This is a time of adapting -- adapting lifestyles, adapting work, adapting relationships, adapting budgets, and so on. And since we are all stuck inside our homes are having to adapt. However, if we only let this pandemic affect our homes in negative ways, then we lose opportunities to strengthen ourselves and to add joy to our household.
What if we thought of our homes as a resort during this period (and not a jail cell!)? What if we looked for the good in the midst of hard? And what if we took just small steps that would make huge impacts?
Bring the Outdoors In
Being inside all day, makes us all a little stir crazy. One of the best ways to combat this is to bring the outdoors in by opening windows when the weather is nice. Listen to the birds, feel the breeze, and smell the blooming trees!
Clipping flowers and/or trees from outside and placing them in a vase also adds life to any space. And since going to a local floral shop is out of the question, this is a contact free way to bring the outdoors in.
If you already have lots of plants inside, then bravo! Keep your plants healthy and take moments each day to take in their beauty.
Create Stations
Again, let's go back to this idea of a resort; they have perfected stations, or vignettes, if you will. If you're like me, then you get giddy about their stations. The first one you run into is the drink station. Usually a coffee station with all the fun fixings and some gourmet coffee beans. Maybe coffee isn't your jam, create your own version of a drink station. Clear off your sofa table, bar cart, or random corner of the kitchen and set up a drink station. Maybe it's hot cocoa, cocktails, or a coke with a maraschino cherry & splash of vanilla. I give you permission to go a little extra with your drink station! Because again, if we are anything alike, then we prefer to drink our calories ;)
Another common station a resort has is their spa kit. I recently made one for Zach and I, it has bath salts, chocolate, our favorite lotion, a candle, and clay masks. Create a basket with your favorite relaxing items. You can add a magazine, journal, bluetooth speaker, and so on!
With all this extra time, you may be finding yourself reading a lot more. Create a vignette for your reading! Put a blanket over your chair, find the best reading light (something with soft diffused light) at your home, a foot stool, and a coaster for that spruced up coke! Or if you have found time for another hobby, create a relaxing space for it.
Simplify Visual Weight
With all this time on your hands, you may consider decluttering & organizing!? Reducing visual weight and actual junk will make you feel so more at peace. Here's a blog with some more guidance.
Think about your favorite places... they likely have limited "junk" (ya know... tv controllers, chips, and shoes strewn all over). Tidy your house and you'll automatically feel your spirit rise!
Add Cozy
The best resorts have a way of making all your stress melt away and one of their best tactics for this is cranking up the cozy. Draping blankets over your favorite chair or putting your softest blankets in a basket will make your home feel a little bit more cozy.
My husband and I recently made our robes easily accessible and it was, well is "life changing" too strong? Before they were stuck back in the closet and we never ever used them. Now they are hanging right in our bathroom and almost every morning we put them on. It's the best way to get started on our day. And if you're a slipper person (I usually put on super thick socks) then place your slippers right beside your bed!
Another perfect cozy touch is lighting candles. They add a beautiful & relaxing fragrance, whimsical lighting, and warm the space. I've been making it a practice to light a candle in the morning (with my robe & a coffee), after dinner when I serve dessert, and late at night when I either take a bath or listen to a podcast in bed. I've found that candles hugely affect my mood. They instantly relax me & make me happy.
The point of these suggestions is to get us thinking of ways to make our homes special so that we can create good memories, make this a time of joy (even in hardship), and not feel like we are going crazy! I'd love to hear how you are making your home feel like a mini vacation -- you can message me, email me, or post a picture to insta with #letsspreadjoy .