Turn Home Spaces into Healing Places

1. With all the stress, and to do lists, and people clamoring for our attention every day - we desperately need to make our home a place of healing.

2. Some activities need to be done alone - because everyone needs some "me" time.

3. If you live with others - take inventory of shared spaces that you'd like to use and claim it on certain days and times. Maybe post it on a calendar. If you live alone, you have no sharing worries.

4. Activities should not add more stress or workload - but should help you relax, recharge, and de-stress.

5. Hit your internal "refresh" button - laugh more, exercise & be active, relax mind & body, eat well, and get good sleep.

Home Spaces & Healing Places

Kitchen

The kitchen can also be a healing space especially if you like to cook.... and eat. Use whatever colors you like, but keep in mind when everything is white - it looks sterile and lifeless.

If you prefer white and light colors, throw in a couple plants or other items that add color like a fruit basket & flower vase. This will bring your kitchen to life and make it more inviting.

Lighting should be bright white with cool white bulbs. For date night - cook dinner together and have fun in the kitchen. Put on upbeat or sexy tunes to seriously boost your happy hormones.

The whiter the surface colors, the more you can see crumbs & dirty fingerprints. Only keep appliances on the countertops if they're used often during the week. An un-cluttered kitchen is more inviting, fresh, and gives it a cleaner look. If the kitchen is open to the living room, consider adding the same or similar accent colors in the kitchen so the spaces blend well together.

Entertaining Ideas

Other entertaining ideas: book club, bible study, a yoga class. If you or a friend have a talent in a hobby like acrylic art or jewelry making - you could share with friends or teach classes once a month. There's also movie night, board game night, and a fun international food themed dinner.

The whole idea of entertaining is to socialize - nurture friendships, spend time with loved ones, and laugh. LAUGH A LOT. Enjoying time with others will boost all 4 of your happy hormones which is a huge healing benefit. Learn to: Make More Happy Hormones.

Food Parties

First - we don't want to add more stress or a big workload. Keep it fairly simple & easy. If I host a girls lunch or dinner with close friends, I'll make the entrée and maybe drinks.

Since I'm a fan of sharing, I like potluck style meals and ask others to bring a side dish or dessert. Depending on the event, I might just provide drinks and a light snack. I also like to keep indoor parties smaller - up to 10 people so clean-up is easier.

Fireplaces

Fire places are both practical and romantical. How relaxing is reading a book by the fireplace at night in your favorite comfy chair? Even the crackling sounds are calming. Plus, if you're having a date night - well... I'll let you get creative.

Music Players

It doesn't matter - old school vinyl records, stacks of CD's, or 2,000 tunes on an IPOD - keep your music ready to play in the living area. Music is always a perfect choice to bring on your happy jam, wind you down, or get you in that certain "mood". With the lights down low and the right music playing - turn on the healing power.

Entertaining & Healing Spaces

Spaces: Master Bedroom

Colors & Lighting

Bedroom colors can be light or dark, but choose "cool" colors like blues or teals. Cool colors induce a calming and peaceful vibe. For lighting - I prefer the warm tone bulbs which is softer than bright white. Candles are awesome in the bedroom, especially if you want to start out by giving your spouse a massage with aphrodisiac scents like jasmine, rose, or vanilla essential oils in a coconut oil base.

Don't Do This in the Bedroom

Don't do this in the bedroom - No TV, working on your laptop, looking at your phone or updating social media. And, absoutely NO arguing. If you want to read - do it over in the corner in a comfy chair or better yet another room, but don't read in bed.

The bedroom, and especially your bed, should be associated with enjoyable & relaxing activities - a good night's sleep, snuggling, pillow talk, and "happy" time with your spouse. Doing these things will turn this space into a healing place.

More Spaces for Healing

Get Good Sleep

If you struggle with tossing and turning at night - try a heavy blanket or comforter. The little bit of extra pressure feels like a soft hug and encourages your body to relax which makes it easier to fall asleep.

Heavy blankets actually help the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone and seratonin, a happy hormone. Blankets about 10% of your body weight work best and also help with sleep disorders and restless leg syndrome.

Allow morning light into the bedroom to set your sleep-wake cycle - and fall asleep & wake easier. A study in Sleep Health also said, let morning light into the office to keep a rhythm.

Cool temps. Another scientific fact - you sleep better when it's cooler. Keep your home or bedroom between 60 to 65 degrees F. at night. Personally, I like 55-58 with a slightly warmer comforter. Infants may need up to 68 degrees F. Mother's with infants should read how overheating impacts your baby. The elderly may need even higher temperatures.

If your bedroom is too warm it's hard to fall asleep & stay asleep. Use a ceiling fan or floor standing fan and during hot weather - add some A/C (air conditioning). Obviously, a lighter blanket also helps. Everyone is different, so some of you may prefer slightly warmer or cooler temps to sleep in.

Non habit-forming sleep aids. Take 5 mg melatonin, the sleep hormone prior to bed. Also, if don't get enough magnesium in your diet - take magnesium glycinate powder in the early evening. It has many health benefits including reducing stress and helping with sleep. To help keep heart disease and stroke away - get 7-9 hours of quality sleep.

Spaces: Master Bath

The master bathroom should be a healing sanctuary with a spa vibe - to be enjoyed regularly. A nice big shower and stand-alone bathtub big enough for 2 gives you more options & more healing benefits.

Lots of healing occurs in water - a boost in happy hormones, soothing and relaxing tight muscles, and a total de-stressing, brain slowing, mental relax.

For more de-stressing affects - add dried flowers like lavender or an essential oil to the bath. The scent stays on your body which is great if it's bedtime. An oil diffuser works well to just breathe in a scent.

Treat yourself with "me" time - turn on soft music & light the candles. Let the warm water relax the tightness in your body and slow your mind. WOW ways to: Relax Your Mind or Go Cuckoo.

Healing Hack: Indoor Plants

Plants can turn any space in your home into a healing place. Did you know that indoor plants are not only a beautiful piece of art, but they also provide healing benefits? Having 3-4 plants in the living room, and a couple in the kitchen & master bedroom will provide gentle healing.

• A grouping of plants around a space simulates being in nature. And nature has proven to help with our mental & emotional health. Plants help reduce stress and create a peaceful space. Peppermint, lavender, jasmine, rose, lemon & orange, eucalyptus, rosemary, and others will cause your brain to relax.

• Plants in general help your brain to slow itself down, even without the strong scents.

• Some plants improve the air quality by removing allergens in the air. They attack mold, dust, and volatile organic compounds in the air. Try the Boston fern, English ivy, spider plant, Chinese evergreen, and bamboo palm. The peace lily is known to remove 78% of mold in the air. The snake plant is one of the most effective at removing everyday kinds of indoor pollution.

Healing Hacks in Home Spaces

• Some plants improve breathing and respiratory system by creating more oxygen.

  Try the snake plant, peace lily, and aloe vera plant. It's no surprise that these also help you focus better.

  These 3 plants may also improve sleep quality in the bedroom, especially those with allergies.

• Excessive use of plants can be harmful, reduce air circulation, increase humidity levels, and possibly cause bug infestations.

• A few plants are toxic to dogs & children if ingested.

• Many plants have healing properties and are steamed down into concentrated essential oils that heal a huge variety of illnesses & injuries. They boost your immune system, heal wounds, relieve pain, help digestion, balance hormones, moisturize skin, and so much more. And besides being natural air purifiers, they even help during the dry season by adding moisture into the air. See some healing remedies using essential oils: Natural Remedies Heal the Hurt.

Healing Hack: Pets

Pets, especially dogs have great health benefits for both our minds & body. I'm an animal lover in general - dogs, horses, donkeys, mini goats, rabbits, and more. Dogs & horses are both considered service animals and can provide so many benefits including emotional support and stress reduction.

Look at these blogs to learn about the healing benefits of animals. Click for: How Do Pets Improve Your Life?

Healing Hack: Dry Climate

If you live in a dry climate, or your winters are dry - you need more moisture in the air for better health. A humidifier in your bedroom will help dry skin, psoriasis, asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses. It can even help with snoring. If you have an ultrasonic humidifier - add a drop of essential oils for added healing. I would suggest putting one in the bedroom, for less than $40.

Did you know a messy, cluttered home actually triggers more stress? Studies done by UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) found that the stress hormone cortisol increased significantly in homes with a lot of CLUTTER. I equate clutter to chaos.

In contrast, studies are proving that those living in a fairly clean, organized, and un-cluttered homes are less stressed and more relaxed at home. They also sleep a little better and tend to be more productive. Is it possible the minimalist lifestyle trend was created to de-clutter and de-stress a very stressed out generation?

This is how de-cluttering my home changed me. First, I always kept a fairly clean, organized, and slightly lower than average amounts of "stuff". Coming home after work I could usually feel some stress fading away simply because it was not cluttered or messy. However, even though I'm not the type who needs to buy every pretty thing I saw - it's still easy to accumulate a few things over the years (decades).

So I decided to turn my spring cleaning into an experiment. For things in closets, storage spaces, and the garage - if I haven't used it in over 5 years it's going to be donated. Finally after purging everything over my 5 year rule, I found that I had several empty shelves everywhere.

WOW. I felt mentally & physically lighter.... and freer even though I only cleaned out storage spaces. End results: it's LESS stressful & burdensome to live a de-cluttered life. I found that it includes leaning towards a more clean & organized home as well.

Added bonus - Think of all the money you'll save not buying more "stuff" to clutter and tangle up your home & life. Think about buying the new car you need, or the vacation you've been dreaming about for yours. Less clutter = less stress = more happy and healing spaces you can enjoy.

DeClutter for a Healing Place