I am proud to admit that I am slightly obsessed with Joanna Gaines. If you have seen the hit HGTV show “Fixer Upper”, then I’m sure you feel the same way. Chip and Joanna Gaines live in a beautiful farmhouse with their four kids and countless animals. They work together to design and build beautiful homes for people in the Waco, Texas area. They are too cute for words and are the definition of #RelationshipGoals.
What draws me to Joanna is her ability to organize her life, stay sane, and maintain a positive attitude with so much going on. I could not imagine being a mother to four children; taking care of a farm; owning a home remodeling business, a bakery and a shop; writing a blog and a magazine; and starring in a hit TV show. Amidst the madness, Jo strives to live a simple life by incorporating practices into her schedule that help balance her mind. Here are three easy tips I learned from Joanna Gaines that can provide mental peace and clarity even in the most stressful of times.
Keep a Clean Space
Whether it is your office, your bedroom or the kitchen, having a clean space can actually do wonders for your mental health. Jo says, “There is a certain serenity about walking into a clean room.” It creates a feeling of being “unencumbered” and “can reduce your stress and anxiety.”
Jo is definitely onto something, as there is psychological proof behind why a clean space makes us feel better. According to psychologist Sherrie Bourg Carter, “Clutter bombards our minds with excessive stimuli (visual, olfactory, tactile), causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren’t necessary or important.” This is undoubtedly the last feeling you want to have if you’re coming home from a long day of work or studying for a big exam. Clean space, clean mind, less stress.
Work with Your Hands
Joanna is big on limiting time with electronics. She and Chip don’t even own a TV, and they don’t plan on buying cell phones for their kids. Jo thinks it’s important to spend time doing things that require physical attention. Some ways she works with her hands include baking, gardening and creating art with her kids. This type of work is “how we (Chip and Jo) kind of bring balance mentally so we’re not all work-no play.”
I think this is such an important factor in mental wellness. We spend so much time staring at our phones or watching TV, and it really takes away the reward of completing a task with your bare hands. This type of work is incredibly therapeutic, as it requires attention to detail rather than just staring at a screen. I admire Joanna for teaching this practice to her children, and I think it’s something that we should all adopt into our own lives.
Create “Margin” in Your Life
Our lives are busy, plain and simple. Balancing school, work, clubs, eating well, exercise, sleep and a social life seems impossible at times. Nevertheless, Jo emphasizes the importance of setting aside a little bit of time each day for yourself, whether that be for down time or just a chance to breathe. “Purposefully leaving the mental elbow room to relax, enjoy an unexpected opportunity, or tackle the little daily dilemmas of life gracefully” helps bring peace to a hectic day.
In The Magnolia Journal (the Gaines’ magazine), Joanna features people who talk about the ways they add “margin” to their day. One woman says that she takes time to write in a gratitude journal to help remind her of all the blessings in her life. Another woman says she doubles the amount of time it takes to do her errands when making her schedule so that she has room for adjustment if something unexpected comes up. Jo leaves her phone in the car when she gets home so that she can be fully present with her family. Adding “margin” can mean different things to different people, but the result is the same. Creating time for personal joy greatly decreases stress and brings mental peace.
While Jo admits that living a simple life is harder than it sounds, she knows that it is essential to her mental wellness. These tips can help establish a clear mind, bring balance to our lives, and remind us to live intentionally, all of which I truly believe define happiness and a low-stress life.