10 Ways to Turn Your Home Into the Ultimate Relaxation Spot This Winter
Winter can be a stressful time. For a lot of us, it means spending considerable time, energy, and money trying to get everything ready for the holidays. The cold, rain, and ice can be miserable. Even the shorter days can have an impact on your mental health, putting you in a worse mood in general. The home, aside from protecting you from the worst of the weather, should be a haven that soothes the soul and warms the heart. There’s a lot you can do to make sure that your home is up to the job, as well, including the following.
Set Yourself Up With A Home Spa
When you get in from the wet and the cold, the aim is usually to warm yourself up as quickly and as comfortably as possible. While warming the home up, it’s always a wonderful idea to step into the bathroom, whether for a relaxing hot shower or a richly comforting bath. Of course, setting yourself up with a spa-like bathroom can increase the chillout factor by several degrees. Turn your bathroom into a sanctuary by making sure you have scented candles at the read or an oil diffuser to imbue it with your favorite scents. Fluffy towels, bath salts, and natural elements like bathroom-friendly plants can do a lot to make the space feel all the more relaxing, as well.
Make Your Own Meditation Zone
When your head is full of stress, there are a few better ways to tackle it and clear your mind than to take a few moments to yourself for meditation. Whether you’re practicing mindfulness meditation or just looking for a quiet spot to chill out, you should find a space where you’re not likely to be interrupted, where you can use cushions or a yoga mat to sit on the floor in the appropriate pose. A smart speaker can let you play either soft music, relaxing soundscapes, or guided meditation apps, while incense can help better feel in the moment and be mindful of your surroundings. Surrounding yourself with calming colors can help you get into the zone with it, as well.
Ensure It Heats Up Well
One of the most uncomfortable parts of getting through winter is, naturally, the cold. If you’re unable to get the chill out of your bones, then how are you supposed to be able to relax? To that end, you should take a good look at your living room and how effectively you’re able to heat it. If your heating fixtures aren’t doing the job, then it might be time to look into alternatives like an inset electric fireplace. Effectively insulating the space can do a lot of good, as well, whether it’s with a draft excluder for the door, thermal curtains, or even going as far as installing cladding onto your walls.
Don’t Hold Back On The Soft Furnishings
Many a modern home is full of hard surfaces. While smooth floors might be getting more popular thanks to their minimalist aesthetic and relatively low maintenance upkeep compared to carpets, there is no denying that those things can get ice cold. While it might interrupt the clean aesthetic you’ve been building towards, your home is going to get a lot cozier when you start implementing soft furnishings like rugs, throws, and tapestries. It’s not just a matter of tactile comfort and warmth, but it creates a much cozier look that creates the feeling of a space where you can simply bundle up and chill as much as you need.
Set Up A Cozy Reading Nook
For some people, rather than being alone with their senses in the moment, they would rather escape into their imagination, or perhaps a riveting biography. There’s nothing like a well-designed reading nook to help you find your cozy retreat for the winter. The most important factor of a good reading nook is having a comfortable and relaxing reading chair, as well as a soft throw blanket that you can pair with it. A lot of people like to incorporate bookcases that wrap around their chairs or to have shelves on both sides in the corner. Being surrounded by the things you love can do wonders for your mood, and for those who love books, a good nook can be invaluable.
Get A Hot Drinks Station For The Kitchen
While it might not exactly change the home itself, the right kitchen accessory can certainly change how comfortable your time is there. Setting up a hot drinks area that’s ready with all of the ingredients, accessories, and utensils you need to concoct your favorite drinks can be the perfect thing to do as you warm up on first arriving home after a day out, or when you wake up to a chilly morning. Of course, this can be made even easier and more convenient with the help of an automated coffee maker. Nowadays, there are hot drink makers of all varieties that can quickly whip your favorites in a matter of minutes without you having to do too much of the work.
Enjoy A Dip
Slipping out of your clothes and into some water when you’re out in the cold might not seem like the wisest idea if you’re trying to get comfortable. However, with the help of a hot tub, you can give yourself a truly indulgent experience that is especially welcome and invigorating in the winter. There are all manner of tubs that can fit all kinds of spaces, even if you have a smaller garden. Others prefer a more Scandinavian approach with a garden sauna, instead, heating up water to create a blanket of hot steam that not only warms you up but is great for your skin. Just make sure you have a drying station nearby so that you can get out of the water and into the warmth of the home quickly.
Work Up A Sweat
You might not consider the idea of exercise to be synonymous with relaxation, by any means, but it can greatly help improve your mood in winter. If you’re not chomping at the bit to go outside, then you can get working inside, instead. There are plenty of great guides on how to build a home gym to meet both your budget and your fitness level. Whether you want a simple home treadmill to get moving, or a light weight-lifting station to keep pushing yourself, working out not only helps to maintain your health during one of the more sedentary times of the year, but it also has great impacts on mental health. Exercise releases both endorphins and dopamine, which can result not only in an immediate boost to your mood, but can help you better relax and sleep later throughout the day, as well.
Switch Out Your Bedding
When you’ve had a particularly bad day or it’s dreary outside, then a lovely warm bed to welcome you can be just the tonic you need. However, your current bedding might not be doing the trick in the colder weather. Updating your bedding with softer and more luxurious materials like down duvets and plusher pillows can help you get warm and comfortable much more easily in the winter. Some also incorporate weighted blankets, which are widely used for the calming properties their slight pressure can offer, easing anxiety and promoting a more relaxed sleep.
Don’t let winter dominate your mood and dampen your spirits. Stop stress from building up with the tips above, and you’ll be sure to have a much cosier, comfier time.