I came across an IG post by longevity and epigenetic specialist Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, creator of the Younger You program, that was a jolting reminder of the role stress plays in aging. The heading was “Stress is inevitable, but managed poorly, stress will drive aging forward like gasoline poured on a fire.” Holy smokes (pun intended)! Just reading that raised my normally low blood pressure. Highlighting the fact that stress is yet another aspect of our health that we need to master — or at the very least keep in check — is stressful in and of itself. There are so many contributing factors and variables to stress that are out of our control, it’s nerve-wracking to try to figure out how to counterbalance all of it.
The post went on to describe various modalities, such as meditation and deep breathing, that can have “profound effects on biological age and associated chronic diseases of aging.” Indeed, relaxation techniques have long been recommended and used as a means of alleviating stress and anxiety. For example, you may already be familiar with celebrity integrative health practitioner Dr. Weil‘s 4-7-8 breathing technique that he swears by to promote a sense of peace and calm and all-around better health.
These are absolutely great practices to incorporate into an overall longevity lifestyle, but all the relaxation techniques won’t do a bit of good if our daily consumptions are themselves some of our stressors. I believe that we need to look upstream at aspects of day-to-day life that contribute to our anxieties and tensions—to approach life holistically. I believe we can create a longevity lifestyle that supports managing stress better instead of creating more, if we focus on three levels of consumption that are within the walls of our home…within our control.
Consumption 1: Visual chaos
For those of you new to Ageosophy, I am a designer by profession, so naturally, I am very attuned to aesthetics. Moreover, I understand and have great respect for the power of the visual on our psyche and the overall impact it has on our life.
My husband, Andrea, and I have stayed several times at a friend’s house which has solidified my thoughts on the power of our environment. Our friends are renting a furnished home for an out-of-state job, and all they had to do was show up with their clothes, much like a hotel. It’s a recently remodeled, very well-appointed home tucked into the desert foothills with a city view. But the most indelible characteristic is the overarching peacefulness of the home. It is uncluttered and tastefully, sparingly decorated in monochromatic tones that promote a great sense of calm. It is a true retreat from the outside world.
Although I strive for the same orderly calm throughout our home, I’ve achieved it in some rooms, but—I confess—not quite yet in others. Our visits to their oasis have brought to the forefront the importance of a serene home, and I am inspired to reinvest myself in this worthwhile endeavor. While there are a handful of design basics in creating a retreat environment, the foundation is the most doable for all of us: clear the clutter and straighten up! The effect of visual chaos is not something people can always articulate, but we feel it in our souls. We feel imbalanced, out of sorts, anxious…stressed.
This extends beyond mere furnishings to the products on our counters. Early in my creative career, I designed quite a bit of packaging. I know firsthand that the job of packaging is to grab your attention in the overstuffed landscape of the supermarket and drugstore shelves. Think of it as visually yelling at you. Over here! Look at me! I admit I’m hypersensitive and have an aversion to ugly, loud packaging; but even more sophisticated designs can add to the visual noise of an environment if there are oodles of different products stacked about. Therefore, in our home, nearly everything packaged is out of sight and behind a cupboard door…especially in the kitchen, the heart of the house. I go so far as to transfer products into unobtrusive storage containers so that the din of the supermarket is eliminated.
Consumption 2: Media mayhem
Andrea and I take a walk 3 times a day in our neighborhood of 100-year-old homes set on tree-lined streets. We count our blessings every day to be here. A stone’s throw from our street is an enclave of two private streets that form an idyllic respite with 150-year-old oaks literally growing in the middle of the roads. The homes are on large properties and are a picturesque mix of architectural styles ranging from Arts and Crafts to Tudor to Colonial. It is such a picture-perfect setting, we are in designer heaven on that leg of our walk.
One home, in particular, catches our eye every time. It’s a lovely Craftsman nestled in lush landscaping, nearly always in cozy shade—it looks like a spa hideaway. This pristine impression is shattered when we catch a glimpse through the large picture window of the giant TV that is always on. It’s now a game with us to see if it’s on, and yes it is. Morning. Noon. Night. Continually. The topper: it’s always the news. Oh wait, we did see a football game one time. Otherwise, it’s a well-known news network droning on.
We, too, used to flip on the news first thing when we woke up, but when our son Alessio was born, Andrea and I decided we would not have the TV on in the house. Except for the occasional movies or DVDs (back in the day) on the weekends, we were not going to turn it on simply to have it murmuring in the background. We’ve maintained that practice for over 16 years and I believe the benefits have been unquantifiable.
We’ve purposefully created an environment free from distractions and noise. And by noise, I don’t mean vacuums and blenders, but rather the clamor of advertising and broadcasts vying for attention and designed to elicit subliminal emotional responses...often resulting in anxiety and confusion. We typically turn on instrumental music in the morning that plays throughout the day in our kitchen, the heart of the house. We’ve untethered ourselves from media consumption of all kinds. Neither one of us are on Facebook, I only look at my IG feed twice a day, and I have a handful of telegram accounts I rely on for current events. I refuse to consume media that is intended to entice us to purchase something we don’t need or to hook us into pernicious cycles we don’t want. In our home, we intentionally curate our media consumption.
Consumption 3: Engineered food
While my first two consumptions are environmental, the third consumption is quite literally: food. There are numerous studies from the US, Canada, and Western Europe that link brain health and anxiety to ultra-processed foods. What is an ultra-processed food (or UPF as they are called)? Anything with ingredients that are not typically used in a recipe. Hmmmmm. Think about that for a moment. Well, that eliminates about two-thirds of the food in the supermarket. This would line up with often-cited statistics that roughly 60% of the American diet comes from these insidious UPFs and 65% of adults suffer from metabolic imbalances—not a coincidence, people.
UPFs have long been associated with obesity and diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and even cancers, but now scientists are realizing that these convenience foods are affecting our brains and mental health. Research is showing the more UPFs a person consumes, the more likely they are to feel anxious or depressed and be at increased risk of cognitive decline.
Take control
There is no mystery here. The farther we move away from what our bodies were designed to consume, the worse our physical and mental health becomes. There is order and beauty in our natural surroundings. There is serenity in the still and quiet, in rushing water, the wind in the trees, and the sound of birdsong. There are life-giving nutrients in whole foods and water. These are the things we were meant to consume.
But all is not lost—you can reverse course today and create a lifestyle that promotes calm instead of consternation. Consumption is within our control and it starts in the home. Clear the clutter. Use the summer to conduct a clean sweep of items to keep, give, or toss. Straighten up the piles you’re keeping so that they are neat and orderly. Tidy up the bookshelves. Make your bed. (It’s amazing how calming and satisfying that is.)
Put away extraneous products in the kitchen and bathrooms. When you are repurchasing…consider all-natural products that are well-designed. The aesthetics are typically much quieter and more attractive.
Turn off the TV, and turn on soothing music. Read a book. Establish limits for your social and infotainment media consumption, and consider eliminating programming with advertising, which often has a different tonality and tempo. Put the devices down and away at a reasonable hour.
Never buy ultra-processed foods again. Honestly, just stop. There is nothing good about them and they are typically poorly designed and unsightly, to boot. Fill your kitchen with whole foods—they are not only better for you but they will add beauty to your life. (If you need help replacing processed foods, perhaps I’ll do a post—drop me a comment.)
While we can’t control everything we come in contact with throughout the day, we can within our four walls. This is the cornerstone for making your home ground zero in managing stress and creating a healthier, calmer you...which all contributes to “living well, aging great.”
I worked at Interior Design magazine for 25 years & fortunately I was introduced to designers who championed what you have written in this post. I am reminded of the three monkeys - hear no evil, see no evil, say no evil. Evil in this sense I interpret to mean the lack of simple beauty. As you mentioned as a designer you create serenity in your environment and you extend that philosophy to your body in the form of consuming the simple whole foods that nature provides. Then the messaging from media which is designed to agitate complicates our health as well. I am in the process of renovating rooms with my husband, Michael. We are decluttering our space & at the same time we are decluttering unhealthy foods and our tv has been dismantled since we purchased a new entertainment center. This morning is the first one in my life that a tv is off! I use it as background noise. Clearing my inner & outer space is confirmed to be the good way. It is no coincidence that I read your beautiful post this morning.