How to Turn Your Bedroom into a Self-Care Sanctuary

How do you take care of you? Is this question hard to answer? You can probably easily identify how you take care of your loved ones, your house, and your job responsibilities. Considering what you do for yourself may be trickier, but it’s equally -- if not more -- important. If you aren’t taking good care of yourself, how can you take care of everyone and everything else in your life?

Self-Care Basics

According to Harvard Health Publishing, self-care encompasses the activities you do every day that help you relax and keep your mind and body healthy. You may have to resist the cultural pressure to keep pushing even when you feel worn out because without taking some time for self-care you can end up with burnout or chronic stress, or both.

The good news is that while self-care may take time and practice, it doesn’t need to be difficult or burdensome. With some small, easy steps, you can even create a self-care sanctuary in your home. It makes the most sense to do this in the room where you spend at least one-third of your time: your bedroom.

Sleep Space and Me Space

Getting enough sleep tends to be one of the key recommendations experts make when it comes to self-care, so it makes sense to focus on turning your sleep space into a me space. Help it become a place where you can focus on yourself instead of all that other stuff in your life; make it a haven of you.

Surround yourself with objects that represent your favorite things, like mementos and pictures, or reserve a small space in the room for a favorite, calming activity, like a cozy corner for reading or drawing. Your bedroom will start to feel like a safe place, and if you wake up every morning and see what you love, you’ll feel inspired at the beginning of the day.

Keep Work Away

Work can be a big cause of stress, so do your best to keep it out of the bedroom. If you need to do work, take it into your office, kitchen, or living area. By keeping your bedroom free of work, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy your down time. It’s important to keep a distinct line between work and home life, and removing it from an area that’s supposed to promote rest and relaxation will help enhance that.

Turn on Your Senses

What will you see, feel, hear, smell, and maybe even taste when you walk into your bedroom? Focus on items that soothe your senses and can help lull you to sleep or give you a fulfilling self-care experience, whatever that means for you: meditation, yoga, or a quiet activity.

Collect pillows that are silky and plush and throws that are warm and cozy, and if your floor is hard to walk on, use an area rug you can sink your feet into for a full sensory experience.

Consider a few candles or flowers for smells that evoke pleasant memories, and a noise machine that subtly drowns out the sounds of the day. You may even find that brushing your teeth helps refresh your senses with a clean, minty flavor that prepares you to refresh your mind.

Resist the Need for Screens

In order to turn your bedroom into the most efficient self-care space it can be, it’s best to remove screens or blue light from the room. While phones are a bit more difficult to get rid of completely, if you can avoid having a TV or computer in your space it will improve the quality of your sleep and the process of getting ready for bed.

Blue light, which is present in screens, can disrupt your circadian rhythm and make it harder to fall asleep. Instead of looking at screens before bed, try reading a book or doing a calming activity that doesn’t involve a screen.

Organize Your Space and Mind

Clutter can be distracting, and that’s the last thing you need when you’re looking for a self-care escape or a solid night of sleep. So even when you’re thinking about how to add items to your room to create the perfect sanctuary, make sure you aren’t overwhelming your surfaces and your head.

Plus, it’s still a bedroom, so it needs to be functional. Group items together to make sure the tops of your cabinets and dressers can still be useful spaces. This way you can find the things you need, too.

To keep your space neat, set aside one evening a week to clean it. Put clothes away in your drawers and closets, vacuum or sweep the floors, and wipe up any dust that may accumulate. If you have allergies, dust can cause coughing or sneezing which also may affect your sleep.

Light for Sleep and Mood

The best light color for sleep is warm light that mimics the sunset, because it signals to your body that it’s time to relax and prepare for bed. It’s the exact light you need for a healthy self-care routine and a quality night of rest.

At Brilli, we call our warm bulbs Wind Down lights, because that’s what they do--they help you get away, in mind and body, and find the sanctuary you need from the busy day. So when you’re creating your oasis of sleep for self-care, don’t forget one of the easiest changes you can make: your light bulbs.

Learn more about Brilli lighting for relaxation at BeBrilli.com/collections