What we really mean when we say “create space for self-care”, is find time in our lives for taking care of ourselves. But let’s take a moment and think about the actual space in our homes? What if the way we set up our homes encouraged us to take more time for ourselves? Think about how your life might change if you had designated areas of your home for some special ‘me’ time.

Some popular self-care suggestions:

• Meditation/Deep Breathing
• Ageless Grace
• Journaling/Writing
• Reading
• Stretching/Yoga
• Inspirational audio or video
• Indoor Gardening

If you wanted to try to incorporate ALL of the above ideas into your schedule, it might seem overwhelming! So let’s simplify things for you.

Step 1: Find a space in your home that you love. If you have children or pets, be sure that you pick a space where you can close a door when you want to spend time on your own.

Step 2: Gather your essential ‘supplies’. You will need:

• A floor pillow for meditation
• A comfortable chair for Ageless Grace, meditation, reading and writing
• Books or magazines you would like to read
• Your yoga mat
• Access to a laptop or smartphone for inspirational video/audio
• A window box – you get the idea!

Step 3: Now that you have the essentials, what can you bring into the space to make it lovelier, and more conducive to self-care?

A few ideas:

• Get a side table to go by the chair. You can place all of your books, journal, etc. on it and keep your space tidy.
• Overhead lighting can be harsh! Place a lamp on the side table for a nicer glow.
• Collect a few of your favorite pens and always have them on the side table for jotting down ideas, thoughts, and moments of brilliance.
• Place your favorite candle and lotion on the side table.
• Throw a soft blanket over the chair so that you can get comfy anytime you need to.
• Add some device that allows you to play pleasant or relaxing music.
• Place a lovely flowering plant or fresh bouquet nearby.
• Now that you have set the stage for self-care, you won’t have to ”figure out” where to find a place to relax when you are ready to pamper yourself. You simply go to your space and begin.
• Since we are all different, how would you set up your self-care space? How would you arrange your space to make it unique? You could create a photo collage from magazines of pictures that attract you – a vision board for your own self-care getaway!
• If you want to know more about taking care of your body, mind, spirit and brain – visit the Ageless Grace website for video clips, more blog posts, and even a free Ageless Grace class you can practice in your new self-care space!

Written By Denise Medved, original post here.