When you glance around your bedroom, are you mesmerized by its tranquil properties? Do you feel calm and relaxed as soon as you enter the room? Alternatively, do you see mountains of clutter before you? Or simply a boring room that doesn’t inspire you? Chances are your bedroom is so familiar to you that looking at it with fresh eyes isn’t easy. However, if you often have trouble sleeping, your bedroom could be partially to blame. Luckily, you can turn things around by making it into a sleep-haven.
Clutter
According to the principles of feng shui, clutter is reminiscent of stagnant chi. Dirty washing, piles of clothes, unwashed dishes and numerous other perpetrators of crime against peaceful sleep and relaxation might be making your bedroom stale and messy.
Unfortunately, a cluttered bedroom can lead to an uncomfortable mind that finds it difficult to gain shuteye. Clean up the clutter, however, and your mind will instantly feel happier when you lie down to sleep.
Color
Color psychologists suggest that certain colors have a calming effect on the mind, while others stimulate the brain and cause excitement, anger or anxiety. Green is a great color for the bedroom, as it’s associated with nature and tranquility. Blue can be a good color to use, as it’s said to help guard against nightmares. Lilac is also a suitable color, as it has links with spirituality and can help reduce stress.
Shapes
If you want your mind to be free from anxiety, it might help to embrace the feng shui principle regarding shape. Round shapes, and those that are organic, smooth and curved, can be calming and settling to the spirit. However, square items, and those with sharp looking pointed corners can be unnerving and cause restless nights.
Scent
There are many great ways to introduce beautiful scents into your bedroom to help you relax. Lavender essential oil can help you sleep, while rose or ylang ylang can inspire passion. Incense cones, potpourri and aromatherapy air fresheners can be used to make your room smell lovely. Studies show that it’s worth the effort to use scents because they can influence your dreams while you’re asleep, as well as your mood while you’re awake.
Comfort
Comfort is very important in a bedroom that’s to be a sleep-haven. Make sure that your bedding feels great to the touch, and that you have plenty of soft cushions and pillows in which to snuggle. Use soft rugs on the floor, and curtains that look as though they feel great to touch, even though you probably won’t actually be touching them often.
Opulence
Add luxury and opulence to your bedroom by using a signature color like gold, and fabrics such as velvet, silk, satin and lace. Although you shouldn’t add clutter to your room, do introduce a few key items that you find beautiful to look at. The items you choose should be significant in size so that you can easily see them, and tie in with the theme or color you have used to decorate your room.
Sound
Are there sounds you find relaxing that you could use in your bedroom? Perhaps your mind could easily unravel stress it has held on to if you listened to bamboo wind chimes hanging outside your window? Alternatively, a small indoor waterfall would be soothing?
Spiritual
What stirs and uplifts one person is often different from what moves another person. Consider bringing something that lightens your heart into your bedroom. It might be a flowering plant, crystals, a fish tank full of exotic fish, or a beautiful glass lamp. There again, maybe you would feel happy with an icon of your choosing that’s pertinent to your faith, or an affirmation painted on one wall.
Exclusivity
Refrain from using your bedroom as a place to work, watch TV, and play video games, or any other activity that isn’t conducive to relaxation.
Furnishing and designing the theme of your room so that it inspires, uplifts and calms you can help you create a peaceful sleep-haven in which you sleep well and relax.
