Home Sanctuaries: Getting Away While Staying In
By Bruno Povejsil, studiobstyle guest blogger
As I touched on in a previous blog about designing with wellness in mind, it’s important to design for wellness of mind by creating a space that lets you detach from the stresses of day-to-day life. If your employer is still having you work from home(and with cases rising again, it seems more and more likely we’ll all be back home soon) you are likely tired of being at home and around your family or roommates all the time. You need a break - a chance to recuperate and recover all by yourself. A vacation would be nice, but your personal space needs to be somewhere you can access whenever you need it.
Your sanctuary might overlap with your home office, and that’s a good thing! One of the chief benefits of working from home is the opportunity to design your workspace to your tastes, and it makes sense to design economically by combining your work and rest spaces. Have an office chair at your desk, and then have a lounge chair and ottoman in a corner near the window. When you need to rest, move from the desk to the lounge chair. As an alternative, if you don’t want or need to be at your desk(a day with no Zoom calls, perhaps), you’re free to take your laptop to the lounging spot and put your feet up while you send some emails.
If you don’t have a whole office to yourself, you can still create a space for yourself by clearly separating your sanctuary from a larger area. The most obvious way to accomplish this is to create a physical barrier that defines your personal space, such as with a curtain or screen. More solid barriers offer better soundproofing and potential for installed decorations(imagine a whiteboard or print), but if space is already a concern, you may prefer something that can be put up and taken down as needed. A barrier might be nice to put up even if you don’t need it(such as a bubble-bath-related retreat); that extra degree of separation can make you feel safer and further away from your day-to-day troubles.
A physical boundary for your sanctuary is a good start, but you also need to make the space within uniquely yours. Treat it as an indulgent, deeply personal design project; bring your favorite blanket, wall decorations, or comfy furniture and arrange it just for you. Focusing solely on yourself and what makes you feel good is an effective alternative to building a literal wall between you and the world(but headphones will help a lot, too). Look for items that specifically make you happier and calmer. There’s not a lot of specific advice I can offer through a blog, but if you have a good feeling about how you’re building your sanctuary, you’re doing it right. If you can only construct a personal space once in a while, consider storing the elements you love the most as a kit or bundle somewhere so you can recreate your sanctuary on demand instead of gathering pieces from all around your home.
Look also for ways to incorporate nature into your sanctuary. If you live near a park or have a large window, try to capitalize on that by giving yourself a wide-open view while you hunker down with a cup of tea. That view will help you focus on things outside of your immediate troubles without you having to leave your little slice of paradise. Daydreamers might find a spark for their imagination to run with, or perhaps you’re a people-watcher. This is also a chance to relish some natural light, which we’ll all need more as days get shorter.
Are you finding that even your sanctuary can’t help you relax? You may have to take some steps to make the rest of your space more peaceful. The number one enemy of peace is clutter. Before your next retreat, take some time to get rid of trash, organize papers, and tidy up the room your sanctuary occupies. Having less work piled up around you and just existing in a neat, cared-for place will help almost as much as the sanctuary itself.
Hopefully, between building the perfect home office and an indulgent sanctuary, your home will be happier, healthier, and more productive. Remember that this is a project just for you, and that what feels good is definitely good. Follow your heart and your instincts first and let your mind take a break, so that you’ll be ready for a new day at your fully-refreshed best.