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11 Easy Tips for Creating a Calm and Peaceful Sanctuary

11 Easy Tips for Creating a Calm and Peaceful Sanctuary by Christa O’Leary | #AspireMag

Your home either nurtures and supports you or it depletes your energy and leaves you exhausted. You either walk in to a peaceful sanctuary and think, “I love being home.” Or, you dread returning to your doorstep because the to-do list is exhaustive and overwhelming. In today’s frenetic world it is more important than ever to create a calm and peaceful space that allows you to recharge. This will help you find inner peace, balance and allow you to go out into the world and be the best you can be.

Let’s look at some simple solutions to help you create a calm and peaceful sanctuary.

1-All rooms are important

Sometimes we have spaces within our homes that are overlooked or unattended. Perhaps it is a room you haven’t finished decorating or a space that is the family catchall.  It often feels easier to close the door on these rooms and deal with them another day. Unfortunately, they weigh on your unconscious and zap your energy. They are essentially a task left undone. Create home harmony by making each space within your haven an inspired retreat.

2- Conquer Clutter

That leads me into the hot topic of clutter. Whether you have clutter ready to burst from behind closet doors or piles of paper on the dining room table it is time to tackle the tasks and tame the tension it creates. Clutter produces physical and unconscious chaos. Not only can it leave you scrambling to find the keys as you are racing out the door but it can weigh on you even when you are sitting at your desk 20 miles away. Unfortunately, this inhibits you from being present with the activities at hand. Clutter is a self-sabotaging mechanism that defeats the ability to create inner and outer harmony. Put a plan in place to begin conquering your clutter.

3- Color

Color plays in important role in our lives and home. Color impacts you on an emotional, psychological and physical level. Studies have shown that color can physiologically change body temperature and appetite. Psychologically it can affect your mood or level of energy. Begin to become aware of how different colors impact you before determining what hue to paint your walls.

4- Remove Bad Mojo

The experiences you have had in your life hang from the walls or sit on the shelves of your home.  Believe it or not you probably have memories associated with your couch or the picture on the wall.  When the associations are negative these reminders of an event, time in your life, or person can drain you. Begin to be aware of the items in your home that are associated with undesirable feelings. By removing this “bad mojo” you will be one step closer to creating a sanctuary of serenity.

5- Positive Vibes

As you begin to gain awareness around the memories that make up the fabric of your home notice those items that bring a smile to your face and light up your soul. Begin to add items from fun excursions that will remind you of good times and uplifting people.  These items will nurture you on a conscious and unconscious level giving you a little boost of inspiration as you move through your home and life.

6- Sanctuary Slogan

Begin to connect with the type of haven that will best recharge and rejuvenate you and name it by creating a “Sanctuary Slogan”. This is similar to a personal motto that acts like a positive affirmation.  We each have unique needs and goals that our environment can support us in fulfilling in our life.  Begin to determine how your environment can support you best in creating the life of your dreams. What qualities, characteristics and atmosphere do you want to create and name it. Place this sanctuary slogan in a spot that will serve as a daily reminder to help you stay focused on your vision of your ideal life and home.

7- Nurture Nature

Innately as humans we are designed to appreciate the natural beauty all around us. This is especially true in nature. By incorporating natural elements into your space you feed the intrinsic yearnings deep within you that foster a sense of inner calm and peace. Bring in a wood turned bowl, fountain or acorns to encourage a space of serenity.

8- Plant Power

Plants are important for many reasons when designing a restorative sanctuary. Not only is it an additional way to bring nature into your home, it also helps to clean and re-oxygenate the indoor air.  This is critical in today’s world where toxins swirl around us in the furnishings, air, food, cleaning supplies, beauty products and water we absorb, consume or breathe in every day.  Incorporating plants into your design will help to eliminate the noxious off-gasses from many of these products giving you a serene sigh of relief.

9- Welcome Windows

As mentioned previously, we are living in a toxic soup that can create disharmony and disease. Unfortunately the air trapped inside your home is many times more toxic than the air outdoors. Open your windows each day and remember to take a deep breath. This will rejuvenate your home, mind, body and spirit.

10- Technology Zones

Allocating spaces to play in, rest in and work in will help you unconsciously move from one activity to another with ease and grace. Designing a layout within your home with designated areas for various activities will help you to stay present and focused on your current activity. This creates an automatic cue to your subconscious informing you that it is time for a specific activity, be it sleeping, eating or working. When you bring your computer to bed it sends mixed signals to your unconscious confusing the automatic response of sleep time or work time.  Setting up designated spaces will help to construct a space that supports balance and harmony.

11- Take Action

It is easy to become overwhelmed with the to-do’s of daily living in the modern world.  Adding in items that need to be completed around your home can be wearisome. Take a moment to reflect on what you would like your home and life to look like and begin by taking small steps each day to create a calm and peaceful sanctuary. Remember that small steps will get you closer to your goal than inaction. Take action today.

Your home can be the sacred space that recharges you from the frenetic pace of our culture.  Use these eleven tips to begin designing your inspired, peaceful and calm sanctuary for your soul. This will support inner and outer harmony.

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About the author 

Christa O’Leary

Christa O’Leary, MA, MFT, CEO of Home in Harmony Lifestyle is an Interior Designer, Marriage & Family Therapist and Green Living expert. She teaches people how to ‘Design Inspired Living’ and has been featured on CBS, NBC & Dr. Laura. As a motivational speaker, Hay House Radio show host and author, Christa gives people concrete solutions to live their best life by creating an inspired, healthy, vibrant home, body, mind and spirit! For more info visit www.christaoleary.com

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  • Virg Lewis says:

    Reasonable solutions that don’t take a lot of effort, time, or money. Thanks for the tips Christa. This weekend my intent and goal is to – again – clean up my office. Too much paper laying around – get it filed or tossed. I’m pleased to say that the rest of the house looks pretty good (thankfully).

  • Tracy, from Bliss This Home says:

    The opening sentences are a bit extreme; happiness and well-being are not “binary” (all or nothing) but rather a continuum. But I understand your point and completely support the idea that we should minimize negatives and maximize positives in our homes, since it’s the one environment we can control most and since we spend parts of every day there.

    Good tips here — I especially like the reminder that all rooms are important; several articles/designers advise people to create a sanctuary (one spot) within one’s home, but I encourage folks to make THE WHOLE PLACE a sanctuary that supports our well-being. I also think your #6 is an interesting idea: creating a slogan. Certainly it’s important during my initial consultations with clients to discover how they want to feel at home, how they want to function, and what might inspire/motivate them to be their Best Self and pursue their best life.

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