We’ve all heard the old adage “home is where the heart is,” but according to feng shui master and DailyOM course creator Katherine Troyer, home might actually be “where the mirror is.”
“Not everyone feels that home is where the heart is, because they don’t have a connection with their space — or they don’t feel safe or calm in their space,” Troyer tells us. “And when that happens, people either avoid their home altogether or it’s really a mess.”
Troyer says that our homes often reflect our own energy and the state of our nervous system. “Our home really does tell our story — good, bad, or indifferent — and so it can be a powerful tool that helps us find deeper alignment,” she explains.
When we remove those things that no longer feel safe or right for us, we can bring more calm, equanimity, and joy into our lives, Troyer adds. “As you transform your home environment, you enhance your overall well-being from the moment that you walk through the door.”
Interested in learning more? Check out Complete Home Detox to Clear Your Space and Calm Your Nervous System.
Feng shui expert Katherine Troyer has been on a mission to make the ancient practice of achieving harmony and balance within a space more approachable. She more recently developed her own method, Home Energetics, after a “light bulb moment” hit.
“I realized that the work I was doing was this combination of feng shui, my design consulting background, and my desire to create spaces that make the nervous system feel grounded and really good,” she shares. “Home Energetics was born out of my own healing — and it’s about creating spaces that align your mind, body, and spirit through organization, decluttering, and design.”
For better or for worse, everything in our home is tied to us in some way, Troyer tells us. “A home detox is about getting rid of all of the things that make us feel overwhelmed or aren’t good for our body’s nervous system,” she says. “We’re getting rid of anything that holds bad memories and removing things that come from people who no longer resonate with us.”
By clearing our space of those things that no longer serve us, we may end up decluttering our minds, too. “A home detox is a practice that asks us to really get clear on the energies we’re trying to remove from our lives, and how our space and the things within it affect us mentally and subconsciously,” explains Troyer. “You’re doing an audit of your home, you’re really going through each room, each space, each corner, and asking yourself, ‘Does this feel good or bad?’ and ‘How can I make this feel better?’”
When your home is out of order, and when your space is full of things that consciously (or subconsciously) no longer resonate, it’s difficult to live a life that feels calm and grounded.
According to Troyer, this misalignment can be especially apparent upon entering another’s home. “Say you walk into someone’s home and the foyer is a mess and there’s no place to put your bag or set your coat,” she says. “There’s not a moment to allow yourself to come in and set the tone to be grounded. There’s a big difference if you walk in and it’s clean and there’s some sort of rug on the floor, for example.” In general, you’re usually able to sense whether a home feels open and inviting — or whether you want to get out of there as soon as possible.
It can be more challenging to feel this disharmony in our own homes, since we get so accustomed to the energy. This is why taking the time to engage in a home detox on the regular, and really discern what is serving you and what isn’t, is so impactful. You can be living in a space that is inducing stress without even realizing it.
“Your home is always giving subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle cues to your nervous system and your subconscious,” Troyer says. “And the good news is that you happen to be in control of the way your home makes you feel.”
As you detox your home, Troyer says, your nervous system tends to follow suit and begins to spend more and more time in the parasympathetic, or “rest and digest,” state. And as you bring more calm into your life, clarity, joy, and even creativity begin to flow, too.
When you clear out those things that aren’t serving your best and highest good, you make space for greater alignment in your life. Read on for some of the specific ways in which a home detox can elevate your entire well-being.
According to Troyer, a home detox is about playing with the energy of our space. She explains, “We’re assessing the energy and asking ourselves: ‘What is making me feel chaotic in this space? What is making me feel anxious or depressed in this space? What’s going to feel better? What needs to change?’ We’re subconsciously working with the nervous system to make our home feel like a place where we can truly rest and feel safe.”
She adds that too much visual clutter, in particular, can be overstimulating and anxiety-inducing — something that’s backed by science. For example, in one study, those who lived with less clutter or decluttered their homes experienced more positive emotions, a sense of accomplishment and meaning in life, and deeper connection with others.
If an item isn’t used or needed, it might be time to let it go — but Troyer says if it’s something you use, it’s important to keep it organized. “You need to be able to put it away, ideally on a daily basis,” she says. “This will help you find said item more easily, saving you time and frustration. This is especially helpful if you’re someone who is chronically late and always rushing.”
One study used virtual reality to simulate two feng shui scenarios and found that indoor spaces with feng shui consideration elicited greater positive emotions and were perceived to be more comfortable in general. Another, more recent study found that hospital rooms influenced with feng shui design principals helped to reduce patient anxiety during their treatment and healing processes.
As you get more comfortable with the process of detoxing your home, Troyer says your home starts to feel more like a sanctuary. “It becomes a place that makes you feel good, that you want to be in, and that helps you rejuvenate yourself,” she says. “It becomes something you can be proud of and that you love sharing with others.”
Troyer adds that as you continually practice detoxing your home, the good vibes may rub off on your guests. “When you have people over, they might express things like ‘Oh my God, it feels so good in here. I feel so calm and peaceful,’” she says, which can inspire a sense of community. “Now you get to extend the feeling that your home gives you to others,” she notes.
Research backs up the idea that feng shui, which is an essential component of a home detox, has a palpable effect on others. In one study, participants were shown three different healthcare waiting rooms — one designed by a feng shui expert, another by a doctor, and a third with a traditional hospital feel — and rated the feng shui room as the most comfortable.
One of the most important places to detox in your home is your bedroom, per Troyer. Research shows that a cluttered bedroom may interfere with sleep quality, while the act of decluttering, as a sleep hygiene practice, may improve sleep quality.
“Starting this practice in your bedroom is such a game changer because when you go to sleep in a space that helps nurture and rejuvenate you, you’re also waking up calmer and sleeping better in general,” Troyer says.
Another byproduct of engaging in a home detox is developing a stronger connection and trust with your own intuition, Troyer tells us.
“The deeper the relationship you create with your home, the more you realize that it’s just a mirror of you,” Troyer says. “This helps you to stop second-guessing yourself when it comes to design, and to trust that you know what feels good because you’re tapped into yourself and your relationship with your home.”
When you take pride in the way that you’re setting up your home — what’s in and not in it — there can be a positive ripple effect in your personal life, Troyer notes. “You begin to take better care of yourself, asking yourself things like, ‘What am I putting in my body? How am I dressing? How do I want the world to see me?’” she says.
She also notes she sees this benefit play out through her practice of helping others redefine their spaces. “I’ve found that people who have been through a lot of trauma tend to neglect themselves out of guilt, shame, or despair,” she says. “Sometimes, someone who has an issue with self-worth is more easily able to pour that energy into their space first, and then that energy eventually gets poured back into them.”
A home detox doesn’t just change the energy of your home; it can shift your energy, too. The more you tap into how you feel in your home, the more you become attuned to your deeper needs and desires.
Building simple practices like decluttering, organizing, and surrounding yourself with feel-good items to support your well-being can do the trick. And as you slow down and allow your feelings and intentions to surface, your nervous system may naturally follow. The end result? A more serene, harmonious space — and a more vibrant, aligned you.
