How might turning your home into a personal sanctuary add more joy to your every day?
The last couple of years have been spent diving deep into what a joyful home means to me. I get up and have two leisurely cups of coffee—the second an almond milk latte delivered to me each day with a heart in the foam to greet my lips.
Then I make sure there are no dirty dishes in the sink, and everything is tidy. I straighten my desk up. I pick stray cat food kibbles off the floor. I choose something to organize—perhaps that craft drawer that is now unruly or the linen closet that needs some love.
My plants get a drink and I fill the diffusers with beautiful aromas. To me, Home As Sanctuary most definitely means beautiful art surrounds me–a mixture of my own, as well as art I purchase when I travel.
For too many years, I lived in homes that were not 100 percent me (and therefore not joyful).
As a child, I was raised in rural Illinois, in a two-story home that was decked out in “country style”: wooden butter churns, dried wildflowers, and a muted color palette.
In my early 20s, I lived in a mish mash of an apartment, as many of us probably did as we got our start at “adulting” in the real world: furniture from a discount store, decorations collected from family members who had stored stuff in the attic, and an undefined style or motif.
Once I got married, our Queens (NYC) subterranean studio apartment (that’s fancy realtor speak for “basement”) didn’t have enough light, nor was there a fully functioning kitchen. The Brooklyn apartment was filled with lots of natural light, but it was too small (a whopping “spacious” 750 square feet) and located on a fifth floor walk up.
Within my home, I tolerated these types of things for far too long: discounted lamps I didn’t love, a misshapen sofa, bath towels that were too scratchy, and bare beige walls.
Finally, I had had enough.
How project ‘Home as Sanctuary’ started
My spouse, Maria, and I started a shared project just as the Pandemic hit. We found ourselves (as you most likely did) spending way more time at home, with an opportunity to become more deeply present to our “everyday life”.
We began to dream about what would make our home the perfect sanctuary for us. Our thought process was that if we were going to be spending loads of time here, we wanted it to be a nourishing space that revived all the pieces of us.
I would stand in the middle of each room, notepad in hand, and ask: What brings me joy in this room? What does not? This simple act of noticing, asking, and jotting down notes led to our shared project we call Home as Sanctuary.
We have painted walls with bright colors, replaced a garden tub with a hot tub, splurged on Egyptian bamboo cotton washcloths and bath towels, and planted seasonal flowers and herb gardens on our terrace. My home office is exactly how I want it: a colorful round rug, meaningful artwork from friends across the globe, and an altar complete with incense, my beloved statue of Ganesha, and a gratitude candle I light each morning.
Does your home reflect your true essence?
Putting intentional focus and energy into making your home the most joyful place you can imagine will improve your attitude and quality of life. What would make your home feel more like a sanctuary for you?
Is it a dedicated yoga or painting space, new appliances, a better organization system for your spices, new bedding? Whatever it is, your home should feel like a direct reflection of you, filled with things that bring you joy!
Sprinkling more joy throughout your home
Let’s take a little trip around your home and discover how to create an even more joyful sanctuary.
Grab a notepad and a fun marker and take a walk around your home. Stand in the center of each room and jot down your initial answers to each of these questions.
What do I love about this room?
What annoys me about this room?
What are three things I would like to add/change to this space?
Small changes make a BIG difference
The next step is to make changes (large or small) based on your responses.
That closet full of clothes and shoes that is driving you nuts? Figure out the next best step so that when you walk into that closet the next time, you smile.
That dead plant that makes you sad? Get rid of it—and visit a local nursery to find something that is vibrant and alive!
Home As Sanctuary
You are on your way to experiencing more joy than ever before in your home!
Intentionally treating your home as sanctuary helps you remember that joy is absolutely something you can sprinkle more of into your life—whenever and wherever you choose!
Reprinted with permission. M. Shannon Hernandez. Excerpt from Practical Joy: Simple Tools to Cultivate More Joy Every Day.
