Spending time indoors in the comfort of your own home has become the new normal for many of us. As much as home is where the heart is, do you ever find yourself on edge in your own living space?
Here’s how you can create your own stress-free sanctuary in the comfort of your home, so you can relax and unwind in familiar surroundings.
WHAT YOU NEED TO CREATE A STRESS-FREE ZONE
Candles
When you envisage someone in a calm environment, more often than not, candles are involved. People light candles both for the ambient lighting it produces and for the smell. Scented candles, in particular, help create a soothing environment to reduce stress and make you feel calm after a day’s work.
Essential Oils
The remarkable benefits of essential oils have been enjoyed throughout the centuries, and their delightful aromas have an amazing effect on our mood, mind, body and spirit. Essential oil fragrances have a powerful impact that can evoke feelings, emotions, memories and events. The potent aromas can also positively affect our wellbeing, helping to alleviate feeling stressed, anxious, and depressed.
Feng Shui
If you’re a lover of interior design, you’ll have heard of Feng Shui, a traditional Chinese concept that aims to ensure that people live in harmony with their surroundings. Although there is no hard evidence that this practice works, many of us will have a feeling in a room when a piece of furniture is in the wrong place or if a picture doesn’t look quite right. So, familiarise yourself with the basics of Feng Shui, experiment and find what works for you.
Music
Music makes a huge difference to your mood, whether you’re a fan of pop, musical theatre, rock or classical. Taking time out of your day, whether it’s at the weekend, evening or having the radio on during your working hours, will leave you feeling calm, uplifted and happy.
Colours
The colour palette of your living space will also have an impact on how you feel. Don’t be scared to make changes in your home to colours that soothe and uplift you. Green is a great colour to use with its obvious connections to nature to create a relaxing mood in your rooms. Blue is also known to be a great soother, with links to the sea and sky. It’s often used in therapy to calm the central nervous system.
Mother Nature
Introducing the natural world into your home through plants, flowers and accessories will allow you to destress and relax in a much easier and natural way. Plants such as Lavender, Jasmine and Mint all have mental health benefits and help can you achieve a welcoming, relaxing scent in your home.
HOW DOES LIGHT AFFECT THE WAY WE FEEL?
Do you ever find yourself smiling more when the sun is shining? Or feel that your emotions are heightened in bright spaces?
It’s not just a coincidence. Many of us don’t realise how big an impact lighting has on our mood.
Natural light is known to make you happier and can even reduce the symptoms of depression. In addition, many researchers believe that exposure to natural light helps our bodies stick to their natural circadian rhythms, so we know when to feel alert and when to feel sleepy.
Exposure to blue light is also said to give us extra energy, with one study finding that people were able to complete cognitive tasks quicker and more accurately after being exposed to blue light. However, blue light does have its downsides. It suppresses the body’s ability to produce melatonin, which can make it difficult to fall asleep. It’s worth putting orange/yellow filters on your phone and coming off devices entirely towards the end of the day to prevent this.
BENEFITS OF NATURAL, NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
There are many ways to make your home a stress-free environment with some simple changes, such as furniture layout and colour schemes, lighting candles and introducing calming scents around the house.
You’ll be surprised at how the right calming environment can contribute to your overall wellbeing. Once you’ve got your home the way you want it, you can complement your efforts with natural, nutritional supplements that help enhance your mental and emotional health.
Nutri-Calm replenishes vitamins that are often depleted in times of stress and can help you settle when life becomes too hectic. And 5-HTP helps to raise serotonin levels which can lead to an increased feeling of happiness, reduce anxiety and stress, encourage a well-balanced mood and aid restful sleep.
We offer a wide range of supplements that help with rest and relaxation, so you can unwind, recharge your batteries and make the most of your newly created stress-free sanctuary at home.
