Create a space where you can unwind and promote rest and relaxation by focusing on atmospheric touches and simple decor.
The start of a new season invariably brings an urge for change. With so many of us wired 24/7/365 to technology, and stress and insomnia becoming the universal North American plague, approaching our precious sleeping space as a sacred, low-tech zone can create a fundamental shift in our daily well-being.
Decorate to Encourage Rest
Banish tech in the bedroom and make soft and relaxing decor the focus. Look for pieces and colour schemes that make you feel calm (for a lot of us that’s greys, whites and bleached woods) and that blend together to create a holistic, tranquil effect. Visually soothing pieces like geometric patterned artwork or greenery can go a long way to help the mind prepare for rest and relaxation the minute you enter your bedroom. Try: Ada II White Table Lamp; $100, CB2.
Keep Life Simple
Set a daily intention to live a more simplistic life, and have that reflect everything from your bedroom decor to your skincare routine. Take a page from the Scandi ‘lagom’ concept, meaning ‘just the right amount.’ A perfect follow-up to last year’s ever-popular Danish concept of ‘hygge,’ which focused on comfort, lagom is the antidote to a hectic life of excess by instilling a more fulfilled and simplistic approach to living that is quickly becoming a movement. Try: The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer; $28, Indigo.
Calm a Wired Mind
Journaling helps clear daily stress. Each night, write down three challenges or successes to bring some perspective to your day and take the burden off your overworked brain. For particularly restless minds, try yogic breathing, a technique popular with power players like Hillary Clinton. Take a deep breath and hold down your right nostril while exhaling fully through your left. Alternate breathing through both nostrils singularly for 30 seconds or longer. Try: The Five-Minute Journal; $32, Indigo.
Adjust Your Energy
Scents can trigger a relaxed state of mind, and no scent encourages sleep quite like lavender. Try an essential oil room spray, diffuser or dried lavender in your bedroom. To go beyond the scent and recalibrate your bedroom energy, try a crystal or salt lamp. These beautiful little lamps give off a warm relaxing glow and are said to have all kinds of calming benefits over time. Try: Lumiere de Sel Himalayan Salt Lamp; $26, Well.ca.
Add a Little Moisture
When we’re hit with winters like the one we just experienced, it can take a while for our skin and sinuses to get back to normal, especially after a prolonged flu and allergy season. A humidifier can ensure your breathing is deep and regulated throughout your sleep, which means a more clear, crisp mind when you wake up. Keep your bedroom at 60-64 degrees Fahrenheit and use a cool or warm air humidifier depending on preference. Try: Honeywell Cool Mist Humidifier; $50, Canadian Tire.
Get Back to Nature
It would be great if we could all rise and fall with nature, but our schedules won’t always allow that. Invest in blackout blinds that shut out the artificial light around you to get uninterrupted shut eye. To wake up before the sun does, employ the help of a sunrise alarm clock that gradually wakes you up by mimicking the sun’s natural rays. Try: Wake-Up Light; $60, Amazon.
Live Beautifully is a decor and lifestyle magazine created by Empire communities that will hit the shelves in LCBO’s Food and Drink Magazine all throughout the West GTA this May. Empire invites you to view our debut decor magazine before anyone else.