Las Fabulosas: Home & Happiness
By Shirley Velásquez for Las Fabulosas
Everyday hustle often makes it difficult to relax, even during downtime at home. Finding just a few minutes during the week to enjoy some solitude and explore your thoughts can reap countless benefits. Fortunately, it’s easier than you think to create zones of Zen within your personal space.Create a Home Baño Spa
Take a cue from the ancient Romans, who built bathhouses across the empire when they discovered water’s therapeutic properties. Prepare a warm bath and add droplets of essential oils, such as stress-melting lavender, mind-clearing spearmint or cramp-relieving anise. After your rejuvenating bath, linger for several minutes wrapped in your towel. Finally, make sure to hydrate your skin with an enriched cream, such as cocoa butter.
Listen to the Sound of Music
Nothing soothes the soul like listening to your favorite tunes. Each night after work, fill your home’s airwaves with some of your much-loved songs. Instead of starting up the night’s chores right away, sit back for a few minutes to relish in the pleasant memories. Love nature? Play the sounds of gentle ocean waves, bird whistles or whales songs.
Set the Mood With Lighting
Humans respond to light; its presence can get you going in the morning, and its absence helps us fall asleep. Give your home a romantic or quiet mood by replacing artificial light with candles. Dinner over candlelight, for example, enhances the meal experience. Another option is to set tea light candles in one space in your home where you can linger and unwind after a long day.
Make a Hotel Bedroom
One reason hotel rooms have a calming effect on guests is that there’s little in them demanding to be taken care of, rearranged or put away. Create this effect in your own room by de-cluttering it of items that haven’t been used in the past six months. Make your bed every morning and add tokens throughout the space of visual and sensory comfort, such as fresh flowers, cedar chips or a soft blanket.
Shirley Velásquez is an editor and writer at ELLE magazine. She has contributed to Woman’s Day, Glamour, InStyle, Latina, The New York Sun, and Border-line Personalities, an anthology of essays written by Latina writers.
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