple purposeful spaces. For example, your living room may serve as an entertainment center, an office, and a workout zone. Also, the pleasure and health categories can overlap and that's totally fine too. Doubling up just means you're being extra effective! For example, many self-care activities- like soaking in a hot bubble bath or stretching- are great for you AND they feel great...double whammy.

The important thing is that you're intentional about the support that your space is giving you. Go give it a try and let me know what your top things are for each of the 4 categories!