The best ways to de-stress your space
by Tabitha Sukhai, FOLIO: Top Women in Media honoree, Digital Content Innovator of the Year, and All-Around Cool Lady
Say what you want about it, but I barely survived the last Mercury Retrograde (which ended on July 31st) and now I’m just depressed and trying to re-optimize my environments to move forward. Yay.
Ultimately, when you are “optimizing” your spaces, some decluttering may be in order and it can’t hurt to open the blinds to let some natural light in/ open the windows for some fresh air. But the big question you have to ask yourself is “What relaxes me and makes me happy?” I mean, some people need music to relax and other people need silence. Different strokes for different folks, you know?
Here, I’ll share some of the actual “things” I’ve got around me to help me de-stress on a daily basis. Take the ideas you like and leave the rest. xx
Incorporate people, places, and things that you love
I love books and I’ve got a lot of them. Some of the prettier tomes qualify as wall art, so I store them accordingly. These Umbra brackets turn the bottom book into a “shelf” (without damaging it, of course) then you stack other books on top, ’til the back of the bracket is covered. In the end, it looks like you’ve got a stack of magical books just floating all Harry Potter-like on the wall.
These shelves were one of my very-first “decor” discoveries when I started creating shopping content as an editorial assistant at This Old House magazine, and I am still obsessed with the idea of decorating with books. In fact, I may do a post about how to decorate with books, and hyperlink that here at a later date. In the meantime, Get yours!
Add some life with houseplants
I am a notorious plant murderer. But thankfully, my dude’s green thumb cancels out my Black Thumb of Death. If you can manage to keep them alive, houseplants are a great way to add some literal life to a space (and improve indoor air quality, too!)
FUN FACT! You can shop high-quality live plants on Amazon. Their inventory is incredible. Here are a few faves:
These air plants are great for crafting and terarriums. They’re largely unkillable (but I have managed to somehow kill an air plant or two. I guess nothing’s impossible if you try hard enough lol). Get yours!
Now, regarding air plants you can try some of these ideas:
Turn them into “wall jewelry.” Get yours!
If you prefer your “wall jewelry” to be “stud” earrings instead of danglers ;) Get yours!
Orrrrr, DIY something like this:
Pick up a kit for the project using the “Get yours!” link at the end of this sentence, or just add the plants linked at the top of this air plants section to crystals you already have. Get yours!
I love this starter pack! These plants will get really large if you take good care of them, so be prepared to have to re-pot them. Get yours!
Breathe deep with aromatherapy
I am a biiiiiiiig fan of aromatherapy, but I’m very particular about what smells are going up my nostrils and how. My sister really likes candles and stocks up when 3-wicks go on sale at Bath & Body Works. But, lately, I’ve been partial to incense and essential oil diffusers. Maybe it’s a fire safety thing? I don’t know.
Incense sticks get a bad wrap, but there are times when I really need a potent kick of aromatherapy. And, when they’re made well, incense sticks can really smell better than some folks might expect. I’m not really talking these up am I? Ah well. My absolute favorite incense sticks of all time if you want to give them a try?
These come in standard, mini, and cones. The minis are great if you just wanna go for a test drive. When these burn, they somehow leave the aroma of a cold glass of cola. Marvel of modern science, I tell ya.
Aromatherapy diffusers are fun, too. I can’t explain it, but there is a sort of richness to aromas that result from “burning” right? Essential oil diffusers eliminate that heaviness when you just want a nice, fresh reminder to take a deep breath.
If I’m being honest, I don’t love the aesthetics on some of the newer models. But Apollo got me a gorgeous model for my last birthday that looks more like a Bohemian decorative accent than a UFO. Similar to shown:
I’m putting a dent in my lemongrass and sage essential oils. Try lavender before bedtime.
Play your favorite song (or listen to a podcast)
It probably says a lot about me that the sound of Marc Maron’s voice on his WTF podcasts actually soothes me. But whatever. Whether it’s music, meditations, or Maron, I guess you could just play what you’re listening to really loudly on your phone, but there are cooler ways to do it:
That one is an Amazon’s Choice pick. Get yours!
This one is waterproof, so you can take it with ya to the shower and keep your phone away from the toilet, as God intended. Get yours!
Hang pretty things to look at…
…and, if you hang mirrors, be mindful of what they’re reflecting/ consider putting something beautiful like a plant or floral arrangement in front of them so you’re duplicating beauty and not, you know, an empty Fanta bottle.
When it comes to wall art, it’s all about what makes you feel good. So, if water calms you maybe something like:
This one is framed and sort of captures golden hour, doesn’t it? I don’t know about you but I’m relaxed just looking at this thing. PRO TIP: These wall-art options are all framed, which ramps up the cost. You can easily have a print shipped and pick up a poster frame at Walmart, Target, or Walgreens to cut down the cost of this upgrade. But if you’re Mr. Moneybags and want the silver-framed art shown above, Get yours!
Lol this plays in my head whenever I look at this one (that’s a good thing). Get yours!
And, if this doesn’t make you smile…
…then you have no soul. Check your pulse. Get yours!
YOUR TURN: What are the things you rely on to get you through a tough day? Tell me in the comments below and I might desperately steal your ideas for my own attempts to calm tf down.
Be well, ok?
