Emotions: Powerful ways your environment can affect you

Have you ever walked into a room and immediately felt calmer? Or noticed how much lighter you feel after a walk by the sea, a stroll through the woods, or simply sitting in the garden?

You’ve probably experienced the opposite, too: feeling overwhelmed in a noisy café, irritable in a cluttered room, or mentally drained after a day spent staring at screens.

While we often think of our emotions as something that happens entirely inside us, our surroundings can quietly influence how we think, feel and respond throughout the day.

In fact, research suggests that we spend the vast majority of our time indoors. One large US study estimated that people spend around 87% of their daily time indoors,¹ making the environments where we live and work an important, yet often overlooked, part of our wellbeing.

Our homes, workplaces and even our digital spaces can all shape how we feel, often in ways we barely notice.

Your brain is always paying attention

Whether we’re aware of it or not, our brains are constantly taking in information from the world around us. Light, sound, temperature, smells, colours, movement, and even the people around us provide information that helps our nervous system decide how to respond.²

Much of this happens outside our conscious awareness. Long before we stop to think about how we’re feeling, our brains have already begun interpreting whether an environment feels safe, stimulating, peaceful, or demanding.

That’s one reason why two people can walk into the same room and have completely different emotional responses. Our experiences, memories and individual nervous systems all influence how we perceive our surroundings.

Rather than seeing our emotions as completely separate from our environment, it can be more helpful to think of them as being in constant conversation with it.

The spaces around you matter more than you think

The environments you spend time in can influence more than you might expect. From the amount of natural light you receive to the green spaces you visit, your surroundings can quietly shape your emotions and how you feel throughout the day.

One of the most important environmental influences is daylight.

Natural light helps regulate our circadian rhythm – the body’s internal clock that influences sleep, hormone production, alertness, and energy levels.³ Spending time outdoors in the morning can help reinforce these natural rhythms, while bright artificial light late in the evening may make it harder for the body to prepare for sleep.⁴

This doesn’t mean you need to completely redesign your home. Something as simple as opening the curtains when you wake up, sitting near a window, or spending a few minutes outside can help you get more natural light into your day.

Nature appears to influence us in different ways too. Many people instinctively notice that they feel calmer after walking through a park, sitting beside the sea, or spending time in the garden. Research increasingly supports these experiences, with studies suggesting that spending time in natural environments may help improve mood, reduce perceived stress, and restore our ability to concentrate after periods of mental effort.

The good news is that supporting your wellbeing doesn’t have to involve dramatic lifestyle changes or escaping to the countryside every weekend.

You could sit outside with your morning drink, choose a greener walking route, eat lunch in the garden, or simply open a window and let some fresh air in.

Small moments of connection with the natural world can still be meaningful.

When your environment becomes too much

Your surroundings can also quietly add to the amount of stimulation you deal with each day.

Noise, clutter, crowded spaces, constant notifications and an endless stream of information can all give the brain more to process and play havoc with your emotions. None of these things are necessarily a problem on their own, and what feels overwhelming to one person may feel perfectly comfortable to another.

The more useful question is simply:

How does your environment make you feel?

Your digital environment counts, too. Moving constantly between messages, emails, social media, and news can make it difficult to switch off, particularly when there is always another notification waiting.

You don’t need to completely disconnect. Sometimes small changes are enough:

Turn off non-essential notifications.
Put your phone away while you eat.
Reduce unnecessary background noise.
Create one calm space at home.
Take regular breaks from screens.
Give yourself periods of the day without digital interruptions.

Sometimes supporting your emotional wellbeing isn’t about adding another thing to your routine. It can be removing something, and giving your brain a little less to process.

Small changes can make a difference

OK, you can’t always control where you live, work, or spend your time, but you can often influence small parts of your environment.

Try opening the curtains first thing when you wake up, spending a few minutes outside, choosing a greener walking route, adding a plant to your workspace, or creating one calm corner at home.

You might also start noticing which places leave you feeling drained and which ones help you feel more comfortable, grounded and at ease.

You don’t need to create the perfect home or turn your surroundings into a wellness project. Instead, become curious about what works for you.

Ask yourself:

Where do I feel most at ease?

What environments leave me feeling drained?

What small changes could make my everyday surroundings feel calmer?

There may be simple answers – more daylight, less clutter, a quieter room. A walk beneath the trees. A few minutes away from a screen.

Sometimes emotional wellbeing isn’t only about changing what’s happening inside us. It can also be about paying attention to what’s happening around us.

Your next read! – Micro-stress: The hidden reason you’re feeling drained! or Summer sluggishness? 5 gentle ways to feel more energised

Any questions? Contact one of our Nutritional Therapists via live chat, weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm.