“You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.”
-Golda Meir, Israeli teacher, kibbutznik, stateswoman, politician and the fourth Prime Minister of Israel
The atmosphere in a home has a huge impact not only on how people perceive a home, but how they feel having spent time in the home. As a real estate pro, you know the value curb appeal has on first impressions. At an open house, you understand how staging can have a profound effect on those who tour the rooms. A home can be a place of peace or a zone of chaos. It’s all about curating the environment.
Ideally, our own homes provide some degree of soothing shelter. If not our entire home, at least areas–such as the bedroom, master bath, or back patio–can be a sanctuary, a place which helps us relax and center ourselves. While we’re out in the world, weathering the storms of work and our daily stresses, we may even fantasize about returning to these spaces. In these special rooms we take into consideration the furniture, the paint, the lighting, and the plants.
I think there’s a detail people overlook when they’re “staging for peace” in their own homes: the presence of media. With our ubiquitous flatscreens, “smart home” assistants, and streaming devices, we can easily undermine the very spaces we have hoped will recharge us.
Why should the news of the world be a constant voice in the room? Who says intrusive advertising should be attached to our living spaces? Why must a parade of information run in the background of our lives?
This week, take stock of the “media staging” in your home. If you have a hard time shaking a creeping anxiety or find your mind is perpetually hijacked by current events, look for ways to recast your relationship with media sources. For instance: Only engage with TV, radio, and streaming programs when you want to give them your attention– stop automatically turning them on the background. Quarantine those advertising-rich magazines and catalogs.
We may think we are masters of our thoughts, but a steady diet of unmoderated media can have a negative impact on how we act and interact with the world. Staging for peace begins at home.
