Design for Healing
Covid-19 has meant a lot more time spent at home. Less time with friends, and much more time with our children and home responsibilities. “self-care” was a major buzzword of 2018, and now so many of our typical self-care avenues have been temporarily shut-down. But, the great news is your home can (and should) be a place of self care and personal healing. Making your home a place of regeneration and peace is easier and more important than you think . Vastu Shaasta and Feng Shui are both centuries old techniques focused on maximizing the healing energies inside the home. Having a home of healing is easier than you think! Here are a few simple and inexpensive ways to make your home a place of self-care and healing.
House plants: house plants and fresh flowers bring renewed life immediately to any space! I prefer living green houseplants for a few reasons. Studies have shown that caring for another living thing reduces stress and increases memory retention and concentration, this is especially great news for those of us working from home. A few of my favorite house plants:
Orchids, flowers increase feelings of wellbeing and happiness
Lavender: stress reducing and feelings of tranquility
Aloe, healing energy, and can actually be used to treat burns and scrapes!
Rosemary, great scent, energizing, easy to grow (and delicious)
Fiddle leaf figs, beautiful, trendy and energizing!
Source: www.spiritofchange.org/12-healing-houseplants/
CLEANING: a good deep clean is proven to reduce stress and help eliminate toxins and immune suppressants from your home. For true self-care, hire a professional to come clean for you. It’s even better than a blow-out! Don’t forget to change the filters in your HVAC regularly, at least every 2 months. Dust retains toxins from a variety of elements and breathing it in can decrease your immune system and effect your health and sleep quality.
Eliminate and organize: Less is so much more. Clear counters and dressers, de-clutter closets, and organize your drawers. Something as simple as opening a clean and organized silverware drawer makes me sooooo happy. And if you are holding onto old hand-me-downs, kid-clutter, and outdated “stuff” chances are, they are not “sparking joy” Believe it or not, you’re going to be happier with nothing than old outdated junk in your home that you don’t love. Get rid of ANYTHING that you don’t love, even if you can’t replace it right away. Seeing the empty space will excite you for finding that perfect something more than the nagging feeling of ugliness. Something as simple as swapping out your throw pillows or updating your window-treatments will breathe fresh life into your home. And donating all that old stuff you no longer love could mean a world of difference for people in need.
Invest in QUALITY. Now that you threw everything out, you feel pressured to get everything perfect all at once. BUT you will be happier in the long run waiting and purchasing quality items that will last and perform. Resist the temptation to fill your home with IKEA and Homegoods that will look aged and dirty in months and invest in heirloom quality pieces with performance grade fabrics and quality construction. A qualified design professional can help you create a comprehensive plan and budget and source professional grade pieces that will last for decades.
Non-toxic and sustainable design: Take your investment one step further by investing in non-toxic and sustainable items. So much home décor (especially bargain brands from overseas) are full of carcinogenic and toxic chemicals. The fabrics are bleached and treated with chemicals, the fillers are full of toxin and the wood is full of pesticides and toxic glue. Many brands have even been proven to contain toxic amounts of heavy metals including lead and mercury. A qualified Design professional can help you source quality and safe products for your home that will last a lifetime.
And the ultimate in self care: A full home makeover! So much of our happiness starts at home. Unfortunately not all builders take ergonomic design into account, more are focused on cost-effective building and inexpensive building materials. A home design that centers around how YOU live can effect your entire life. So many homes built in the 50s and 60s were designed for a lifestyle that no longer exists. Even homes built as recently as the 2000s need layout updates to accommodate our “new normal” Having a dedicated work-space, family friendly office, and calming bathroom retreat can effect your psyche in ways your may not even realize. Maybe you can’t do everything at once, but even having a clear vision and plan can put your mind at ease. Just like posting your life goals, seeing the end vision can be almost as healing (and exciting) as seeing the end result.