The peaceful nursery

You and your home
Your home has an enormous influence on your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. An organized, beautiful, and toxin-free environment can boost your energy, promote good health, and support your dreams, while a disorganized, cluttered, and uncomfortable space can deplete your energy, undermine your ability to succeed, and dampen your spirits.

Your home tells the story of who you are, what you enjoy doing, how you are feeling, and who you spend your time with. Your surroundings are an outward manifestation of your inner experience. Your home is a reflection of you. For example, if you're feeling a little down, you might find yourself unconsciously creating a gloomy environment by shutting the curtains or allowing your home to become messy. On the other hand, if you come back from a vacation reenergized and with a “new outlook on life,” you may choose to reflect your new state of mind by displaying souvenirs or photographs from your vacation. The pictures on your wall, the food in your refrigerator, the objects you have stored in your closet, how you decorate (or don't decorate) are all things that can tell you something about yourself. What story is your home telling about you? Take a moment to “read” your home by observing your surroundings. Do the objects you have chosen to surround yourself with reflect your interests, hobbies, and habits? If the answer is yes, then go one step further and ask yourself if you are happy with that reflection. If the answer is no, ask yourself why not?

Being conscious of your environment is so important because your surroundings have the ability to influence your life. For instance, a clean, clutter-free desk may help you pay your bills on time, which may in turn affect your finances. A comfortable dining area may encourage more family meals, thereby shaping a closer relationship with your family. A restful, quiet nursery will help your baby sleep, allowing you to also get more rest, which will then affect your family's health and happiness. What's in your home and how it's arranged can affect some of the most important aspects of your life.

Excerpted from The Peaceful Nursery by Laura Forbes Carlin and Alison Forbes Copyright © 2006 by Alison Forbes. Excerpted by permission of Delta, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Image courtesy of Pottery Barn Kids