The Power of Surroundings: How Your Environment Shapes Your Life

Have you ever noticed how a change of scenery can suddenly shift your mood?

Maybe you've felt a weight lift from your shoulders as you enter a sun-spotted forest hike, or experienced a surge of creativity upon entering a vibrant café. These aren't coincidences – they're examples of the profound influence our outer environments have on our inner worlds.

Like thirsty plants turning towards the sun, we're naturally drawn to what intrigues, delights, or comforts us. Yet we often overlook the connection between our surroundings and our psyche.

Consider for a moment the spaces you inhabit most frequently. Your home, your workspace, even the route you travel daily. What story do they tell? What feelings do they evoke? Are they aligned with the person you aspire to be?

Our environments are not just backdrops to our lives – they are active factors in shaping our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. A cluttered desk might cloud your thinking, while a well-ordered space could invite clarity. A room bathed in natural light might lift your spirits, while harsh fluorescents subtly drain your energy.

But here's the empowering part: once we become aware of this relationship, we can use it to reshape the way we think and feel.

"Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love."

Nate Berkus

Start small. Place cherished photos where you'll see it each morning, or introduce a plant into your workspace. Clear a corner for meditation or creativity, or simply rearrange your furniture to improve flow. Each mindful adjustment is a way of telling yourself, "I matter, and my experience matters."

As you pay more attention to your environment, you may find yourself naturally drawn to elements that uplift and inspire you. Colors that energize. Textures that soothe. Objects that spark joy or kindle memories. By surrounding yourself with these positive stimuli, you're not just decorating – you're programming your mind for positivity.

Our brains, shaped by eons of evolution, are quick to spot potential threats or problems. While this served our ancestors well, in modern life it can lead to unnecessary stress and anxiety. By intentionally creating and noticing the beauty in our environments, we offer our minds a different kind of input – one that encourages peace, creativity, and contentment.

As always, this isn't about ignoring life's challenges or pretending everything is perfect. It's about creating a supportive environment that becomes a haven to face those challenges from. Providing yourself with regular doses of nourishment can help build resilience to better respond to life’s curveballs.

As you move through your days, become a curator of your own experience. Notice what draws your eye, what makes you pause in appreciation.

let Your environment be a mirror for who you are becoming

Allow these moments of awareness to inform how you shape your personal spaces and how you move through the wider world. Take a new route to work to pass by a beautiful view, or rearrange your living room to maximize the natural light.

You're not just changing your environment – you're actively participating in your own evolution. You're creating a world that reflects and reinforces the best parts of yourself and reflects who you are becomg.

So, look around; what do you see that lifts your spirit? What small change could you make to invite more of that energy into your every day?