8 Surprising Ways Your Environment Affects Your Mental Health

Mental health isn’t just about what’s going on in your head. The stuff around you also matters. A whole lot more than you realise. Your environment (the light, the noise, and the space) can shape how you feel every single day.

 

 

Our Environment

 

We exist in more than one environment, but often we don’t have control over a lot of them, such as our work environment. But we do have control over our home environment, to a certain degree at least. If you’re renting, then there may be limits on what you can change in your home environment. An example of how our environments are important is how poor-quality housing has been linked time and again to an increase in psychological distress (Evans, 2003).

 

 

How To Change Your Environment To Support Your Mental Health

 

For the areas of your environment where you do have control, consider the following tips:

 

The power of natural light

Ever notice how good you feel on a sunny day? That’s not just a coincidence. Natural light works like magic on your brain. It cranks up serotonin, the feel-good hormone, and helps keep your mood steady. But when you’re stuck in dark, gloomy spaces for too long? Your brain might start getting a bit clouded – it’s called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). If sunshine isn’t on the menu where you live, try light therapy, such as using a natural daylight light bulb. A light alarm clock can also be very useful.

 

The hidden stress of clutter

Clutter isn’t just a mess. It’s a mental minefield. A cluttered space equals a cluttered brain; nobody has time for that. Your brain sees those piles of things and thinks, “Tasks! More tasks!”. That’s why it’s so draining. A psychotherapist might even tell you that decluttering can be therapeutic. So, do yourself a favour, clean your desk, recycle the junk mail, and see how much lighter you feel. It’s weirdly freeing, right?

 

Sleep hygiene

One way to improve your mental health is to get a good night’s sleep. There are many ways to utilise changes to your environment to help make this happen, such as having blackout blinds to create a dark enough space to sleep in. It’s also recommended to keep your bedroom space as a space for sleep, changing, and adult relations. So if possible, try to move your office out of your bedroom and don’t treat your bedroom as a living room.

 

Colour psychology and mood

I’ve always been a little sceptical of colour psychology, and O’Connor (2011) sums this up well for me. They comment on how it’s been suggested that red is meant to have a greater capacity to cause arousal than blue, but recent studies have also shown there is no statistical significance between the two colours regarding physiological arousal.

 

However, then you have the associations between light colours and positive feedback and dark colours and negative feedback (Palmer, 2017), but is that instinctual or learnt? A bride in white has been linked to purity and celebration, whereas black is worn for funerals. What would have happened to us if these had been reversed when these traditions first started?

 

 

Consider this: pink wasn’t always a girl’s colour. According to Grannan (2016), pink was first introduced as a boy’s colour and blue for girls in 1918. Before that, children wore white dresses until the age of six, regardless of sex. Pink was seen as a masculine colour. But now it’s seen as feminine.

 

That said, there does seem to be a lot of research that supports a connection between green and blues and our wellbeing (Weir, 2020) because they represent nature. But does that work with exposure to just the colours themselves?

 

This is an area that clearly needs more research, or at least it does to convince me. However, maybe this is something that will work for you, even if it’s the placebo effect. Maybe it’s more a question of using your favourite colours because of how you perceive them.

 

Think about your favourite colour. Got it? Now look around your home. Is it there? There may or may not be a link between colours and your mood, but your favourite colours have special meaning to you. Common beliefs about colours are that blues are meant to be chill, while reds are linked to energy, stress, and anger. Green? Well, that’s meant to be the sweet spot, calming and creative. But ultimately, if your walls scream “blah,” maybe it’s time for a little paint therapy. Test out some colours and see what makes your space feel more you.

 

Most rental properties are often a boring and uninspiring beige colour, so maybe looking for colours that are personal to you is the best way to go. Also, my favour colours are black and pink, yet I’ve gone with dark colours like dark green and blue with black trimming, which works for me. In short, make your environment your own space.

 

 

Embrace nature

There’s a significant amount of evidence that supports the mental wellbeing boost we get from nature, such as green (parks or potted plants) and blue spaces (the sea and lakes). I did an article about it for Mental Health Awareness Week in 2021. Try adding some images of nature to your home, a plant or two (they don’t even need to be real), or maybe adding a water feature, such as investing in a pet fish and fish tank.

 

Noise pollution’s underrated impact

Noise isn’t just annoying; it’s downright exhausting. Ever try to relax with a jackhammer going off nearby? Exactly. Chronic noise, like traffic or loud neighbours, ramps up stress and messes with your sleep. And bad sleep? That’s a one-way ticket to being really cranky. The fix? Noise-cancelling headphones, white/pink noise machines/apps, or even just a bit of strategic soundproofing can make a world of difference. You could even try something like earplugs to just block out a bit of the background noise.

 

Social environments shape emotional health

Your people are your vibe. Toxic relationships? Bad for your brain. But a solid group of supportive, good-energy people? Absolute gold. Whether it’s coworkers, family, or friends, the company you keep can either drain you or fill your cup. Sometimes, it’s about setting boundaries. Other times, it’s about finding your people. And yes, it’s okay to say “no” to drama. Protect your peace at any cost. Build a social support network that’s good for you, even if that means distancing yourself from certain people or cutting them out altogether. It’s ok to do that.

 

How to take control of your environment

You can’t control everything. Wouldn’t that be nice? But you can tweak it a lot. Start small. Clear a shelf. Buy a new lamp. Add a plant. Tiny changes add up, and before you know it, you’ve got a space that feels more like home and less like chaos. Pay attention to what stresses you out and what makes you smile. Then do more of the latter.

 

 

Summary

 

Your environment isn’t just “there.” It’s working with you or against you, every single day. Change your surroundings, and you might just change your whole vibe. If it feels overwhelming, that’s okay. Start small. Your mental health matters. A lot!

 

As always, leave your feedback in the comments section below. Also, please share your experiences with managing your environment for better mental wellbeing in the comments section below. Don’t forget, if you want to stay up-to-date with my blog, you can sign up for my newsletter below. Alternatively, click the red bell icon in the bottom right corner to get push notifications for new articles.

 

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References

 

Evans, G. W. (2003). The built environment and mental health. Journal of Urban Health, 80, 536-555. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3456225/pdf/11524_2006_Article_257.pdf.

Grannan, C. (2016, August 30). Has Pink Always Been a “Girly” Color?. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/story/has-pink-always-been-a-girly-color.

O’Connor, Z. (2011). Colour psychology and colour therapy: Caveat emptor. Color Research & Application, 36(3), 229-234. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1002/col.20597.

Palmer, M. (2017). The Influence of Color on Mood. Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal, 1(20), 17. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/psych_journals/vol1/iss20/17.

Weir, K. (2020, April). Nurtured by nature. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature.