Finding Your Feeling of Home
How to be purposeful in creating living spaces that affirm your emotional and mental well-being; while inspiring calm, peace and joy.
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The feeling space
Look around your home or office, how does it feel? Cozy? Warm? Peaceful? Energetic? Is your space a place that affirms a positive state-of-mind and self-love? Does it bring you joy and relaxation, especially during heightened stress or after a long day at work? How does your space affect your mood?
The possibilities
Do you think it's possible for your space to bring positivity to your life? Do you believe that you can make small changes in the room to make you feel better when you walk in it? The answer is YES! A few small changes can help change your space to make it feel welcoming and affirming.
Home is where the heart is.
What does that even mean?
It means home should be somewhere you enjoy spending time. - your own personal space that brings you peace and relaxation, especially after a challenging day. If you work a stressful job, why would you want to come home to an environment that doesn't immediately relieve stress and bring comfort.
Over the years, I have looked for creative ways to increase positive energy and peace in my home, and office. This article is present to help you stop the stress cycle and start enjoying the place that should call you to return to center.
Good Surroundings Brings Coziness
Have you ever noticed the décor of a shop or café that resonated with you? Was there something about the energy that just made you feel good? As you recall, think about whether the space was just visually pleasing, or was it more? Perhaps a collection of various interior design choices working in harmony to evoke positive emotions within you? I found the latter to be true. This waterfall with candles is one of my best examples I bought for my bathroom after seeing it in a ladies room in a restaurant!
Let's do a deep dive so we can identify ways I learned to create environments that helped me reduces stress by catering to my health and wellness. Let's do it.
BOLD
SELF-LOVE
PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT
PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS
JOYFUL FULFILLED LIFE
Getting to the heart of the matter
What Is a Zen Home?
Zen is the of state of calm attentiveness in which one's actions are guided by intuition rather than by conscious effort.
Zen: Simple | Easy | Tranquil
Zen influenced homes embody a minimalist philosophy. It makes use of natural materials, patterns of light and space, and a near-monastic rejection of clutter. A Zen home is meant to be relaxing, contemplative, visually balanced and appealing. The ideas for structuring a personal-work-life balance is a central part of your interior design.
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What's really going on?
Adding a bit more “zen” to your life is beneficial to both your brain and your body. On this site we often explore mindfulness exercises that help to alleviate stress and anxiety, they are good to add to your zen routine. We also spend time on our self-care tips that you can easily carry over into your everyday. The same principles apply to bring peace to your home and office.
So, what can you do?
As these erratic and stressful times make it increasingly difficult to find tranquility and relaxation in our lives, one of the few options left is to create a peace haven in our personal spaces. This is the reason why zen principles applied in interior design have increased in popularity and become a trend of modern days. However, for me, it is more than a trend, zen principles have been a lifesaver. If you know anyone else who lives with Lupus or any other autoimmune disease, you understand how critically important it is to reduces stress, and negative emotions.
Now, let's talk about what zen actually means - In Japanese, Zen refers to meditation. In interior design, it reflects balance, harmony and relaxation.Although zen is not a proper design style and does not come with a book of strict rules, it is often associated with minimalism, simplicity and purity of lines. It is rather a way of arranging your home and creating an atmosphere that offsets the stress and hassle of your daily routine. Fancy achieving that in your own home? Consider these 10 simple steps to turn your home totally zen.
There is nothing quite like an aromatherapy wall that both relaxes and inspires you. Affirmations are positive statements that encourage you to challenge and overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts. When you repeat affirmation often, and believe them, you will see that you start moving differently.
Affirmations help you to stand tall, confidently, in all of your authentic brilliance.
Everyone has a distinct version of feeling at home. Let's do some work to find yours, that is as unique as you.
Creating Spaces of Zen
As written from research by My Move Home Inspirations
Natural earthy colors
A zen inspired design is all about natural colors, in soft tones, such as white, grey, shades of beige or pink beige, which have the power to induce a sense of relaxation and calmness. Chromatic harmony between the various elements is very important, as well as the visual continuity between walls, furniture and floors.In order to add contour to a monochrome room, you may always choose to combine a dominant color with matching objects and textured textiles such as white with moleskin or beige with rosewood. To create diversity combine two matching colors or play with degrades of your favorite color.
Softness from ceiling to floor
Parquet is always a safe choice, as well as any massive wooden flooring. White, greyish or any light colored parquets are especially refined but you can also choose colored parquet provided it matches the rest of the room.Resin floor finishing can also be extremely comfortable for a modern or loft atmosphere. Wool carpets provide a real sense of comfort but require a higher level of maintenance. However, if you choose a carpet, you may refine your zen décor and reinforce the cocooning sensation of the room by associating several carpets made of wool or pure cotton. Again, pay attention that the carpets’ color should match the floor or stay in the range of moleskin, khaki and grey.
Natural and light fabrics
Fabrics should stick to the same rule of natural, light and comfortable. One of the essential elements of your zen décor are the curtains which provide a sensation of intimacy, while reducing noise and blocking air loss. Give them a special treatment and go for natural textiles, such as linen, wool or bunting wool and match them with the rest of the room.For a more elaborate ambiance, associate them with blinds that modulate light to obtain a different atmosphere. Pay special attention to the fixation systems, as it would be a pity to fix beautiful curtains on poor or non-matching rods.
Soft and natural light
For a fully relaxing space, replace harsh florescent lights with calming, nature-inspired or candle lights. Place different sources of light which will allow you to control the intensity and the areas to be lighted. Avoid projecting a strong direct light from the ceiling and take advantage of all possibilities to mix a floor lamp, a lamp set and indirect light.For the bed area, wall-mounted reading lights are very practical as they can be oriented to emphasize the respective area, unlike bedside lamps which are rarely flexible. If you like diffused light, you may opt for some nice (scented) candles.
Furniture simple and natural
Zen style furniture is characterized by simple and clear lines, avoiding complicated detail and excess ornamentation. The furniture should be high quality and made of natural materials as these bring a sense of warmth and relaxation. Storage pieces (closets, cupboards, chests of drawers) may be brought to life if painted in colors matching the rest of the interior.
Minimize ornaments and decorations
For wall decorations there is the same word of order: simplicity. Avoid collections of paintings or photos and keep only those that are especially dear to you. For a fully harmonious and playful library, cover all your books in monochrome paper.
Natural scents
A homemade linen spray, soy or beeswax candles, and essential oils are all natural ways to enhance your room with fresh scents, which can not only be calming when it’s time to sleep, but also invigorating when it’s time to wake.
Remove electronic disturbances
Electronic devices are most often a source of distraction and therefore do not integrate in a fully zen decor. However, if you need to have your TV set in the bedroom for instance, make sure you place it in a discrete area or hide it in a specially designed cupboard. As well, make sure you hide all wires and cables that could distort the serene atmosphere of the entire setting.
Calm with green plants
Plants have a calming effect through their soothing green colors and by providing oxygen. However, avoid flowers which need special maintenance or may emanate disturbing scents. Bonsai trees or hanging terrariums, for example, make a good choice and are often included in zen décor.
Eliminate clutter
Keep accessories and automatic technology announcements for example, to a minimum or eliminate them altogether, as clutter can inhibit relaxation. Clear your room of as many items as possible and keep only the essentials, but feel free to add whatever may bring extra comfort.
Let's Go Deeper
As the bedroom is usually the key room of a zen interior, here are some special recommendations for bedroom furniture:
Bed placement
Place the bed close to a source of natural light and avoid placing it in front of the door or a passage area. The height of the bed must be one you feel comfortable with, but high beds (more than 55 cm) usually accentuate the sensation of comfort. Pick upholstered, leather or patchwork headboards;
Room decor
Keep your bed decorations to a minimum: use mohair, wool or fleeced covers or throws and do not exaggerate with the cushions. Rather go for different sized pillows with different pillowcases that you can arrange for sleeping or reading;
Room pieces
Nightstands, dressers, and armoires are very useful and a nice feature of the décor. Again, be careful to choose pieces that integrate well into the design;
Being mindful
For a reading nook, choose a simple armchair and pay attention to the simple lines of the furniture.
Next Steps: Let's Get to Work
How to Design a Zen Lifestyle
Who can practice Zen lifestyle? Anyone. A Zen lifestyle transcends all religious & cultural backgrounds, there are countless non-Buddhists practicing Zen meditation (and lifestyle) for the limitless array of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual benefits. You don’t need to be a master or anything, beginners often report amazing, jaw-dropping benefits.
8 Things You Can Do Today to Get Started an Affirming Lifestyle
De-cluttering: a deeper dive
A bit more about the power of decluttering. There are moments where I can’t stand seeing piles of stuff everywhere, and it's difficult for me to function in a messy room. However, if I am honest, there are times when what I call basement moments where I don't care. In those moments, I may be feeling overwhelmed, or anxious about an impeding deadline. Sometimes I shut down, things get away from me and I fail to care. Of course the backlash is a cluttered space promotes stress, leads to the inability to focus and impedes the flow of positive energy. When this happens, I use the decluttering process to clear my head, restore my energy, and get rid of items I no longer need.
Before you start closing up at the idea of throwing things away may I offer some information to help you get there. If you find it hard to let go of physical items, just use the Marie Kondo method. According to this method, the first thing you have to ask yourself when getting rid of items is: “Does the item spark joy?” If the answer is no, then you should donate it or give it to a friend. You’ll probably be surprised by how much you can eliminate to help organize your living space, by using this method. Once you get rid of all the clutter, you’re ready to organize your home and office in a positive and affirming way.
I restore my balance, improve my emotional and care for my mental well being by putting things back in their place, I sweep around the floors with sea-salt water, because it is believed that mopping the house with salt water, will reduce the effects of negative vibrations. Finish off your big cleaning round with some nice home spray for a nice fresh smell and extra positive vibes! Once a month I sage both my home and office. Here is a free ebook that I read, "The Essential Smudge Guide Book: A Home Smudge Guide. Meaning of Smudging. Purify your Home. Cleanse Your Body, Mind and Soul. Universal Energy. Click here to get 5-packWhite Sage Aromatherapy sticks that I use when I meditate and cleanse.
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At the core, life is but a string of experiences, failures, and achievements. Lessons come with everything you do, we can't control that. However, it's an option for you to use failures and achievements as opportunities to be mindful, seek awareness and grow...and do so from a place of patience and self-love. Be kind to yourself. You are worthy. ~AC
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