Waking up with a slight hangover, living AC free in a walk up with a postage stamp for a window, or suffering in silence as Carol’s zoom chat tests the brackets supporting your mental wellness while you’re at home but at work, but at home, but on office hours. These oh-so-common greetings of the day in addition to a laundry list more contribute to the peace or lack there of in our home; our basecamp and what should always be our happy place. 

Whether you’re waltzing through your home to the tune of Frozen’s I Don’t Care while listening in on a work call, or your barely dragging yourself to the refrigerator for the 6th time hoping something salty will appear to quell your tumbling tummy, letting these adventures in moodiness wave through your hallway can leave lasting memories of negativity and ultimately make you dread being there. Generally speaking, its the work you hate and the choice to have a 5th drink last night that you hate but because the repercussions are unfolding at home, we associate our disdain with where the pain is most felt. 

"We tend to rely on someone else to surprise us once or twice a year with a bouquet of flowers and once they’ve seen their day, our tabletops sit empty until the next occasion rolls around"

Sunday Stroll

Deep in the forest of simplicity there exists small solutions to our sometimes self inflicted, sometimes not, mental wellness hurdles. We tend to forget that little pleasures laden throughout our lives can cause a upswing of positivity and when we meet them in our homes, they can be the difference between hangover tears dripping into a $19 burrito, or those same tears being wiped away to the pulse of a berry filled blender. 

One of the easiest and most underrated tricks to bring an air of simple pleasure into your living space is flowers. Flowers bring with them a string of health benefits and while plants definitely do the same, they are more so longterm guests and their “oh my goodness I forgot you were here!” factor hits a lot softer than that of a fresh bouquet sitting on your kitchen table. Flowers of different scents and colours can evoke different feelings in each of us but regardless of their potency or price point, just being greeted by a bouquet when you enter a room can revitalize your energy, reduce your stress, refresh your memory and promote a feeling of calmness.