If you are looking for ways to make your home your sanctuary, you have come to the right place. We will give you the top ten simple ways to create a home space where you can feel cozy and content. Better yet, you will probably find that your home sanctuary is helping to improve your mental health.
Let’s talk more about that first.
What does it mean to make your home your sanctuary? The term sanctuary is usually referred to as a sacred space. It derives from the Latin word sanctuarium. This word can also mean a private cabinet, shrine, or holy space. Your sanctuary should be just that: a sacred space.
You should feel at ease, calm, and at peace in your sanctuary. Whether you live in a house, apartment, or dorm room, we will share tips to make the sanctuary home you need and desire. Life is about enjoying the space you’re in. Let’s carve out the time to do that.
Top Ten Ways to Make Your Home Your Sanctuary
Your cozy factor
What is your cozy factor? Your cozy factor is how cozy you want your environment to be. We don’t know anyone who doesn’t love to be cozy. You can implement a relaxing space, like a window, or have a comfortable vibe throughout your home. Read more about the hygge lifestyle here. There, we share lots of ways to get cozy.
Let the light in
We have talked at length about all of the benefits of being outdoors. You can bring the outside in with natural light when you are inside. Natural light is always better than manufactured light. It has healing properties, too. Open that window and let the light in. The light will make your home sanctuary more zen in the best way.
Is your living room truly your living room?
What we mean by that question is, do you live in your living room, dine, watch TV, or play video games? If you have a separate area for your living room, use it for living, not eating. If you have video games or love to binge-watch Netflix in your living area, great. You should use the space to do one thing at a time. Be more mindful in your space. Get fully immersed in the activity. You can find budget-friendly consoles or storage spaces that are also TV stands.
Declutter
This is a no-brainer. Get rid of the clutter. We can help you with our 30-day declutter challenge. If you have a meaningful item, you are not able to enjoy it when you have a thousand items that you think you should hold on to because of (insert excuse here).
Keep the toxicity out
This can mean toxic products as well as people. Suppose you must set boundaries with what you will allow into your home. In that case, it will not be your sanctuary. By only allowing things (and people) you want inside your space, you are cultivating the positive energy you want in your sacred area. We love the book by Nedra Tawwab on boundaries. It’s a game-changer!
Good vibes only
Another way to make your home your sanctuary is to add items that bring on good vibes. It may be a little woo-woo, but try adding crystals to the space. Crystals have been thought to have the capability of keeping negative vibes away. Whether you believe it or not, it doesn’t hurt to try. Plus, crystals add a minimal decor approach that brings the outdoors in. That is a good thing. You can also add a Himalayan salt lamp like this one to keep the space clean. Himalayan salt lamps clean the air, but they remove negative ions. They are also very calming to look at.
Add some plants
If you have plants already, great. Start a practice to take good care of them. Healthy plants make you healthier. It is also great for mental wellness to nurture and care for plants. If you do not have plants, start with one simpler to care for, like a pothos.
Indulge the senses
You want to surround yourself with things that are nice to the touch, like a soft blanket or even your dog or cat. Tactile objects or beings (like pets) are near you; you are more apt to feel the item with your hands or against your skin. Rubbing a pet’s fur or a plush blanket can reduce stress levels. Bonus, your pet will also love it.
Back to the nurturing aspect of plants, nurturing your pets will, in turn, nurture your soul. Your nurtured soul will be beneficial to make your home your sanctuary.
We cannot leave out the fact that if you do not have a pet and/or are afraid of the commitment, then you should consider fostering a pet from a local shelter or rescue. You can receive the nurturing of your soul in the best way possible and reciprocate that to a pet who is in need of shelter, if only temporarily.
Keep it clean
Your home sanctuary is where you want to keep things how you like and clean. You may want to feel relaxed and not think about the chore part of your home. Still, use a consistent weekly cleaning schedule. You will make your home sanctuary more enjoyable and a place you want to stay in.
Be grateful
Tell your space that you are grateful for it. Not to be a downer, but plenty of people worldwide do not have shelter. Tell your home, apartment, dorm, or the area you want to create as your home sanctuary that you are thankful for it sheltering you. It may feel odd at first, but putting those gratitude statements into the universe, into your special place, will make you even more grateful to have it. You will want to take care of it.
We love this gratitude journal. Not only is it perfect to make your gratitude practice easy to practice daily, but with its hardback cover, it is aesthetically pleasing for your home sanctuary.
Lasting thoughts on the importance of making your home your sanctuary
Peter Walsh says, “your home should be the antidote to stress, not the cause of it.” We could not agree more. We hope these simple ways to make your home sanctuary alleviate stress and make you comfortable and content. We hope you cannot wait to return to your sacred space each day.
We live in a small home, so some spaces are shared, which serves two purposes. Make one corner your workspace. Another corner can serve as your dining area. The other can be your sleeping area. You can also DIY room dividers with items you have, like a couch, or purchase a shelving unit like we did to create a divider. Your home sanctuary is a space you enjoy. It doesn’t matter the size.
Ugh. Been there, done that. We recommend turning your TV to a Pandora or Spotify station that plays music that is soothing to you. Be mindful of the noise ordinances in your area. Don’t hesitate to call local authorities to squash that situation if you need to. You can only control what you can control, so control your environment.
Ok, we get it. Here is what we recommend: if you can carve out time in your schedule for when you are home alone, do it. It is worth your sanity. If you cannot, try to make the bathroom a sacred space. Check out our blog post about self-care spa day that may help you have some dedicated time to rejuvenate and provide a bit of a sanctuary.
