After long hours of hard work, being about, and navigating our way through our everyday anxieties, we could find the time to stop and take a long breath. We could also stand to adapt a little from the Japanese philosophy of zen, which is what a good many will associate with relaxation. One of the steps from the Eightfold Path pertains to right concentration, or not dwelling on something more than you need to.
What will enable you to stop worrying and overthinking things when you get home? The answer is putting up a conducive space for unwinding, being in control of yourself, and getting fully energized to deal with everyday life.
Creating a relaxing indoor space need not be difficult. Here are a few easy tips on setting up just that kind of space in your home.
Designate the best spots to relax
Just like you’ve sorted out the other functional spaces in your home, such as the kitchen for cooking and your bedroom for sleeping, you should start with marking the best places in your house to relax. For you, this can be the living room, a reading or recreation room, or a balcony or indoor patio. When you come into that space, your mind will take the cue that it is time to drop everything into the other rooms, and time to relax.
Bring the elements of nature closer
What difference could a beautiful indoor fountain, a repurposed fireplace, wind chimes, or potted plants make to your indoor space? Truly, a big difference, because these are some simple, yet effective ways, to unite the elements—water, fire, air, and earth—under your roof. These will give your indoor space an organic, natural feel that is not present in many of today’s built environments.
Adjust your surroundings
Afterwards, see what in the space can be tweaked to your liking. Adjust your room’s brightness with bulbs or lamps that give of warm, soothing light. Play off of sound, natural or otherwise. Close your eyes to hear running water from a fountain or crickets outside from an open window. Compile a soundtrack of ambient noise, jazz music, instrumentals, or ballads to play on your house speakers at your leisure. Then put together an array of relaxing smells with essential oils, incense, or potpourri. Scents that work particularly well to help you relax are vanilla, jasmine, citrus, or lavender. Fine-tune your safe space as you go—the sky’s the limit!
Personalize the space
“Relaxation” constitutes a wealth of different actions, and it differs from person to person. Get creative by adding things that fit your idea of relaxing and which you feel will appeal to the other occupants in your home. A good place to start is with books or magazines for easy reading. Feel free as well to place a chess set or other board games. If you own a guitar or piano and playing an instrument helps soothe you, also consider incorporating these into your space. Use anything that you associate with relaxation and free time.
Clean up and preserve the relaxed atmosphere
Once your space is established as the go-to zone for relaxation, do your best to always treat it as such. Try not to bring any strenuous work, noise, or obstructions into the space. Separate relaxation from all other tasks, such as how you separate work from home. Clean your safe space from clutter, and keep it accessible for whoever needs it. This way, the space can always fulfill its core purpose of helping you relax.
Take our advice on starting good habits to mindfulness. Relaxing is important not only because it gives us a chance to press pause, but also because it gives the opportunity to rewind and play again. That said, good luck, have fun, and let loose when creating your own relaxing indoor space!
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