We live in a time when we go on juice cleanses and tech-detox (we go off social media and shut down our gadgets)to rejuvenate our bodies and clear our heads. We fly off to yoga retreats or journaling holidays. Then we fly back home and wonder why it’s so hard to be mindful, or be calm, or shake the blues away. We forget that our first space, our home, is the first place we should find comfort in. Here’s how to turn that first space into a healing space.

Reduce visual noise‍

You know what they say about food: “….As the food so the mind…”. The food is not just what we eat with mouth. We eat through 5 senses. That which is visual is food for eyes, hearing a food to ears, smell a food to nose, touch to skin and taste to tongue. 

The first step to a home that’s soothing, calming – and healing – is to declutter and organize.

Include life
Indoor plants are a great way to bring life and nature into your home. Not only do their vibrancy add to your interiors, but they’re also good air purifiers.

Uplift the mood with colour
Whether you’re a multi-hue type of person, or a monochromatic one, there’s no denying the psychological effects of colour. Blues are calming, yellows stimulating. Green can help you feel livelier, while red can get you in the mood for love (or for a fight, apparently!).

Infuse scent, sound and touch elements
Room fragrances, a soothing or happy soundtrack in the background, and tactile surfaces – sensory elements can bring back mood-lifting or energising memories that will surely ease those blues away.

Make space for your spirit
Whether you pray or meditate (or both), a space for quiet time helps you get centred when you’re feeling frazzled. If you don’t have a whole room to turn into your spiritual space, a corner will do. The important thing is that you have a space where you can step into that will physically signal to your body that it’s time for spiritual refreshing.

Have a space to move
Just as spiritual well-being is important, physical therapy is, too. Have a space for something that you enjoy doing indoors, such as dance, if you’re not the outdoorsy type.

Get a hobby – and put it in your space
It’s properly called “occupational therapy”, where you soothe yourself or work out your angst by crafting paper airplanes or running your fingers on the keyboard. Whatever hobby you enjoy – music, craft, reading –make it available to do at home in your own music room, craft cabinet or reading corner.

Create a view
If you don’t have an inspirational view to look out to, create an inspiration board to stare at in your space. Put photos, artwork, quotes that you love

Make it inclusive
So you have your special healing space – say, a reading corner. Make it spacious enough to share. Some people get strength from being alone; some people get strength from company. Sometimes, you may not know it, but all you may need is someone to sit with you (even if you’re at your dance barre doing your plies).

Make it ‘clean’
Not simply clutter-free – by ‘clean’ we mean, use low- or zero-VOC paints and surfaces, hypo-allergenic fabrics and sustainable, anti-bacterial materials. Have an air purifier, too. Make your space as germ-free as possible, even if it doesn’t seem visible, because you will feel the clean-ness anyway.