Must-Watch Documentaries About Toxic Chemicals

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Updated 23 July 2024

Embarking on a toxin-free life can be an overwhelming and transformative experience. To help navigate this road, I have found in-depth documentaries to be particularly helpful to understand how these pollutants affect us, including: Documentary films, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity research and lectures, and related eBooks. 

This page is a resource that will help you become an informed consumer.

Living With Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

Toxic chemicals have infiltrated all aspects of modern living — household items, consumer products, electronics, food, food packaging, personal care products, soaps, pharmaceuticals, toys and play mats, and even our water supply.

Imagine having a home that makes you sick. You may make the connections much later to discover how common household items and materials like paint, carpeting, new building materials and insecticides are now your worst enemies. Your bones ache, you’re feverish, you suffer from extreme headaches, disabling fatigue, mental confusion, asthma and nausea.

You realise you are dealing with something called “MCS”, also known as environmental illness, chemical intolerance, and toxicant induced loss of tolerance or TILT.

Are you ill? Or is it your environment that is poisoned?

The longer you stay in your house, the sicker you get but you can’t imagine how or where you’re going to find a safe home. You begin to wonder if you will ever get back to feeling well, and how others respond to your “invisible illness”.

If you have imagined a stronger, more vibrant and happier you, a calm and peaceful home, you are tackling the tasks of living free of toxins. I hope this list is helpful to you and your loved ones to understand the world of MCS.

The Poison in Us All - 2023 (full documentary)

“The Poison in Us All,” a documentary by Bloomberg Investigates, explores the origins of per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS) or “forever chemicals,” and how they are putting our lives and the lives of future generations at risk.

Rates of cancer diagnosis in children are increasing in Minnesota, USA, which is where chemical company 3M’s global headquarters are located. As far back as the 1960s, the company has been dumping PFAS chemicals in the surrounding areas.

Minnesota sued 3M for the damage that it has caused to the state’s natural resources, and in 2018, the company was ordered to pay $850 million for contaminating the state’s water supply for decades.

The US EPA now recognizes more than 14,000 different chemical structures as PFAS.

Homesick - 2013 (full documentary)

Director Susan Abod hits the road to learn whether other people with MCS are finding safe housing. On her journey to the Southwestern United States, Susan meets people from all walks of life. Their living quarters range from a house on stilts to tents and a teepee.

Funny, You Don't Look Sick: An Autobiography of an Illness

Director Susan Abod also made another film about MCS.

I made a film, the first documentary I made. called "Funny, You Don't Look Sick: An Autobiography of an Illness" was basically about the, you know, having this illness. And--and I took people on a tour through my house and said, 'Well, it looks like a normal place. But you know, there's no carpeting, there's radiant heat, there's no gas stove, there's no paint, nobody smokes in the building. So when I was done with that film, and you know, this was before email, it showed in 1995. And we-- it wound up going to a lot of support groups. And it was by word of mouth or newsletter or something like that. Then it dawned on me that I had this access to--in Boston, there was the American with Disabilities Act, had an arts mini grant available, and I was starting to have trouble with my housing.

I came up with the idea, how to meet others. I mean, simply what you said. And the--a film would be a great way to do it since I didn't have the resources, if I could get money in order to make my van accessible, money to hire a camera woman. So that's what I did. And we only had paper newsletters. And that's how I did it, from phone contact to phone contact to build up a tour of people to talk to. And that's how I did it. — Susan Abod, from podcast interview https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/11732992

stink! - 2015 (Full Documentary)

STINK! a 2015 American documentary film directed by Jon J. Whelan. The film explores why there are toxins and carcinogens legally hidden in American consumer products.Award-winning film on dangerous chemical ingredients hidden in everyday products. The New York Times says, "Jon Stewart...would probably approve of ‘Stink!’” Entertaining, enlightening, witty, and at times absurd, you’ll never smell the same after Stink!”.

Addicted to Plastic - 2018 (Full Documentary)

ADDICTED TO PLASTIC is a point-of-view style documentary that encompasses three years of filming in 12 countries on 5 continents, including two trips to the middle of the Pacific Ocean where plastic debris accumulates. The film details plastic's path over the last 100 years and provides a wealth of expert interviews on practical and cutting edge solutions to recycling, toxicity and biodegradability.

Your space is your sanctuary

These documentaries expose the harms of toxic chemicals, offering insights from science, healthcare providers, and people suffering with its related health problems.

There are building biologists who have walked this path of recovery — attaining a higher level of calm to their environment and to themselves, and you can take advantage of this knowledge and guidance in creating a healthier and less stressful living and working environment.

17+ Simple Ways to Reduce Home EMF Exposure -- Easy DIY

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In our digital, tech-savvy world, electromagnetic frequency (EMF) are the fastest growing environmental toxin. Due to the exponential increase in the use of wireless personal communication devices (eg, mobile or cordless phones and WiFi or Bluetooth-enabled devices) as well as the infrastructure built around us to accommodate it.

We know that lead, air pollution, and other toxic chemicals can damage our health and, while it is gaining momentum, more people are realising the harm EMFs can do. Studies show that wireless and EMF radiation can synergistically increase the effect of these daily toxic exposures because of the ways in which wireless radiation alters the body’s natural functioning.1

What Are EMFs?

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are energy fields that surround electrically charged objects and are generated by various sources, such as power lines, electronics, and wireless devices. Exposure to EMFs has been associated with potential health issues such as cancer and reproductive problems. With mobile technology in every aspect of life, including in-school learning, we’re are bombarded by EMFs on a daily basis.

Are you feeling EMF sensitivity? Click here to read about the different types of EMFs and how you may be exposed to them.

How to Minimize Home EMF Exposure (17+ suggestions)

If you’re wondering where to start in this process, below is my personal list of EMF minimizing strategies to consider. I started developing this list with my first child and am constantly adding to it as I find new and fast ways to do the lifestyle hack.

  1. Always turn WIFI off at night — you can use an auto-timer.  Keep it away from bedrooms and anywhere near where you spend time in. This is a simple way to reduce your exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) for the crucial hours of rest while you sleep. Better yet, switch back to wired connections.  Before you think you need to open up walls to do this, check out my guide.

  2. Deactivate Bluetooth & AirDrop on ALL your devices to decrease the continuous transmission of wireless signals. Many other devices, even air purifiers and refrigerators, that connect to the “Internet of things” and can be wirelessly operated. You don’t need to be in a “surround sound” of wireless radiation all day.

  3. Toss the microwave. Avoid using it.

  4. Use an electric stove and avoid induction ovens, which emit a large EMF field. The metal cookware itself becomes magnetized, a small amount of current passes from the cookware into your body when you touch the pan.

  5. Check if you are using Smart Appliances - TVs, Washing Machines, Air Filters, Fridges, etc. Opt for brands that allow you to disable WiFi.   

  6. Replace all dimmer switches in your home with simple on/off switches. Dimmer switches are notorious for producing dirty electricity! This includes ceiling fans. Use the manual switches or chains to adjust the speed level, not dimmer switches.

  7. Replace all LED and fluorescent light bulbs (including CFLs) in your home. These types of bulbs emit a large EMF field compared with simple incandescent light bulbs that have none. Go for traditional bulbs such as halogen or incandescent bulbs. If you use a few battery backup LED bulbs around your home for power outages, minimize them as much as possible.

  8. Never sleep your phone near your bed, and especially near your head. If you must use it as an alarm clock, put it on airplane mode and place it 5 feet or more from the mattress before turning in.

  9. Never use an electric blanket while you sleep. Avoid using an electric heating pad for pain too if at all possible. Use a hot water bottle instead.

  10. Choose only wired baby monitors, if you use them. Not many low-EMF versions out there.  Minimize use if at all.  Keep monitors a safe distance away from babies and mothers. Test with with an EMF meter to determine this.

  11. Put a barrier between your body and your laptop.

    Keep your laptop away from your lap to reduce direct body contact and exposure to EMFs. If you must, use an EMF blocking pad underneath.

  12. Do not carry a cell phone in a pocket of your clothing (this means it’s right against your body) or even your handbag while it is turned on. Did you know that every cellphone comes with a warning about keeping the phone too close to your body? (The iPhone 5 manual says users should keep the phone 10 millimeters away from your ear!) Use an EMF blocking phone case or privacy pouch instead. These KRIA pouches are both beautiful and effective.

  13. Reduce hair dryer use.

    Did you know that a hair dryer can emit roughly 40 milligauss to 20,000 milligauss in EMFs? To put this in context, a microwave emits 100-500 milligauss, so using them less frequently can greatly decrease your overall exposure.

  14. Avoid Smart Meters.

    Make sure your home does not use a Smart Meter or Smart Water Meter. Call your local power and water company and find out if you have already gotten one and if so, make sure to opt-out and go back to the analog meters. It costs a bit more per month, but it is worth it. If you do not have an option to get rid of your Smart Meter, make or buy an EMF blocking cover for it. Locate beds at least 10 feet away from Smart Meters. 

  15. Create a safe sanctuary spot.

    Pick one spot or area in your home that you want to make a total sanctuary, and make sure it checks all the tips on this list. The bedroom is important. It could be where you breastfeed your baby or where you spend much time at work. The single most important space we need to make into an EMF sanctuary is our bedroom - the space where we spend at least a third of our lives.

  16. Avoid having any metal in your mouth and body.

    This includes metal braces, permanent wire retainers, titanium implants and silver fillings. Any type of metal in your mouth concentrates EMFs toward your head essentially making it an antenna.

  17. Place plugs 6-8 feet away from your bed.

    This is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Try unplugging as many things as you can at night. Power strips can be great for this.

  18. Invest in an EMF meter — an affordable consumer meter is a proactive way to measure and monitor EMFs in your environment.

    You can quantify the levels of EMFs emitted by appliances, electronics, or power lines that you may be unawares of. Even if they’re not 100% (variability depends on the sensitivity of the meter). they can help you identify areas with higher EMF concentrations and take steps to reduce potential health risks.

Are you sensitive to EMFs? Do you do anything to reduce your and your family’s EMF exposure?

Even as awareness is growing, 5G is getting rolled out quickly in urban areas. Protecting yourself from this technology takes a bit of planning. Get in touch to find out more about how you can protect yourself at home.

Blue Light Causes Precocious Puberty

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A study from Turkey found a direct relationship between blue light exposure and early puberty.

Blue light from LEDs has been linked to precocious puberty. Blue light from electronic devices could contribute to precocious puberty. Whereas previously, humans were mostly exposed to blue light from the sun, these days, we receive blue light exposure at night from our various electronic devices.

This exposure might inhibit the production of melatonin, which could then lead to precocious puberty.

This article highlights it as one of the factors for increased reports of precocious puberty during the lockdowns for the pandemic.

The study

To examine if the rise in reports of precocious puberty has links to the elevated use of blue light emitting devices during the period, researchers from Ankara Bilkent City Hospital and Gazi University in Turkey analyzed the effect of blue light exposure on the testicular tissue of young male rats.

In the study, published in the Frontiers in Endocrinology journal, researchers examined 18 female mice after dividing them into three equal groups:

  1. a control group,

  2. a group with exposure to blue light for six hours,

  3. and a group with blue light exposure for 12 hours.

Blue light triggered signs of early onset puberty

The researchers found these biological changes: reduced melatonin levels, elevated reproductive hormones (estradiol and luteinizing hormone) and physical changes in the ovarian tissues of the rats exposed to blue light, indicating an early onset of puberty.

Those rats exposed to blue light for 12 hours showed signs of cell damage and inflammation in their ovaries.

This study adds to the researchers’ previous work on female rats, which also showed similar effects.

Blue light kills melatonin levels

A study presented on September 16 at the 60th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting found exposure to blue light to be associated with decreased levels of melatonin, increased levels of two major reproductive hormones (estradiol and luteinizing hormone), and changes in ovarian tissue that may be indicative of early onset of puberty in females.

In fact, changes occurred even after just six hours of exposure to blue light, which is really not that long. How many of us sit inside LED-lit offices and schools for hours daily?

What is blue light?

Blue light has the shortest wavelength and highest energy in the light spectrum. The strong energy of blue light is what allows it to pass easily through the cornea and lens of our eyes.

Blue light, especially the higher energy visible light from digital devices, has been increasingly recognised as hazardous over the past decade.

While some blue light exposure is inevitable with digital lifestyles, research is growing to show how it is harming our health, from damage to the eyes and disruption to healthy circadian rhythms and hormones.

How blue light affects our biological processes is becoming an increasingly important health issue as humans are exposed to more blue-enriched LED illumination for most of the day, or even at night due to shift work and light pollution in large cities.

Did the pandemic accelerate precocious puberty?

During the pandemic, rates of precocious puberty increased in many countries, sometimes by three-fold. Researchers identified possible reasons for the phenomenon, including sedentary indoor lifestyles.[3]

References

https://www.medicaldaily.com/exposure-blue-light-smartphones-tablets-may-trigger-early-onset-puberty-470876

[3] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-modern-heart/202311/9-ways-the-pandemic-may-have-led-to-precocious-puberty

Lifestyle Tip for a Calm Home - Deep Sleep

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Of all the factors contributing to poor health and unsatisfied relationships, stress is perhaps the most overlooked.  

At home, while the stress response can be a helpful biological function, enabling you to respond to daily tasks, demands, and and urgencies, this "lifesaving" reaction ends up doing far more harm than good when continually triggered.

And many of the small everyday details at home can trigger stress: financial worries, clutter, juggling multiple tasks, overwhelming demands, even if they are from our loved ones…

Why you want deep sleep

Deep sleep is the stage of sleep that helps the brain rest and recover, allowing it to replenish energy. keeping hormones balanced. The pituitary gland secretes human growth hormone during this stage, which helps tissues in the body grow and regenerate cells.

The most important thing that a person can do is to set aside more time for sleep. Doing so allows the body to go through more sleep cycles, which makes it possible to have more deep sleep.

Emotional Resilience Reduces the Impact of Stress

Stress is an inescapable part of life; it's how you address it that will determine whether it will translate into health problems later on. The stress reaction should dissipate as quickly as possible after the perceived danger has passed. The scientific term for this is "resilience" — your ability to rapidly return to normal, physically and emotionally, after a stressful event.

Resilient People Are More Tuned in to Bodily Cues of Stress

During times of stress and uncertainty, your resilience is a crucial factor for how well you get through things; “resilience” is the scientific term for your body’s ability to rapidly return to normal or a harmonious equilibrium.

Some people are naturally more resilient than others, and researchers have long pondered the reasons why. One hypothesis is that people who are more resilient have learnt to listen to their body. 

Deep Sleep Builds Emotional Resilience

Exposure to trauma can weaken your emotional resilience. The good news is you can rebuild or improve it as well. One solid strategy that can help build emotional resilience is good sleep. Research shows people who get more deep sleep are less fearful.

The study,6 published in the Journal of Neuroscience, claims to be the first to demonstrate that sound, deep sleep helps buffer against emotional distress, while sleeping poorly raises your risk of experiencing a difficult event as emotionally traumatizing. According to the authors:

"Sleep, and particularly rapid-eye movement sleep (REM), has been implicated in the modulation of neural activity following fear conditioning and extinction in both human and animal studies. It has long been presumed that such effects play a role in the formation and persistence of post-traumatic stress disorder, of which sleep impairments are a core feature … 

In the current study, we employed long-term mobile sleep monitoring and functional neuroimaging (fMRI) to explore whether trait-like variations in sleep patterns … predict subsequent patterns of neural activity during fear learning. 

Our results indicate that higher baseline levels of REM sleep predict reduced fear-related activity in, and connectivity between, the hippocampus, amygdala and ventromedial PFC during conditioning. Additionally, skin-conductance-responses (SCR) were weakly correlated to the activity in the amygdala. 

Conversely, there was no direct correlation between REM sleep and SCR, indicating that REM may only modulate fear acquisition indirectly. In a follow-up experiment, we show that these results are replicable, though to a lesser extent, when measuring sleep over a single night just prior to conditioning. As such, baseline sleep parameters may be able to serve as biomarkers for resilience, or lack thereof, to trauma."

The link between mental health and REM sleep (deep sleep)

Long-standing clinical observations demonstrate that nearly all mood and anxiety disorders co-occur with one or more sleep abnormalities. 

And for Mothers, post partum depression and emotional resilience

Much of “post partum depression” is in fact sleep deprivation that wears at our ability to cope with the range of physical, psychological, and hormonal changes—that occur at least well over the first year of having baby.

For the woman whose nervous system is frozen and suppressed, the intensity of birth (despite being a worthwhile experience to bring their baby earth side) can expose, provoke, or stir up stored survival stress from old trauma resulting in the labels PPA or PPD.

(And if you didn’t know, suicide is the leading cause of death for new moms.)

When I became a mother, the bone-deep exhaustion that comes with it coloured my world. Even though I learnt to function daily with it, my mind battled a continual fog.

There is nothing quite like new parent sleep deprivation. It can be a shock for new parents, and even for second (or third, fourth...) time parents. 

Rather than adding emotional demands on the new, emotionally worn, parent, I believe it is more effective to prioritise space for quality rest.

Create emotional resilience at home with deep sleep

Sleep post-children will probably never be the same. However, recharging looks different as a mom, and I have learnt to expand my definition of rest to include relaxing activities and naps instead of believing that night-time sleep is the only good form of rest. 

Here are some ways to create small spaces to rest at home during the day:

  • Comfortable seating areas around the house. If you have a few minutes on the couch, close your eyes and allow them to rest by taking in less light and visual stimulation.

  • Uncluttered areas where you can relax into a soothing stretch or yoga pose, such as a child’s pose or legs up the wall. This allows your parasympathetic system to kick in as your breathing slows down.

  • Baby’s nap area is not just a space reserved for childish slumber. It’s a vital spot to replenish your nurturing energies. When you do get to nap with your nap, avoid television, radio, and looking at your clock so you aren’t counting the moments to do the chores (or when baby has broken the nap). A cool, dark environment is also optimal for napping, if it is calm for adult as well as children’s sensibilities.

  • Create a bedroom sleep sanctuary. Have fun with this and make it a place for rest beyond your wildest dreams.

Does your home help or hinder how well you handle difficult circumstances? How well do you handle the effects of stress and negative emotions? Let’s make space for real deep sleep — for real emotional resilience.

How to Make Your Bed: The Building Biology Way

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“If you make your bed, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. That was the golden nugget of advice that Admiral McRaven gave during a commencement address: “make your bed.” You can watch the short clip here.

It seems innocuous, but the truth is that making your bed automatically gives you a “win” at the very beginning of your day. This win greatly impacts your motivation to keep going and, therefore, your actions. What if this “win” is biologically primed to support your health and vitality? Making your bed could be a crucial daily routine that sets up a biologically supportive sleep sanctuary for you to have quality deep sleep.

As McRaven puts it, “if you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”

So, is there a biologically optimal way to make a bed? What can we learn from the health issues plaguing modern life about how to approach designing for this important chunk of everyday life? Here are some notes on the ideal biological sleeping arrangements—from sleep hygiene to non-toxic materials.

Making your bed helps deep sleep

If you make your bed with your health in mind, you are creating a clean, tox-free sleeping environment. You are making a space that you can rest and relax easily in. Good sleep helps maintain a healthy circadian rhythm — this is is vital because many bodily and hormonal functions operate based on your circadian rhythm, including such important everyday functions such as sleepiness, wakefulness, and hunger. 

If you can make your bed every day, you would be creating a bed sanctuary for proper daily deep sleep that necessary for health.

Why you want deep sleep

Deep sleep is the stage of sleep that helps the brain rest and recover, allowing it to replenish energy. keeping hormones balanced. The pituitary gland secretes human growth hormone during this stage, which helps tissues in the body grow and regenerate cells.

The most important thing that a person can do is to set aside more time for sleep. Doing so allows the body to go through more sleep cycles, which makes it possible to have more deep sleep.

But we know getting good sleep is not as simple as just closing your eyes. Setting up your bed and bedroom environment as a sleep sanctuary will help you achieve this.

Here are how sleep strategies can help from the perspective of building biology. And in every single action, these habits can be very powerful. As you sleep in your bed night after night, waking up from the same bed routine day after day.

So let’s look at a few closely…

Choose natural bedding

The options can seem overwhelming when it comes to sheets and pillows. Consider your sheets and pillows and choose what is tox-free and most sleep-enhancing for your needs.

The most tox-free bedding is made with natural fabrics through processes that use less water than traditional practices and don’t require harsh chemicals like pesticides or bleach or inexpensive and dangerous additives like micro plastics.

Useful guidelines include: Global Organic Textile Standard, Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX, Cradle to Cradle, and Fair Trade. These give their individual stamps of approval on products, promising that they meet certain markers in order to be considered ethically sourced, organic, safe, and responsibly labeled.

Depending on your preferences, natural bedding generally boast inherent benefits like moisture wicking and antibacterial properties.

Here is a brief list:

Declutter the bedroom

A clean home is a happy home, because it is a healthy.

While a home doesn’t need to be sanitised or spotless, when you tidy the bedroom, it provides a clear slate for restful sleep.

Tidying the bedroom will not only provide you with another small win for the day, it will relieve stress so that your mind can fully focus on what matters most. Learn how building biology principles can be a part of stress management techniques.

Declutter your light environment

Avoiding blue light, such as smartphones or computers near bedtime, is essential to allowing the cascade of hormones necessary for enough deep rest.

At night, keep the room as dark as possible by covering windows and turning off lights from alarm clocks and other electronic devices.

Opening and shutting your windows helps make a consistent sleep schedule and trying to fall asleep and wake up at consistent times.

Declutter your EMF environment

The last thing you want in your bedroom environment are artificial EMFs. Sleep is when your body begins the heavy duty of clearing fluid.

Artificial EMFs interfere with this process, and add oxidative stress, which leads to inflammation and weakens your cells over time[*]. Your body uses up antioxidants combating EMF radiation, leaving your cells open to damage from other sources of stress.

Growing research has found that EMFs may hit your brain especially hard and could even contribute to neurodegeneration.

EMFs can come from WiFi, cell phones, laptops, and other everyday electronic devices. Learn more here, or book a home consult.

Taking the time to make your bed

As society seem to get ever busier and high tech, sleep is seeming a bigger and bigger luxury and all things bedroom is seeing a renaissance of interest as people chase what they perceive to be elusive sleep.

I think we are realising the importance of how intertwined our bed and sleep: it is part of basic hygiene and essential to our self-care.

We spend a third of our lives asleep, or about under half of every day. This means that we are constantly being exposed to any chemicals or microscopic bacteria. It also means we are exposed to any pollution and toxins permeating our sleep environment.

The good news is that you can decrease a lot of your exposure to pollution, and increase your resilience, by a lot with just the simple action of making your bed. Try making your bed daily with these building biology practices.

For more help, get in touch for a FREE discovery call to find out your needs to create the perfect sleep sanctuary.

So let’s get started because making your bed can change your health.

P.S. Don’t forget to grab your guide to a biological home. click here, and I’ll send it to your inbox in a few minutes. This is the perfect way to get started with the building biology principles you just learnt about.

Easy ways to enliven a space: Practical ideas from IKEA

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Life can be hectic, and your interior space should be a sanctuary providing a calm environment so that you can rest, recharge and be ready to do what you need to do. Whether it is a work space, bedroom, or a play area for children, an indoor space should prioritise elements that can help one renew and recharge, instead of depleting or distracting you. 

Building Biology principles guide how we can make healthy interior spaces. This article highlights principles from Building Biology that you can apply easily to help enliven a space. I also share examples from IKEA that show how this can be in very easy and practical ways.

Being a mother, I love my strolls with the children, and I also love my indoor strolls through IKEA (or any interior-ware store). Their many room ideas are great for inspiration.

Why choose a calm environment? 

Calm isn’t a trend or a style. Any design can be calming, and any design, done badly, can be chaotic instead. 

Common factors of calm spaces may be material and visual. They share these common principles that are important for biological health:

(1) Balanced natural light and illumination

(2) Access to a view and/or perspective free of pollutants, with access to fresh natural elements

(3) Similarly, a connection to Nature, with access to fresh air, sunshine, and nature

(4) Natural and unadulterated furnishings and materials

Part of a calm environment is knowing your items and furniture are working to help you create, instead of taking up space. Another reason why IKEA is popular is how they try to have their products pull double-duty and be highly functional.

IKEA products are usually well-made, so you add a sense of proportion and order to your space, if placed well. Here are some options so easily found at the nearest IKEA for calm, enlivening space.

Plants 

The easiest way to enliven a space to include Nature or parts of it directly, in appropriate areas.

We are a part of Nature, and proximity to friendly plants help improve concentration and creativity. Plants are a natural option to calm and enliven a space as they are living things that offer air exchange, trap dust and toxins, and release oxygen into the air. If you are unsure of a green thumb, try plants that are low maintenance such as snake plants or money plants that do not add too much to an already humid environment (like ours in the tropics). Or cut flowers, stems help add connection to Nature. 

Natural materials, such as seagrass 

Natural materials can seem like a cliche or an obvious choice. But not considering its impact (whether it can be a focal point in a space) is a common mistake, as a lack of natural material, even if only perceived, can be uncomfortable to the body for extended periods.

Elements that are representative of Nature also help breathe a sense of fresh air into a space. Materials such as seagrass, wood, and ceramic add an organic feel. The natural roundness and soft textures in seagrass help balance the hard lines and flat surfaces that often make up indoor spaces. 

Seagrass also evokes the senses of touch and smell, that is calming to our nervous system. 

IKEA has had stunning ranges on seagrass the last few seasons. This is a plant growing naturally in South-East Asian coastal areas, so I’m always excited to see how IKEA re-imagines the simple material in various ways for different functions. 

Lighting 

Calm lighting is also crucial for enjoying a calm space. Ideally, you have full-spectrum natural lightning from the Sun, rather than relying on artificial light even during daylight hours. This ensures basic health, and that your circadian rhythm can be in sync with natural day-night cycles, which is crucial for optimal performance and wellbeing.

Lighting affects our circadian rhythm, which governs every function in our body. LED lighting is probably the most problematic thing indoors in recent years. LEDs are extremely problematic sources of light indoors, as their light is distorted . You want your light indoors to work with your circadian rhythm, not against it.

You want to choose lighting very carefully. IKEA only sells LED lights, so if we do buy those, select its placement and daily use thoughtfully. It pays off in in alertness, jet lag, performance (especially if you are an athlete or a shift worker), twilight, seasonality, skin response, photoreception, and more.

At the least, I would not choose open-style bulbs. Lampshades help diffuse the glare and flicker. The Molnart bulb from IKEA tries to augment this in a warmer LED and double smoke-colored glass. From their website:

This LED light bulb spreads the same warm light as a traditional 14W light bulb – without flickering or emitting any sound. This particular light bulb emits the same warm glow as candlelight (1,800 Kelvin).

Your view of the outdoors

The view you have is another essential consideration for a calm space.

A view of the outdoors offer a perspective to Nature, or the world at large. The broader range and distance are very calming for the eyes, and help avoid myopia.

Window curtains in 100% natural materials allow this light to filter into a room while reducing harsh tropical heat. The all- linen or cotton options from IKEA are a beautiful way to frame your view of the outdoors. 

A last thing...Decluttering (and Organising) 

Finally, good storage is an important component of any calm space.

This is probably what drives many to a store like IKEA in the first place—the relentless search to finally have an organised space. IKEA has chock loads of organisation options. And they don’t have to be plastic boxes! Their options in natural materials help add to a calm space, and dial down the internal clutter (pun intended) that can come through a space. Decluttering and organisation helps us remove items from a space that are past its use or not appropriate anymore. These include things that are degrading.

Decluttering helps clear out potential moldy items and dust collectors. Less discussed but perhaps even more important is that removing excess and worn-out items helps reduces stress and releases energy for other tasks instead.This is especially important for children and their developing brains. Your brain is continually filtering information from its environment. More about tidying in another post...