Worrying times such as these can have a major impact on your mental health. We strongly recommend you take the World Health Organisation’s guidance to, “minimize watching, reading or listening to news that causes you to feel anxious or distressed,” and to seek information only from trusted sources at regular intervals or specific times of the day, perhaps once or twice. It is important to action tasks that keep you focused but also take your mind off current fears and stress.

Decluttering is a fantastic way to do this. Clearing out that Tupperware drawer, cupboard or any other space that you’ve been meaning to sort for a while is a rewarding and satisfying task. Decluttering can be beneficial for your mental health as we all know that your environment can affect your mood. Having a cluttered space can be stressful and anxiety-inducing. Decluttering allows you to organise and clear your home as well as your head space, making you feel less stressed whilst also giving you a sense of achievement.

We advise to start small and take it step by step as trying to tackle a whole house at once can be too overwhelming. Perhaps try decluttering the place that bothers you the most such as your knicker or sock drawer for immediate benefit and relief. Whilst decluttering your home, you may even find something that someone else could really use right now in the process.

Restyling your space can also be a useful and stress-reliving activity. Maybe you have a gallery wall that you would like to rearrange? Or maybe you feel your bed could face another wall to create more space in your bedroom? Restyling and rearranging furniture can give your living space new life. It can remind you of why you love a particular chair in your home or help you bring more space and light into a room. Now is the time you may feel a need to repaint your space in a more soothing colour or perhaps you are looking for a wallpaper that brings you joy. We have a range of wallpaper and wall coverings for you to browse. If you cannot find what you are looking for then please do get in touch as we more than happy to source it for you.

Involve your children in the process. This may be your opportunity to change or spruce up children’s bedrooms if you haven’t managed to get around to it from the previously busy school calendar. Decluttering and restyling is a great way to keep active and also ignite children’s creativity by thinking how they may want their room to be styled or to create new art for their walls. They may even find a favourite toy that they had forgotten about. The AUTHOR team is on hand to help with any of your styling questions or for paint colour consultation. You can contact us through social media, email, phone, Skype and Whatsapp if you’d like any advice on a particular corner of a room or where you should hang a particular mirror. We are more than happy to help.

Another way to help your mental health and to be more productive during this difficult period is to learn a new skill. There are a range of sources online such as the Open University, Edinburgh University and Future Learn where you can sign up for an online course from Art and Media to Business and Marketing, you can even brush up on old skills such as Microsoft Excel or any other computing softwares. There are numerous online facilities where you can learn something new for fun or to add to your CV.

Your learning doesn’t only have to be online. Now is the best time to teach yourself a life skill that you always wanted to learn such as knitting, sewing or even improving your cooking skills. This is also the time to make use of your garden and outdoor space. It is important to get fresh air and gardening will help you do so whilst also keeping active. Enjoy the simple pleasures of planting a bulb, foraging some flowers for a posy, making a recipe from scratch or even knitting a gorgeous little hat for a friend’s newborn. This may also be the time to teach your children how to sew a button or any other life skills such as cooking, gardening and laundry.

In trying times such as these, it is important to come together, figuratively that is (remember to keep that 2 metre distance physically for social distancing if you have to go outside). If you have skills that you can put out into the world to help others online such as tutoring or fitness instructing for example, then offer your services online. If you have learnt a new skill or recipe, share it with those you are connected with through email and social media. Helping others and spreading positivity helps you feel better about the situation as it reminds you that we are all going through this together and that you are not alone, even if you may be physically at home.

If you have been decluttering or restyling whilst we are all stuck indoors, show us your before and after photos. We would love to see them! The AUTHOR team will be posting small videos and posts to give you tips on styling your home and are on hand for any questions you might have if you are stuck on any interior decisions. We are more than happy to help you reorganise your living space to put your mind at ease during this time of disruption and stress.