As we all participate in the global COVID-19 quarantines, it is valuable time that we can invest in our wellness. The consumption of nutritional, high-quality food, continuing a fitness routine, rest and a healthy mindset are all necessary behaviors we can sustain to overcome any stress or anxiety. Since everyone has extra time on their hands, it is a great time to interact, assess and respond to your environment. Does your home support you emotionally, psychologically and physically? Does it make you feel happy and rejuvenated? Are there areas that you avoid because of the way they look or make you feel?
If you desire to upgradel your lifestyle quality, consider these ten ways to integrate calm and healing elements into your space during this special time:
1. Color
Remember those 2020 Colors of the Year published in January? Well, now is the perfect time to revisit the impact of color and possibly incorporate these hues into your interiors.
2. Plants
Have you heard of forest bathing, grounding and Mother Nature centric habits that improve our well-being? Plants are the best way to bring the benefits of nature inside wherever you live. Plants reduce toxins, stress and noise levels. They help us breath and boost our moods. Here are several types that add beauty, improve air quality and are easy to care for by those with and without a green thumb:
Row 1: Left-to-Right: Fiddle Leaf Fig, Yucca, Calthea (Prayer Plants)
Row 2: Left-to-Right: Rubber, ZZ Plant, Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (or Snake Plant)
Images via Good Housekeeping
3. Texture
Repeatedly touching tactile surfaces can help alleviate your stress and anxiety. Oversized knitted blankets:, ceramics, throw pillows, baskets and other objects are sources of texture that we can surround ourselves with in our space. Textured items made out of velvet, chenille, leather, cotton, suede, clay and mixed surfaces provide your senses with the feeling of being alive and in touch with your surroundings.
Blanket: via Pinterest, Ceramics Malane B, pillows adoremagazine, baskets Serena + Lily
4. Natural Materials
Once again, earth is our life-sustaining source so remaining connected to it makes us feel centered. Stone, wood, cotton, clay, glass, wool, silk and granite are a few great conduits to creating a peaceful ambiance.
Crystals serve a dual purpose as a natural material and textured object. Here are crystal suggestions based upon their healing qualities:
Clear Crystal Quartz provides focused concentration, energy amplifier, develops spirituality
Citrine is known to boost happiness, creativity, digestion and attracts abundance
Smokey Quartz removes stress, grounds and cleanses toxins
Onyx provides protection, grounding, balancing, determination and strength
5. Declutter and Organize
Visually and mentally release tension and space pollution by decluttering each room and implementing an organizational plan. Find a place for everything or release it to the garbage or charity bin. Clear off your desk. Organize your books.Stack your shoes in boxes and label them. If you are OCD, line your items up by size and color. Use baskets and other attractive storage containers to help you organize while hiding stacks of paper or other items. Storage containers in the same color and relatively the same size create a sense of unity.
Images via internet
6. Area Rugs
Area rugs instantly warm up a space and trim down or eliminate echos. There is something grounding about having warmth underneath your feet. An area rug with some texture also replicates the same feeling we achieve when walking on grass or other terrains. Try something with pile (heighth), some thickness and in a natural fiber or combination fiber that is smooth to the touch.
7. Lighting
“Turn off the lights and light a candle,” is sage advice that the late crooner Teddy Pendergrass dispelled in one of his song lyrics. Altering your lighting can alter your mood. Consider dimming your lights and lighting candles. You can also change your lightbulbs to a soft or warm white which will put you in a relaxed state.
8. Create a Meditation or Yoga Space
Curb your anxiety with energy balancing meditation or yoga. If you have an extra room or if you can reconfigure your space, setting up an attractive, calming area to intentional focus on breathing and internal connections is a phenomenal way to achieve a peaceful state.
9. Art Corner
Set up a space, even a corner, in your home for creating arts and crafts. Sketching, painting, coloring, creating vision boards or books, scrapbooking and the like are all activities that seem to eliminate stress and transcend current circumstances.
Image: Theeffortlesschic.com
10. Music
If you or anyone in your household plays music, bring out the instruments. If no one is musically inclined, then turn on your favorite music source and let the frequency of music flow.
Image: Decor8blog
