The space that surrounds you can be calming or send your mind into a state of stress.

You will know how to have a space that is calming for your mind to allow your mind to focus on the more important things.

Space is just the environment around you. What I will share with you today can be used for any space – your home, office, car, or anywhere else you spend time in.

The first tip and the most important tip I have for you is to –

Get rid of the stuff.

Have you ever walked into somewhere and immediately felt overwhelmed or stressed out? Maybe there have been places that you just can’t focus or get work done in. Those spaces were probably filled with stuff.
Imagine walking into a kitchen that has its counters cluttered with things. This could be mail, purses, phone chargers, dog leashes and other items that may not necessarily belong in the kitchen. It could also just be dishes, packages of food, potholders which typically do belong in the kitchen. Will walking into that space create peace or a sense of calmness?

Probably not, and there is reason for this. Your brain has to take time to process everything that it is seeing. Each item will register in there whether you are aware of it or not. Think about having to say every item that is there out loud before you can do anything else.

Coffee Pot. Mail. Bowl. Chips. Dishes. Pot Holder. Purse. Keys.

That is very tiring and time consuming. This is what your brain is having to do and keeps having to do as you are doing things. If, you are trying to bake cookies in this space you are not focusing only on the baking the cookies but also on everything else around you.

On the contrary walk into the kitchen where there is no or minimal amount of items out. Your brain is free to focus on what you need it to. It also feels calmer and more peaceful.

This will be probably come at no surprise that my number one tip on how to have a space that creates peace is to remove all the stuff.

AND I don’t mean stuff it all into closet, draws, and cupboards. While it may not be in sight at that point you still know its there.

Try this with one draw, take everything out of it, then only put back what you absolutely would buy again and love and everything else goes. When you put it back do so in an organized way.

The next time you walk in the room notice how it feels knowing that draw is organized and clean. The next time you open the draw to get something see how much better it feels interacting with it.

The peace it will create, that sense of calm is really impactful on your day to day life.

If, you do one thing for your space it is to declutter, throw out unnecessary things, and put it away in an organized way. Doing this to your whole house will give you a space that creates peace.

Another great place to see the impact this will have is where you work. If that is at a desk or some other place. Clear your desk of anything you are not immediately using. If, there is a stack of papers right next to your monitor your brain is having to register the paper and then also focus on the email you are writing. Paper. Email. Paper. Email. Paper. Email.

Other tips to have a space that creates peace –

Have good lighting

Good lighting doesn’t have to mean bright lighting. Find what works for you. In my office I like to have a focused light just where I am working. This is calming and helps me focus because it is concentrated on where I am working.

This may not be the case for you. You may want it to be bright and lots of natural light. Sit in some rooms and see how the light feels to you.

Use Colors that are calming

Again this is subjective. I like neutrals and pastels. Very limited amount of colors that to me is calming and peaceful. I also know people who find dark navy walls to be calming, they describe it as being in a room that makes them feel like they are being hugged. Great! Do what works for you.

The great thing about colors is paint color is not hard to change. A lot of furniture you can also paint or cover the fabric of to adjust it to make the space calming.

Make it smell calming

Sugar cookie candles are my all-time favorite scent that creates that calming space for me. Lavender just isn’t my jam. Don’t be afraid to step away from the “normal” calming scents of lavender or jasmine. The candle and scent industry have created so many options there is something out there for you.

Clean the air 

Air quality is a sneaky part of the environment that is often over looked. This is not the same as making it smell good. Remove the gross stuff from the air using air purifiers. They make them for every space now. It is amazing how the air quality of a room can impact the feeling of it.

Final Thoughts –

Seriously, if you do nothing else today pick one drawer and clean it out, get rid of stuff, put back what you love in an intentional way. I can’t tell you how life changing this is. It would be great if you could do your whole space in one day but even one drawer can start giving you space that is calming.

Take the time to understand what will work for you. To truly create a calming space, you need to focus on your feelings in the room. What does the room do to your brain?

Need more tips or help getting your space to be calming? Go here.