Your home should be a sanctuary, but unfortunately, many of us struggle to find peace anywhere. In the US, over 55% of Americans report daily stress compared to 35% of people worldwide. Chronic stress leads to increased cortisol, a stress hormone that increases blood pressure, weight, and glucose.

Healthcare providers are not an exception to this rule. A national American Academy of Medicine study noted that 40-55% of US physicians and nurses have signs of burnout. Another study found that 93% of healthcare workers report daily stress, 86% report anxiety, and 76% feel overwhelmed, but only 13% reported getting any mental health services to help them. 

Self-care alone cannot restore well-being. System and societal problems contribute to our collective stress and anxiety. However, many studies show that your home can either increase or decrease your stress and anxiety levels, depending on the colors you choose, the lighting in your home, and the spaces you have set aside for self-compassion.

I follow a home designer, Anita Yokota, who is a mental health therapist before becoming a home designer. She wrote a great home design book, Home Therapy, which I highly recommend. In the book, she encourages people to think about what brings them peace. Once you identify this, she encourages you to incorporate these items into your space. 

There are many ways to integrate self-care into your home, but today, I will focus on your bedroom since getting good sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Bedrooms used to be used only for sleeping but have now become a place for TV watching or scrolling on social media. Consider your bedroom a sanctuary and the time before bed sacred. 

Bedtime should be peaceful, a time of reflection and gratitude. Sentimental items should be on the walls, reminding you each night of the ones you love. Consider keeping your wedding pictures, drawings, quotes, or art that you enjoy in your bedroom. And do your best to keep electronics out of the bedroom.  Many sleep disturbances are related to the use of screens before bed. 

Also, consider taking a corner of your room and setting it aside for meditation, prayer, writing, or reading. These acts increase the dopamine (a happiness hormone) in your brain. One thing that I have next to my bed at night is a sheepskin. This is the last thing my feet hit before lying down, a textural reminder that it is time to wind down. 

Small things that we add for self-care add up over time.