In the summer, I noticed my parents’ basement ran up to 70% humidity. Given all of my precious shiny cardboard—aka Pokémon card collection—is in there, that was…not great. The cards and their packaging bend when it’s too moist. Worst case, they’ll get moldy. So I bought a dehumidifier.
The device did exactly what it was supposed to: remove excess moisture from the air and bring the humidity level down to a much more conducive 40%. That’s not just for trading cards, by the way. The ideal range for humans also supposedly lies between 40 and 60%. Regardless, my cards stayed dry for the rest of the summer, and in the winter humidity reduced on its own.
With the cold season in full swing, however, I faced the opposite problem back in my own living room: It was too dry. A tiny measuring device told me the water levels in the air were at only 25%. Remembering itchy skin, dry lips, and crusty eyes from the previous winter, I decided to secure yet another device. This time, it pumped vaporized water into the air instead of removing it. After a few adjustments, I managed to get the humidity back to 40%, and the difference is noticeable.
I guess life is a bit like a house: Different rooms serve different purposes at different times—and in order to enact those purposes, we must shape those rooms into a great variety of conditions. Don’t be afraid to turn the modalities of an area in your life upside down. You can run a 5K outside every morning before breakfast or jog a leisurely 3K on your treadmill late at night—both could make sense in different seasons.
Do you need more humidity or less? Adjust as required, and then invest in the right tools to make your current room as supportive as it can be.
