Making Your Bedroom a Place of Relaxation

Posted on September 29, 2020

One of the many lessons to be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is the importance of utilizing the spaces in our homes. With shelter-in-place orders and work from home policies changing the world of business as we know it, it’s become a necessity to convert any unused space into something useful. For many, this has meant turning the bedroom into a multi-purpose room that can handle important Zoom meetings as well as nighttime routines.

Unfortunately, this set up can also lead to negative associations, such as work-related stress, in relation to your bedroom — which makes getting quality sleep and relaxation time much more difficult. Even when we’re not working from home and in our bedrooms, it’s hard to maintain a healthy work-life balance. With so many new stresses and anxieties on top of work responsibilities, having a place to wind down and recharge is crucial.

Designing a space for relaxation and rest (while also being functional) is important for our mental health. To help get you started on making your bedroom a more tranquil, soothing space you look forward to relaxing in, here are some worthwhile tips to try out:

Starting from Square One

So, your bedroom is functional. You have enough storage space, your desk and office chair fit nicely against the wall, and you have plenty of pillows and blankets on hand. Yet, despite its functionality, you rarely feel calm, relaxed, or even inspired while laying in bed.

Due to busy schedules and responsibilities, many of us get by with just the bedroom basics. A comfy bed and pillow, a dresser, and some personal items scattered throughout. This is fine, but sometimes we need a little extra boost in our surroundings and decor.

Luckily, there are some fairly easy, quick, and affordable ways to change up the atmosphere of your bedroom and make it a place where you feel comfy and cozy. When creating a bedroom retreat, try adding a few of these elements:

Soothing Color Palette: Some of the best soothing colors are neutrals like gentle whites, blues, or grays. Painting your walls is one of the easiest ways to change the mood of a room. Switch up the paint color in your room and try bringing in additional blankets, art, and pillows with similar colors to achieve a natural, comforting color range.
Handmade Over Modern: To help offset the cold, modern look and feel of your desk, computer, and office chair try adding in some simple, rustic elements. This can be items such as a piece of art your friend painted, a needlepoint with your favorite movie quote, or on a bigger scale, a vintage headboard, or upcycled dresser.
Invest in Bedding: One of the best parts about spoiling yourself while vacationing is getting to relax in your hotel room in a big fluffy robe, tucked into a big bed with crisp, white linens. It can be some of the best sleep of your life. Recreate that feeling and level of comfort in your own bedroom by upgrading your bedding. You don’t need to spend a fortune on it either, these days there are plenty of affordable options to choose from.

There’s no problem with wanting to keep your bedroom simple and functional. However, if you find yourself struggling to rest and relax more and more, a simple change could make a big difference.

Work With Mother Nature, Not Against Her

For many of us, this is the first time we’ve worked from home full-time. This means that we are no longer at the mercy of our office’s air conditioning and heating system. However, this also means that we’re now at the mercy of our own homes.

Working remote the past several months you’ve likely come across a few weaknesses within your home. You probably never really noticed or cared about the lack of shade in front of your bedroom window until you were suddenly stuck inside a mini-heatwave while conducting a meeting or interview. In winter, you might find the lack of natural light throughout the day dampens your mood and conflicts with your concentration and energy levels.

To feel more relaxed during after-hours, it’s important to find solutions to the issues that make your remote work days unnecessarily stressful. Furthermore, doing some much-needed home maintenance can also help you save money on your power bill and conserve energy. You don’t even need to be an expert handyman to complete most tasks.

When it comes to home maintenance in the summer, to conserve more energy and stay cool, switch to more efficient lighting. You can also add light-blocking curtains to pull over the windows when the sun is at its hottest point. It’s recommended to clean your thermostats thoroughly as well. Dust, or any other kind of buildup, on your thermostat, can interfere with its sensors and cause it to run less efficiently.

For the winter months, inspect your home for leaky doors and windows and seal them up to avoid letting the cold air in. Bleed your radiators to ensure they’re running at full capacity. Reverse your ceiling fans to spin clockwise in order to help push the warm air back down to you. It’s a lot easier to relax in winter when you aren’t shivering throughout snowstorms or fainting from the cost of keeping your place adequately warm.

When you’re used to working in an office five days a week, for 40 or more hours, it’s easier to write off your home’s imperfections. However, with so many of us spending nearly all of our time at home now, these projects need to be addressed. It’s better for your downtime as well as your working hours.

Mixing work with our personal life is not ideal, but sometimes unavoidable. However, for the sake of your mental, emotional, and physical health, it’s important to create a relaxing environment, particularly in the bedroom, where you can go to destress and escape the worries of the day.