Is biophilic design your mental health solution? Your nervous system reset may have been hiding inside your home all along. Most people spend years chasing solutions — therapy, supplements, better sleep. However, the hidden threat hums quietly in the background of your daily life: the space you live in. It’s crucial to consider the benefits biophilic design can bring to your well-being.
What Biophilic Design Does to Your Stress Hormones
Biophilic design is the practice of connecting your living environment to the natural world. Natural light, indoor plants, views of nature, and natural materials are not just aesthetic preferences. Instead, they're active signals your nervous system processes around the clock. Additionally, research suggests these restorative environments can measurably reduce cortisol levels and improve focus in ways that no pill can replicate. In other words, using interior design with a strong biophilic approach impacts your everyday nervous system function by providing unique biophilic design benefits. You could be living in a toxic home for several reasons. We’ll unpack those reasons in this episode.
I highly recommend that you watch this video on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify to see examples of how to incorporate these biophilic design principles in your home.
What a Licensed Counselor's Research Revealed
In Season 2 Episode 66 of New Normal Big Life, Licensed Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist Healey Ikerd shared research that stopped us cold. The findings don't just support being in nature. More importantly, they support seeing it too. A window view changes healing outcomes. Even standing barefoot in the grass for 30 minutes a day has a measurable impact on your mood. In terms of design, using biophilic elements can amplify these positive results, demonstrating further design benefits of a biophilic strategy.
Which raises the question no one is asking their doctor: what is my home doing to my nervous system right now? It makes you wonder if the answer might involve a biophilic approach to interior design in your living spaces, especially considering all the benefits biophilic design offers.
Outdoor Therapy for Nervous System Reset — Without Leaving Your Home
Outdoor therapy for nervous system reset doesn't require a forest trail or a national park. Although, those are great ways to incorporate somatic healing and nature therapy. But at home, it starts with what you bring indoors and how you orient your space toward the natural world. Creating an outdoor-inspired interior follows core biophilic design principles. The boundary between inside and outside matters far more than most people realize. The benefits of biophilic design can begin with something as simple as the room you are sitting in right now.
How We Tested Biophilic Design In Our Cabin
New Normal Big Life podcast host Antoinette Berrafato used nature therapy — archery and kayaking to recover from physical limitations. She found passion, purpose, and people as her recipe for mental health. When she and her husband moved into their cabin in the Midwestern United States, biophilic design was not a trend to follow. It was a framework for survival. Specifically, integrating design elements in a biophilic way transformed their cabin experience, showcasing powerful biophilic design benefits in real life.
What they discovered through three core design principles and what Healey Ikerd's research predicted is in a previous episode. But the answer may not be what you expect. However, one thing is certain: understanding the benefits of biophilic design can change how you approach your own space.
I would love to hear from you.
What is one small step you can take this week to make your home more of a healing sanctuary?
Share your thoughts in the comments below. I read every single one, and I really believe we can learn so much from each other. Try adding biophilic elements to your design this week and discover new biophilic design benefits for your own wellness.
And if this story resonated with you, please tune into New Normal Big Life on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, and 10+ platforms. We always appreciate your star rating and review, as they help others find us. I highly recommend that you watch this video on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify to see examples of how to incorporate these biophilic design principles in your home.
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