For This House
Every Season. Every Space. All for Him.
Every Season. Every Space. All for Him.
You’ve heard the buzzword “minimalism,” maybe even “essentialism.”
You’ve watched, read, or discussed Marie Kondo’s “Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and perused your home throwing out anything that doesn’t spark joy.
But have you simply considered committing to spatial wellness instead of following these trends and feeling guilty when you fall short?
I am nothing if not tidy. I can’t handle clutter. In high school, I would gather and organize the things on my mom’s counter to contain the sprawl.
Even when I would consider my room in college/university to be messy, it was actually just organized chaos (things still grouped and clothes laid flat in a pile).
Blame it on being a firstborn, or maybe it’s just my personality regardless of birth order. Still, it has been a gradual but big adjustment having kids with toys all over the house, and also generally less energy to keep everything tidy.
Thus, my mission: to keep our belongings as minimal as possible and make sure that everything has a space so that even my 3-year-old can put things back where they belong at the end of the day. (Start those family values young!)
My husband and I bought our first home in 2019 and I had a HAY DAY finding the right furnishings, organization systems, wall hangings, and shelf decor.
It felt cozy and quaint and OURS.
But as our family moved from two to three, the number of belongings we acquired grew exponentially. Our small space couldn’t accommodate it without some change.
I was reading and researching all about minimalism which was a hot-button item around that time. This documentary put out by The Minimalists had a big impact on me.
But I realized that minimalism really wasn’t practical going into this season with kids. So I started researching and shooting for more of an essentialist point of view, which then got me into Marie Kondo’s tactics.
Turns out, as your kids grow they somehow attract more things. I won’t say they NEED more things, but the toys and clothes and gear all piles up over time. Especially if you save and store it all for future kids.
Enter… the idea of spatial wellness.
The Spatial Wellness Institute defines spatial wellness in this way:
“Spatial Health & Wellness is a transformative concept that explores how the physical environments we inhabit impact our overall well-being, recognizing that our surroundings are not just passive settings but active participants in our health and happiness.”
As a Christian, I know that my space does not have power over me, but as a human, I know that my space sure can do a lot to distract my body and mind from what’s truly important.
If I can’t handle clutter, but I have no systems in place to keep my home tidy, I know that my surroundings will be taking up precious mental space that could be used pouring into the people around me or refilling my cup through the Word.
You might already be focusing on your physical wellness this year, or maybe your spiritual wellness. I’ve landed on focusing on my spatial wellness in order to hopefully free up enough mental space to make the other areas fall into place more naturally for me.
Here is what I’m asking myself in order to keep my spatial wellness in check:
Think about the places that make you feel the most calm and relaxed or maybe the most productive and organized, depending on your goals for your space. What features of that space can you bring into your home to create that same spatial wellness that you enjoy elsewhere?
Ages and stages are important to focus on. Your main living area serves very different purposes depending on your stage of life. If your first place has become your forever home, you can attest to how the space has grown with you, or you may be at that growing pains stage where it’s time to rethink the purpose of the space.
Identifying one small sticking point in your space that causes issues can be a game changer. Maybe you need to bring the family garbage can out from under the sink so you’re not constantly interrupted while at the sink. Or maybe you can move your couch over just a few inches to make that walkway flow better for family gatherings. Get creative and see what you can do to update those awkward spots.
If you like to entertain, does your space have enough seating for a group gathering? If you have your kids’ friends over regularly, is there space for them to play without being in the way? The flow of a space is so impactful. Find ways to make those activities you care about most easier to do in your space so you can do them more.
Having a comfortable place to live is such a huge blessing. The furnishings you have in your space don’t have to be Pinterest-perfect or even new for that matter. I’ve furnished my current house purely from Facebook Marketplace. The point is though that I’ve thought through how I need this space to serve my family with young kids, and also host family and friends with other kids here too. Having systems in place so the space in our home serves everyone’s needs well makes “wellness” in all the other areas of life easier to achieve.
Because my space is well thought out for us, I now have a big space in the living room to move my body with my kids to stay fit. I have a small table for my Bible to sit in plain sight so I can work it into those brief personal moments throughout the day. I have a healthy snack and supplement shelf at eye level in my pantry so I choose to make a smoothie over grabbing a less healthy option.
These simple spatial wellness tweaks I’ve made recently are already helping to make my physical, spiritual and mental wellness goals easier to achieve.
Dear Jesus,
Help me understand that my space is not just a collection of rooms and things, but a sanctuary where my family and I can play, grow, serve, and focus on your calling on our lives.
Grant me wisdom to cultivate an environment that supports my household, but also frees my mind to love You and others more deeply at the same time.
Amen.
Lauren is a founder of For This House. She is learning and growing every day to live authentically for Christ in all things. Lauren lives in British Columbia with her family of boys. She enjoys nature walks, quality time with family or friends, and exploring new places. Learn more about Lauren.