As an adult living in a fast-paced society, your daily life is filled with tasks and responsibilities hard to evade. However, at the end of the day, when you step inside your home, you should be able to retrieve a sense of balance and peacefulness. Your home should be the sanctuary where you retreat to de-stress, recharge and reconnect with yourself.
Transforming your living space into a sanctuary can be in itself an invigorating project. Here are some ideas to implement if you want to create a calm and restorative environment at home.
Go for Houseplants Instead of Decorative Items
Decorative items can give colour and personality to a home, but they can also make your living spaces look cluttered. Research shows that clutter affects mental health. This does not mean you have to embrace minimalism and be overly rigid about order. You can maintain a good sense of balance simply by replacing home décor items with houseplants.
Not only that plants can fulfill an aesthetic role and make any room look lush and beautiful, but they provide numerous other benefits, with an impact on your mood and mental state. Plants improve air quality by releasing oxygen and can reduce your stress level. If you want your home to become your private sanctuary, plants can create that ambience of calmness and serenity you aspire to.
Maximize the Potential of Your Outdoor Space
If you have access to outdoor space, whether it’s a garden, a terrace or a patio, this can become your designated relaxation area. The potential of an outdoor space is immense because it combines the benefits of being in nature with the benefits of privacy and intimacy. You can move here some of your daily activities such as having a cup of coffee, reading or dining.
To maximize the attractiveness of your outdoor space, invest your creativity and energy in its design. Comfort is important, but so is aesthetics. From modern styled water fountains to classy outdoor furniture, there are many simple, yet powerful elements you can add to form a small oasis. You should feel energized and inspired in this space, so each detail matters.
Eliminate Stressors from Your Environment
Elements that affect your stress levels are called stressors. Home items can generate a stress response either because of how you perceive them or because of the things you associate them with. For example, if you want to feel relaxed in your home, a huge wall clock will just remind you of deadlines or tasks and stop you from enjoying yourself in your free time.
Inspect thoroughly each item in your home and assess whether it’s something that brings you joy and calm. Don’t keep bills, to-do lists and other work-related items on sight because they will create stress, even if at an unconscious level. Your smartphone can also be a stressor. Having your moments of peace disrupted by notifications will make it harder for you to relax.
Home should be the place where you feel most comfortable and where your whole personality shines through. If you want your home to reflect your aspiration towards peace and serenity, implement the tips above into your life.