Everyone deserves to have a space, preferably in their own home, where they can truly relax and decompress after a hard day. Unfortunately, many people don’t have this type of space and don’t even know how to begin creating one. There are many options here, but nearly all people should take some time to figure out what’s going to work best for them and devise a strategy for achieving it.
The Wide Range of Possibilities
First, we should acknowledge the wide range of possibilities for environments that may be able to support you as you attempt to relax and destress. For example, one person may feel perfectly at home and relaxed in an outdoor kitchen, while another prefers the hustle and bustle of a busy coffee shop. Some people like the cozy feel of relatively small, enclosed spaces, while others feel much more comfortable in bigger, more open environments.
What’s important is that you find the right location and strategy for your needs, rather than following something that works for other people. That’s because we all handle stress differently and we all have different innate preferences, so there is no universal decompression standard.
Why Destressing and Decompressing Are So Important
Why is it so important to have an environment where you can destress and decompress?
- Subjective feelings. Stress and hardship are associated with negative subjective feelings, putting you in a bad mood or making it hard for you to feel happy in individual moments. Letting go of these negative effects can improve your subjective mood.
- Cognitive abilities. Just as importantly, excessive stress and pressure can affect your cognitive abilities. Relaxing and refreshing yourself can help you think more clearly and tackle more advanced intellectual challenges.
- Mental health. Chronic stress is bad for your mental health. Regularly destressing and decompressing means staving off symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other negative mental health ailments.
- Physical health. Stress can take a toll on your body as well as your mind. If you don’t make time to relieve that stress, you could end up seeing physical symptoms, like insomnia or excessive fatigue, and you may even be more vulnerable to contagious diseases like the cold or flu.
How to Create (or Find) the Perfect Space
How do you find or create the perfect space for your needs?
- Experiment. First, it’s a good idea to experiment with different types of environments. Even if you only visit these spaces, you should get a feel for how you respond to different rooms and areas. Do you feel more relaxed when you’re outside or inside? Do you like background noise, loud music, or total silence? Do you like bright lights that can help you focus on activities or dim lights that can help you zone out? Keep notes on these things.
- List your needs and priorities. From there, list your needs and priorities. Think about practical aspects of the environment you want to create, such as dimensions, available furniture, lighting, and more. But also think about your priorities in creating this space; for example, what other spaces are you willing to sacrifice or transform for this?
- Set a budget. In line with this, it’s important to set a budget. Once you know how much you’re willing or able to spend on this project, you can start narrowing down your options.
- Determine feasibility. At this point, you can start determining the feasibility of your vision. Are you going to need to construct a new space, or can you modify an old one? How much will you need to spend or invest to capture the essence of the environment you want?
- Start with the basics. If you’re doing all the work yourself, simply start with the basics. For some people, a dimly lit room with comfortable furniture is ample as a decompression space.
- Upgrade. Once you have some essentials in place, you can begin upgrading piece by piece. Think of this as a continuing project that you can invest in as you learn more about your own stress tolerance.
- Be willing to make changes. Remain open to changing your space in the future, even if it just means reorganizing it. For many people, the simple act of rearranging furniture can have powerful and positive psychological effects. As much as we crave familiarity and routine, we all benefit from splashes of novelty in our lives.
Once you have a dedicated environment where you can relax, get your mind off things, and relieve some of the stress you’ve accumulated, you’ll be in a position to improve your wellbeing consistently. Don’t expect all your stress to go away overnight, but do understand that prioritizing your own stress management and mental health are steps in the right direction.
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