Somebody might be relieved that this year there is no need to work on a bikini body, while others have lost all hopes for their summer vacations. In any case, the pandemic is here, and we have to make do with what we have to make the most out of the warm season. With a little inventiveness, however, you can turn your home into a dreamy summer paradise, where you won’t have to worry much about social distancing. Start with the tips below!
Rethink your environment
The summer season inevitably brings wishes for outdoor activities, sunbathing, and parties. Spring is the season of the year when we focus on our fitness goals, physical and mental wellbeing, and exercise. Yet, this year we might work a little harder to feel healthier after the winter months. However, you can create a healthier environment to enjoy within your house, if you know where to start.
First of all, rethink your living spaces. You are probably working from home at the moment, or looking to transition to this lifestyle permanently. Ensure that your home office encourages productivity and wellbeing and create a dedicated space in which to focus. Rooms that were so far pass-through or forgotten areas can suddenly become resourceful through a quick revamp.
Instead, the spaces you tend to use the most during your daily life – usually kitchen, living room, etc. – can become more welcoming. Whether you need a space to turn into a pseudo-home-gym or increased cooking room, allow for it during this time.
Turn your garden into a little haven.
Independently on how currently messy and out of shape it is, you will be glad to have a garden during this period! However, this is the time to turn it around and make it the place where you will be happy to spend warm afternoons in all comfort. Cleaning your outdoor space and redesigning its layout can allow you to exploit your green fingers.
Even better, by introducing new furniture and accessories, you can enjoy your dinners al-fresco once the weather starts to warm up. These might seem little adjustments at first, yet, having a safe place where you can relax and escape your four walls can genuinely make a difference in your mindset. You can even take it further and add fairy or garden lights and feel like on holiday!
Breath new life into your garage
Garages are known to be the place where all non-essential items eventually get stored and sometimes forgotten. That is normal and often a consequence of the busy lives we all live today. Yet, during this time in which you are forced to stay indoors, there is no reason why you should not give a new life to your garage.
Of course, it might take quite a little time, patience, and expertise, but you will have the reward of having a clean, clutter-free room to enjoy. Moreover, you can turn your garage into a place where you can dedicate yourself to a new hobby or project that you had in mind for a while. Indeed, there are many health benefits associated with devoting time and energy to crafting or DIY projects – for the whole family! These include relief to the symptoms of stress and anxiety and increased creativity, among many others.
Let in sunlight and fresh air.
Aside from keeping yourself busy and active, changing up your house is essential to improve your wellbeing. Indeed, even if we might not always be conscious of it, our surrounding environment can have a substantial effect on our motivation and happiness levels.
While not everybody is in the position just to rent a more spacious, bright flat, some adjustments can better the look and feel of any house. First off, swap any heavy curtain or drape for a lighter version that lets in enough sunlight during the day. Don’t forget to clean your windows that have been working during the winter months to keep out the cold. Now it is time to get them to shine and enjoy even more sun in your rooms.
Give your home that summer look.
Just as you are about to swap your winter closet for the warm-weather clothing items, your house might need a general makeover. Since you are going to spend much time within your four walls, ensure that you can move freely between rooms. To do so, reduce the number of decorative items in your living space, pick more resilient ones, and keep surfaces free.
There is always time to bring back a candelabra later, but for now, adopt a more minimalist style. This strategy will make your house look more spacious and airy while maintaining its charming look. Don’t hold back with plants and flowers, though, as this can lit up a forgotten corner or worn piece of furniture.
Exercise, yoga, and meditation
You might have been planning for a mindful yoga retreat or a hiking trip this summer, which might not happen. If your plane ticket has been canceled, but you don’t want to give up on the experience, change up your habits. This transition can take quite a while, especially if you enjoy also exercising for the social aspect of this hobby.
However, it is not strictly necessary to hit the gym towards the fitness goals you had in mind to meet this summer. Moreover, with the endless number of online training plans, you can pick the type of exercise you would like to do.
If you only have a small living room to enjoy, opt for yoga or meditation sessions. These are not only beneficial for your mind and body but can also help you become stronger and better-balanced. Without annoying the neighbors!
Live more sustainably
If you have meant to introduce some mindful swaps and sustainable habits, now you have all the time you need to try them and adjust them to your needs. These can go a step further than just replacing a plastic water bottle with a reusable one. However, any little action represents positive growth!
You can start turning your life around from the moment you are getting your house ready for summer. Indeed, one of the first things to check – or install – during this season is A/C. Energy-efficient air conditioning can genuinely help you save up on money and reduce the impact your household has on the environment. Other implementations include reducing your daily waste, swapping plastic items for ethical ones, and buying less or in bulk.
Keep your fridge full – with fresh food!
With all the restaurants and bars closed for the next few months, it is time to dust your cooking skills and put them to use. While the panic-buy stage is slowly phasing out, you can fill up the fridge with fresh vegetables and fruits again. Of course, keeping canned food as the last resource is excellent, yet it is impossible to ignore the number of preservatives, additives, and processing these foods is subjected to.
Instead, opt to buy only fresh fruits that can genuinely enrich your dinner table, as well as your body. Indeed, this year our chances of enjoying enough Vitamin D from the sun are quite limited, so opt to source it from healthy ingredients!
BBQs and Sunbathing
Do you want to feel like on holiday? The solution is in your backyard! Since you will not be spending that much on a week-long vacation, you can splurge on a BBQ and sunbeds! Make your garden, balcony, or terrace as cozy as you need it to be to spend entire days enjoying the sun.
While you might not be able to invite friends and family over, this is an excellent occasion to spend precious time with your closest family members and restore essential bonds. And, of course, nothing is stopping you from opening a bottle of fine wine now and then.
There is always room for a new hobby.
While on vacation, it is no secret that we enjoy taking a dance or yoga lesson in between sunbathing sessions. Indeed, summer is an excellent season to take up a new hobby or learn a new skill. Luckily, the quarantine does not have to stop the fun! Whether you have been thinking about discovering new gardening skills, knitting, or cooking, you now have the time to dedicate an hour a day to your new pastime.
Plan future trips wisely.
Undoubtedly, the future is uncertain, and this can be scary. However, there is nothing wrong with starting to think about the new vacation that you will be enjoying once the global situation improves. Yet, it is vital to plan your potential future trips wisely. Indeed, the consequences of the pandemic are, for a large part, still uncertain, economically, and travel-wise. When planning vacations for the next years – or, if we are lucky, months – opt to explore your local surroundings, rather than flying to the other side of the world. This trick can help you save money, protect the environment, reduce potential virus transmission, and you might even discover a local beauty!
