How To Make Your Home A Calm Oasis
Stress seems to be everywhere these days. So it’s super important to create a home oasis where you can escape that stress - even if just for a little while.
Creating a home - or even a space within your home - where you can let go and take time to relax, be yourself and enjoy some peace is critical to remaining healthy - especially in periods of life when stress is at its highest. Those times in life are inevitable, but when you rearrange your habits to stay healthy while you go through them, your resilience will remain high.
I know, however, that if you find yourself smack-dab in a stage when things are happening beyond your control (kids’ needs, parents’ needs, financial needs) that redoing your whole home to gain more calm isn’t always feasible. So I’ve created a list of quick and easy ways to make your home a calm oasis, and also a list of things that you can do when you find yourself with a little more time.
5 QUICK WAYS TO CREATE A CALMER HOME
1. Create a calm corner.
Carve out a small space where you can have a comfortable chair or even pillow on the floor or a window bench where you can relax for a few minutes each day with a cup of tea or coffee. Have a cozy pillow and throw and good lighting so you can curl up to read or journal or colour or knit. It may be a spot where you could start the day with a short prayer or meditation and end the day by expressing gratitude.
2. Introduce a few plants.
Nature is very calming, so bringing the outdoors in will inherently bring down your anxiety levels. Add a few green plants to your home, or if that stresses you out because you have a black thumb, get a couple of nice fake plants. Check out this post for the top easy-to-grow purifying houseplants. You can also bring in other natural elements like branches, rocks and shells for an added organic feel.
3. Adjust your lighting.
Natural light makes a huge difference in your mood, so open up all of your window coverings (hang curtain rods wide enough so the curtains don’t cover the window when open). Change light bulbs to daylight LED’s for daytime, but also have accent lighting to create a calm ambience in the evenings - things like table lamps, candles and mini-lights. As you’re winding down at night, low light will help you ease into better sleep.
4. Make your home smell nice.
All of our senses add to the calm we feel at any given moment. Light a naturally-scented soy candle or use a diffuser with essential oils to delight your nose and calm your mind. Use lavender Epsom salts in a bath and add lavender drops to a cotton dryer sheet to infuse towels and sheets.
5. Hide your tech.
Devices and the many cords that come with them always seem to be within sight these days, and it makes it hard to disconnect from the online craziness. So take a few minutes to set up a tech charging station that’s out of sight from your main living areas. Set something up in an entryway or hallway or home office where the cords you need permanently live. I drilled a hole in the back of a credenza drawer that lives in my home office. All my charging cords are plugged into the wall and are threaded into the drawer, where I can plug in my phone and tablet and Fitbit and leave them there while home. It’s the only way I can stop grabbing my phone to scan Twitter every 10 minutes!
5 BIG WAYS TO CREATE A CALM HOME OASIS
1. Use colour strategically.
Colour has an emotional charge, so the colour you put on your walls definitely affects you. I generally find that light, neutral colours are more airy and peaceful, and they create a backdrop that’s soft on the eyes. (This post will help you choose the right white paint.) But everyone responds to colour differently, so determine what your calm colour is. Think muted tones, and leave the pops of more vibrant colour for smaller things like pillows, bedding, rugs and decorations.
2. Layer in texture.
Rather than use a ton of bold colours or patterns, bring in coziness through layering in textured items in solid colours instead. For example, layer in a muted/faded rug, and solid-colour pillows. Use baskets and natural materials for storage and artwork. Layer blankets and throws and cushions on your bed, but in cohesive, solid or lightly patterned fabrics.
3. Declutter.
Nothing creates a calmer and simpler existence than having less stuff around you. When you essentialize your surroundings, you immediately feel freedom and lightness that gives you space for more happiness. So start room by room in small steps and declutter the things that aren’t essential to your life. Start with my free 5-Day Declutter Dash!
4. Create lots of closed storage.
For the things you keep, make sure everything has a home - mostly behind closed doors. Find drawers, cabinets, baskets and bins for your things to be corraled in and kept organized. Find vintage dressers and credenzas with lots of storage space on local online sites. I use baskets for everything from shoes to toilet paper to office supplies! The less clutter you have to look at, the less anxiety you’ll have to deal with.
5. Add space for joy.
Elevate how you feel at home by creating space for things you love. Turn an unused guest bedroom into space for a hobby like artwork or yoga. Set up a table or comfy chair in the living room or dining room for knitting or puzzling. Organize your kitchen into zones and invest in good tools if you love to cook. Clear off your dining table to have sit-down family meals. Or simply get yourself a couple of beautiful vases and have fresh flowers on your counter every week. Little things go a long way in creating an oasis that you love.
