Creating Your Haven

For many, the bedroom is a haven or sanctuary where they can close the door on the stresses of their day and retreat to a world of relaxation. If you feel like you are lacking a sense of relaxation in your life, perhaps creating a haven of your own would help you escape.

Often times, whether you live alone or as a family, your bedroom is the one room that you can decorate any way you would like. No need to consider other people needs or those of possible guests; your bedroom is your own. Everyone deserves an escape, from the third grade teacher to the SR&ED worker. Start imagining what to do with your space by thinking of all the things that you find peaceful. This can help you come up with a theme to decorate.

The next step is the part that can be either as much or as little work as you would like it to be. Realistically, if you have a weekend to dedicate to painting, it's not too much to go for it and put on a fresh coat of paint in a new colour that you really love. If that's a lot to imagine getting in to, maybe cut out a stencil for doing wall printing. Toronto and other urban areas often have places you can shop for stencils and other decorating tools that add a little bit of flare to your walls without re-painting or wallpapering everything.

Another fun decorating idea is to go shopping for accent pieces that tie an otherwise theme-less room together. You can have fun finding pillows to throw on your bed or things like a new funky lamp to create some ambiance. The idea of decorating your bedroom, when turning it into a personal sanctuary, is to always remember your focus while shopping. You want an escape from your responsibilities, whether they be manufacturing organic diapers, or changing them as you raise your family! We all need a personal space.Get things that are in patterns or colours that you find make you feel relaxed, happy, or just at ease in general. Having a space that reflects you and your sense of relaxation is important.

Once you've got the basic design details down, you can really start to focus on making your space a place that you can feel centered in. Although it can be hard to minimize how much 'stuff' we have, try to keep your sanctuary a clear, clutter free space. Having things well organized, clean and clear will help your mind feel that way. Healthy personal space; healthy mental space. This is especially important if you need to practice keeping your work life separate from your personal space. If you are an ESL Toronto based teacher, for example, and have papers and essays to grade, don't leave them on you night dresser. It's just a glaring reminder of your responsibilities, and if your life is relatively on track, it's okay to put those responsibilities aside from time to time.

So once you have a clutter free, well suited space that's just for you to enjoy, start adding the finishing touches that make it relaxing for you personally. There are fun ways to relax, like buying yourself a personal at home bubbling foot bath! Why not spoil your self? Maybe you're just into forgetting about your job and escaping into the lovely world of television. Save up, and splurge on a great television for your bedroom! It's important to take care of yourself, and realize that your hard work deserves to be rewarded. Your husband runs an office all day, you work with radiation shielding - whatever the crazy stresses of your life are, reward yourself with something that really pampers you. Add it to your bedroom sanctuary for a finishing touch on your new personal space!

So if your bedroom isn't already somewhere you feel you can relax, you should think about transforming it into a place you can really enjoy spending time! A little effort can go a long way into giving yourself a space that is both relaxing and fun. You deserve your own personal haven, and your bedroom can be that place. Take care of yourself, and take time to relax.





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Redesigning Rooms


Wednesday, February 08, 2012