If there is one thing that I can recommend to stressed or depressed people, it is this: set up a room in your home that is especially for decompressing, relaxing, clearing the mind. Mine looks like this, and I simply call it “my healing room”:
It’s something that can be done in a day (or two if you choose to paint your walls) and can cost as little as $0, and it’s for the most worthy of causes: psychoemotional well-being, which also affects physical health.* Here are a few things worth bearing in mind when creating healing spaces:
Darker colors are soothing. Dark walls, dark curtains; cool, clean air. Darkness is necessary for the most effective meditation, as it is commonly known that the pineal gland is light-sensitive. Quiet, reflective thoughts in general are best developed in a darker space.
Let sound be sacred. There is much to be said for the healing Solfeggio frequencies of Gregorian chant, for Rife frequencies, quiet shamanic drumming, J.S. Bach, etc. We are truly more wave than particle and can “upgrade” in tune with pristine music, so let it be healing and harmonic in this space. (Silence, too, reigns supreme.)
Soft surrounds are most comforting. Plush rugs, soft fabrics, soft chairs or meditation pillows, all that is gentle to the touch is good here. This is why people love spa oases. It’s a sensual experience, balmy as a mother’s womb or a flotation tank, supporting the emotional body by lulling it into alpha waves.
A pop of yellow, optional. For those who experience Seasonal Affective Disorder or depression, something cheery to meditate upon is helpful (like the sunflowers in the picture). The lively dance of a pale yellow candleflame can also do the trick.
Aromatherapy works wonders on the nerves. There are many relaxing scents, such as lavender, rose, and sandalwood; and for these we opt for high-quality essential oils, clean-burning candles or loose incense. Of course, what relaxes one might unnerve another, as scent is closely associated with memory.
Wood and water. Borrowing from feng shui, the elements of wood and water – literal or symbolic – are immensely soothing. Rich, deep woods, forest hues, healthy plants, deep blues, even black…mirrors, gurgling water features and so forth…these provide a nurturing balance of masculine and feminine energies.
In general, it’s all about going easy on the senses, whether letting them relax or making them happy, depending on the desired psychoemotional state. It’s about surrendering to the truth that the little things in life can work wonders on holistic well-being.
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*The effects of stress on physical health have been well documented by doctors and scientists particularly from the mid-twentieth century forward via quantum physics and energy medicine, Dr. Herbert Benson’s study of the relaxation response in the ‘70s, Dr. Richard Gerber’s comprehensive documentation of studies over decades of time, etc. Today people speak of a “holistic paradigm shift” inclusive of the past several decades as well as ancient healing techniques that emphasize the balance of energies in what we now call the human biofield or human energy field.
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