5 Quick And Easy Home Updates To Cater To Your Self-care

In a fast-paced society where we’re always on the go and our laundry list of things to do continues to grow, sometimes we get so caught up in our busy lives that we forget about the importance of self-care and the affects it has on our mental health. But no matter what season of life you are in or how busy you get, it’s so important to practice self-care regularly so that it becomes habit and part of your daily or weekly routine.

Ideally, you’ll want to practice self-care at least 2-3 times per week, which can make such a huge difference in your mood. If you can practice self-care a little bit more, such as everyday, that would be even better!

But of course, the goal is to just try your best. Don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t get in the exact amount of self-care that you were hoping for. You’ve succeeded just by trying!

Self-care looks different for everyone but one common thing is that self-care can take place in a dedicated spot in the home. You can easily get your self-care space all set up, and I recommend an area that you see everyday so that when you walk past it, you’re more inclined to make some time for yourself. Here are 5 easy ways you can start creating a self-care space in your home right away.

SELF-CARE SPACE TIP NUMBER 1: CREATE A SELF-CARE ZONE ONLY

Find a good place in your home to set up your self-care space and then zone it for self-care purposes only. You’ll want to try to resist the temptation to do any kind of work in this area if you can help it.

Let’s first define what constitutes as self-care and work:

Self-care:

• Meditation

• Painting your nails

• Applying a face mask

• Reading a book

• Partaking in hobbies such as art and crafts

Work:

• Bringing your laptop into the space and doing anything business related

• Answering work related emails

• Making business phone calls

Now, there are exceptions to the rule. If you have a shared living space such as with roommates or if you're limited on space, you can certainly combine the two zones into one space, just as long as you're scheduling the time for yourself to practice self-care.

Your job can also be considered a form of self-care. If you love what you do, then you’ll never work a day in your life! If you find yourself getting stressed out while working and answering emails, then it’s best to create that separation for work/life balance.

SELF-CARE SPACE TIP NUMBER 2: GATHER ESSENTIALS

After you've narrowed down where you want to have your self-care space, the next thing you'll want to do is start gathering the basic essentials needed to make up your self-care space.

I like to start with seating. Do you plan to sit on a lounge chair or a chaise lounge? Do you want to sit on the floor? Think about how you want to get comfy in your self-care space and then look for seating that will fit your vision.

You can most definitely make use of items that you already have in your home. Have comfy old recliner? Move it to your self-care space. But remember that you are not limited to what you already own. If your current seating isn’t quite providing the right kind of comfort for you, you can invest in something more comfortable.

For additional comfort, you can bring in a blanket and a throw pillow into your self-care space to keep you comfy while you relax.

If you plan to read books in your self-care space, another item you can incorporate is a small side table for your books, coffee or tea mug.

SELF-CARE SPACE TIP NUMBER 3: MAKE IT YOUR OWN

After you've gathered the essentials, now is the time to dress it up with your favorite accessories. This could be candles, incense, crystals, wall hangings, string lighting, houseplants or anything that makes you happy.

You could even incorporate a picture frame with your loved ones to help you stay calm, relaxed and grateful for the things and people that you have in your life.

SELF-CARE SPACE TIP NUMBER 4: CLEAR THE CLUTTER

When your self-care space is cluttered it can prevent you from focusing on yourself and can bring on feelings of anxiety, uneasiness and cluttered thoughts. Try to keep things that don't belong in this space away as much as possible. Make sure you have ample storage to keep things out of sight. You can also invest in storage boxes to store small items when not in use.

SELF-CARE SPACE TIP NUMBER 5: SET THE MOOD WITH LIGHTING

The last thing you can do to create your self-care space is to add lighting. It could be a floor lamp, a table lamp, or any task lighting. If you can get a floor lamp that is dimmable, that would be helpful for when you need brighter lighting to read and then low lighting for meditation. My favorite simple lighting is task lighting with an adjustable swing arm to point the light in different directions, whether you want the lighting pointed directly at you or away.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Your self-care space doesn't have to cost you a fortune, just as long as you love it and it's a reflection of you, that’s all that matters. Remember to set that time for yourself to make yourself a priority. You deserve to be happy and to live in a well-balanced home.