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Feeling rested and refreshed

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Nothing beats coming home after a long day to a place you’ve made your own. There’s something about having a private space where you can retreat from all the pressures of the outside world that is so therapeutic and essential to your mental health.

You might not think it’s important, but something as small as having a mini sanctuary in your home where you spend some time with yourself and meditate, read, write, relax and unwind is one of the major keys to internal happiness. Here are a few quick and easy ways to transform your home into your own personal sanctuary.

1. Choose a Space

If you have a large home, it might be difficult to create a small area to retreat to without doing some serious remodeling. Instead, you could choose an area that doesn’t get a lot of traffic. Ideally, the area should have natural light and a window with a view to help you take some time to admire nature while you’re retreating.

2. Personalize It

Make your personal space your own with objects that mean something to you. You could include a desk for writing, an easel for painting, a workbench for crafts, or a comfortable chair for reading. Let this be the foundation of your new relaxing space.

3. Make It Comfortable

Once you’ve decided on your space and the activities you’ll most likely do there, it’s time to make your sanctuary cozy. Hang drapes in the windows, add a comfortable rug, bring in lounge pillows and comfortable chairs – anything that makes you feel relaxed will do!

4. Keep the Air Fresh

Add fresh plants to your mini sanctuary! Not only will the plants keep the air fresh, but they’ll also brighten your mood. Maybe even go so far as to include a few gorgeous flowers in your sanctuary as well.

5. Set the mood

Set the mood in your mini sanctuary by creating an ambient soundtrack. You could even liven up your area with the sounds of waterfalls, the ocean, nature or just instrumentals from a small audio system.

6. Stay Inspired

Keep your creative juices flowing by displaying inspirational quotes, pictures, your own successes, affirmations and more – anything that will help you relax, unwind, and stay creative. Consider making a vision board to hang in your personal space that will help you keep sight of your goals and stay on track to accomplish everything you want in life.

7. No Clocks

Seriously, do you really need to keep track of time while in your mini sanctuary? Trust me, you don’t need a wall clock ticking away during your relaxation time.

8. Use Rooms for Their Purpose

Admit it, we’re all guilty of eating in bed, sleeping in the living room, watching TV in the kitchen and more. Part of turning your home into a sanctuary also includes developing good habits and actually utilizing rooms for their purpose. You can start by only sleeping in the bedroom, only eating in the kitchen and only watching TV in the living room.

9. Clean Regularly

Not only is cleaning therapeutic in itself, but having a clean and organized space can also help eliminate stress and anxiety.

10. Commit to Your Sanctuary

Whether it’s 30 minutes or three hours, make time to spend doing what you love in your personal space. You deserve it!

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