Written by Dr. Hannah Yang
All of us deal with relentless pressures on a day-to-day basis. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the constant pressures of work, managing our relationships, raising kids, or dealing with any other sources of stress. But when you’re constantly pulled in different directions, it can be hard to find the time you need for self-care and to decompress.
That’s why it’s important that we all have a place in our homes to settle our bodies and minds while getting the much-needed rest required to start the next day feeling refreshed. To achieve this, though, it takes more than just finding a quiet place in your home. You also need to take certain steps to design a safe and calm environment in your home, which is critical to supporting both your mental and emotional well-being in the long term.
By combining certain design principles supportive of certain elements of human psychology, you can transform any space into your own personal retreat from the stressors of everyday life.
Understanding the Concept of a Healing Space
A healing space is any designated area in a home or workspace that is intentionally created to destress. These spaces don’t necessarily have to follow a specific design. They can be anything from a cosy nook, a dedicated space in or outside the home, or even a quiet corner in an office.
Healing spaces are often designed to help engage multiple senses at once, promote relaxation, and improve mental clarity. This can be achieved by using calming colours and soft lighting, as well as by incorporating certain sounds or smells. When put together, these sensory experiences help to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and decrease anxiety levels.
Many times you’ll see healing spaced professional therapeutic settings, such as couples counselling or other forms of therapy. The ambiance that’s created in these spaces helps to bring more calm to a room, allowing for better communication and emotional healing. They also provide a safe space for individuals to navigate challenging conversations with the help of a therapist while processing and coping with more complicated emotions they may be dealing with.
Human Psychology’s Impact on Healing Space Design
While aesthetics play an important role in designing a healing space, creating this type of space requires more than just certain visual elements. It involves a deeper understanding of human psychology and how our surroundings can influence our emotions and overall well-being.
To create a space that encourages the healing process, many designers apply certain psychological principles. Below are a few key considerations that come into play when designing these types of spaces:
- The Influence of Colour Theory: The colours we surround ourselves with can significantly influence our emotions and well-being. Softer shades like blue and green are often associated with calming environments, while bolder colours like red and orange can bring on feelings of excitement.
- Integrating Biophilic Design Concepts: Biophilic design approaches involve integrating more natural elements into interior spaces to help add a sense of tranquillity. Studies have actually shown that incorporating elements like indoor plants and water elements and ensuring there is enough natural light in a room can reduce stress levels and improve thinking processes.
- Engaging the Senses: Using natural elements like wood and stone is said to help an individual stay grounded, while aromatherapy with calming scents like lavender or chamomile can help ease the mind. A small water feature or carefully chosen music can also create calming sounds that promote relaxation. Engaging multiple senses at once adds to the effectiveness of a healing space.
Key Elements of Effective Healing Spaces
Below are some practical tips you can follow when designing your own healing space:
Optimizing Location Choice
How effective your healing space is will depend heavily on the location you choose. You’ll want to find a quiet location to work with—it could be a corner of a room in your home or even an isolated space in your backyard.
The key is to find a spot where you’re not easily disturbed and somewhere you feel safe. This will allow you to fully relax and focus on your recovery.
Maintaining Simplicity
The idea that “a cluttered space leads to a cluttered mind” is widely known. This principle is particularly relevant when designing a healing space since the layout and how the space is organised can significantly impact its effectiveness.
To promote better mental clarity in your healing space, adopting a minimalist interior design approach is critical. This involves clearing surfaces of unnecessary items and storing anything that doesn’t serve any immediate purpose.
Integrating Natural Features
Integrating more natural elements into your living space has been shown to produce a calming effect in the environment they are in. The great thing is there are plenty of different ways to achieve this.
Some things you can consider are incorporating elements like indoor plants and flowers or using more natural materials like wood and stone in the furniture you use.
Selecting Appropriate Lighting
The lighting you choose can also significantly influence the look and feel of your surroundings. Harsh, artificial light can often trigger headaches and make it harder to relax. Instead, try to use natural light as much as possible.
If windows or glass doors are limited, consider trying different LED lighting options that have adjustable colour temperatures. This allows you to create a range of colours that can mimic things like candlelight and sunsets.
Preserving Design Cohesion
Each component in your healing space should have a distinct purpose. It’s important to avoid filling the space with items that don’t contribute to the room’s intended function.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have certain personal touches. However, you should thoughtfully choose objects that promote relaxation or inspire creativity, not just decorate the space. Some smarter items to choose from could include meaningful artwork pieces, comfortable furniture, or objects and souvenirs that hold personal significance for you.
Designing Spaces Conducive to Healing
Healing spaces help to create a peaceful and serene environment that allows you to balance the elevated stress levels we all face. By making smart design choices in your home or office, you’ll ensure you have a safe space you can retreat to when pressures mount and you need to reset.
Author Bio:
Visionary and healthcare entrepreneur by passion, licensed psychologist by training, Dr. Hannah Yang loves creating new possibilities in the world of mental health and wellness. Dr. Yang established Balanced Awakening in 2015 as a niche psychotherapy practice for women. As Balanced Awakening flourishes in Chicago and soon Miami, she also loves to tap into her passion for design and Feng Shui to create fabulous environments for herself, her team, and clients.
