When the daily hustle and bustle of life gets to you, causing mental exertion, your surroundings can help calm you down. In a fast-paced technological world, being social all day round, the endless string of responsibilities, and maintaining a work-life balance can turn out to be a stressful laundry list to fulfill. One effective way to decompress is to declutter the space around you and metamorphose it into a mental health sanctuary.
What you need to know:
What is a mental health sanctuary?
A mental health sanctuary is a place of calm amidst all chaos. It is a soothing and relaxing place you can step into to give your mind a much-needed rest from racing thoughts, feelings, and stress. The brain faces constant stimulations throughout the day, some of which can trigger anxiety and panic and rob you of inner peace and joy.
Ways to create a mental health sanctuary
One of the great things about creating a mental health sanctuary is that it is specific to your liking and your personality. It can be indoors, outdoors, or a small room within a room. Take a look at ways to create a sanctuary for your mental well-being :
- Journaling every night before sleeping or writing a single sentence summarizing your entire day can help you reflect and show gratitude. It can also give you a powerful headstart to the next day.
- Practice Yoga Nidra, an ancient breathwork tradition, to keep insomnia and other sleep disorders at bay and get adequate sleep. Also called yogic sleep, this meditative practice guides people into a state of relaxation between their sleeping and waking times.
- Use affirmations for positive self-talk to motivate yourself and build and positive self-image. It works like brain conditioning.
- Aromatherapy can stimulate your sense of smell. You can integrate scents of essential oils like chamomile and lavender into your bedtime routine. The smell enters your nostrils and ups the olfactory nerve onto the surface of the brain. It can also activate the sleep-hormone melatonin, which shuts down other distracting thoughts.
- Practice binaural music yoga. Binaural beats are two tones that create an auditory illusion. It has many benefits, including enhanced sleep, improved memory, emotional healing, better focus, concentration, alertness, and a sense of positivity.
- Declutter your room. Make it a practice to clean your room, so your mind is clear before hitting the hay. Get rid of all distractions to give your brain a break from extra sensory input.
- Try getting a lot of natural light in your sanctuary, which is well-suited for mindfulness and self-care. You can bask in the sunlight to get vitamin D. Such exposure can also trigger happy hormones.
- You can also create dedicated spaces outside your bedroom to carry out activities like yoga, meditation, exercising, reading, and working. If you engage in various activities in your bedroom, you will think of it as an activity space.
If you want to prioritize your mental health, start by making changes at home and adopting activities that facilitate your sleeping platform to lead a healthier life in the long run.
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