Your living room is aptly named since it is more than likely the room you and your family members spend most of your time relaxing.
It often is decorated with comfortable furniture, television and audio equipment, and enjoyable, decorative items.
It may be a gathering area as well, or a place that visiting friends and family also join together- and is most likely pretty informal overall.
If you own an aquarium or are considering the purchase of one, a living room is a great place to showcase it.
Big or small, the shapes, lighting choices, and movement of your fish are all excellent additions to your favorite relaxation space, and the benefits of its placement are well worth considering.
Benefits of an Aquarium
There are many benefits to owning an aquarium, but very few are worth listing if the tank isn’t placed in a space where you can regularly enjoy it.
Having it in a common area, surrounded by places you already seek out for relaxation, only enhances the positive energy it brings into your life.
Enjoyable and therapeutic, consider the following when deciding where to place your tank.
Stress, Anxiety, and Pain Reduction
If you are feeling stressed, anxious, or are in pain due to injury or chronic illness, the addition of an aquarium to your living spaces has been tied to an overall reduction in all three.
Watching fish swim often diverts your mental focus from things that are bothering you and provides a soothing, almost hypnotic effect.
This stimulates the “feel good” receptors in your brain and helps you manage your stress and pain more effectively.
Improves Blood Pressure and Heart Health
Chronic stress and anxiety can pay a toll on your blood pressure and heart function.
This can lead to problems with your heart, increase your risk of diabetes, lead to obesity, and affect your sleep patterns.
When you work on controlling this stress it helps improve your overall health to create a more ideal mental and physical state.
Helps Create Focus and Calming
If you, or your children, struggle with focus, or even a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD- an aquarium is a great way to help you refocus and bring calming to your senses.
As explained above, the stress relief it creates, and feel good hormone release is something that can work in a positive manner surrounding attention spans and the anxiety focus issues can cause.
Improves Positive Behavior Responses
The movement of fish has long provided a calming effect, and in fact, is a reason why so many doctor’s offices often keep them on hand.
If you are feeling anxious, scared, or even angry- the watching of a fish tank can help you better control these emotional responses.
Introduction to Pet Care and Responsibility
Anyone who is new to owning a pet may want to start with a basic aquarium and build their skills over time to include freshwater and saltwater options.
Although fish tank care is considered easy overall, it is by no means simple and requires learning about fish species care, water filtration (such as the addition of media for canister filters), feeding schedules, and many other responsibilities that come with their overall care.
Excellent Learning Resource
Many people purchase a fish for their child to teach responsibility, but even more important is the learning resource it provides.
And this isn’t specific to children either.
An idle mind can become sluggish and less mentally sharp over time, but the introduction of a fish tank can help stimulate learning on many levels.
Everything from researching the care of tanks to the specific needs of individual fish species and their ideal habitat is a great way to people of ALL ages to be a lifelong learner.
Mood and Relaxation Stimulus
Obviously, many of the above comments on stress reduction, an aquarium can influence, but it is also important to comment on the sound and lighting an aquarium creates.
The gentle flow of water is a peaceful stimulant as well and can influence all the above- as well as relaxation for sleep.
Lighting from your aquarium can also be highly influential on mood, and create gentle motions, or a dim glow that is soothing to your senses.
Conclusion
As you can see, the benefits of an aquarium make them well worth considering as an addition to your living spaces.
A common living room is a great place to have them showcased to allow everyone who sees it to enjoy it.
But they also work great in office spaces, bedrooms, and even informal dining areas.
Just try to avoid placing it in an out of the way area where it won’t be as noticeable- and thus less effective for therapeutic benefits.