Have you ever considered the concept of making your home your haven from the outside world? Particularly if you are like me and are “out there” a lot and/or struggle with anxiety, being able to come home to a peaceful environment can truly change your life for the better.
If I had a bucket list, “have my home featured in a magazine” would be on my list.
If I’d chosen a different career path than teacher, interior design would have been in the top five alternates. The board I pin the most to? “Home:: decorating ideas and inspiration.”
I love my home so much that it’s hard for me to want to stay overnight anywhere else. It truly is my refuge and I never stop making it more comfortable or more “me.”
Is your home your haven?
First of all, the word “haven.” It’s a noun meaning 1. a harbor or port. 2. any place of shelter and safety; refuge; asylum.
Your home should be a place where you feel protected and safe, somewhere you can escape to at the end of the day.
I was recently talking to a group of women about the importance of “me time” and how I have dozens of ways to spend time pampering myself within my own home and one of the ladies commented, “Hmmm, I never thought about doing that.”
I take it for granted that I’ve spent many years making my home a place where I love to be, and can host and entertain as well as relax and be renewed.
Even if home decorating isn’t really your “thing,” as a dream chaser and a giver, you need your home to be a place where you can unwind and recharge.
So here are a few ways I’ve found that I hope will help you make your home your haven.
1. Declutter.
I’ve had to learn it for myself–it’s hard to enjoy your home when you’re
- distracted by the messes and STUFF everywhere
- wasting time looking for misplaced items
- constantly moving STUFF around
- bombarded by so much clutter that you can’t keep your house tidy and/or are too embarrassed to have people over
It feels soooo good to get rid of STUFF! It will always be a work in progress but we JUST completed our decluttering process and it’s one of the best things I have ever done for my sanity, and for my home.
Once it was done, we wanted to make the most of the spaces we’d cleared out so we created this “mud room/home command center” conveniently located between the front door, laundry room and garage. Now paperwork, backpacks, shoes and laundry have homes right where we need them to be.
Do you need to declutter?
Read more here: Are you ready to declutter and get organized?
2. Learn to love your home and make it uniquely yours.
Unless you’re moving soon, you have to make the most of the home you’ve got. Are you maximizing your home’s strengths? Does your home help you accomplish what you want it to and honor your season of life? Is your home “you?”
Tea is my “thing” so I always have a tea station so I can pour a cup for a friend and me at a moment’s notice.
If you need some inspiration for your home, here are some of my favorite “home bloggers:”
And I recently picked up a brand new book “Love The Home You Have” about this very topic and I highly recommend it! It’s written by one of my longest-loved bloggers over at The Inspired Room. Read more about the book on LoveTheHomeYouHave.net.
3. Have a SPOT.
I preach it often…
Every woman needs a spot in her home all to herself.
It can be a chair in the corner of one room, an entire room, or anything in between but it has to be for YOU and you have to love it.
The main components I recommend are
- a place to sit
- a place to set down your drink
- a place to store your materials (books, journals, knitting supplies) like a side table, basket or even a rolling cart
A lamp and a cozy throw are nice additions. If you can also incorporate a lovely view, artwork and a candle, all the better.
The is mine in action, a comfy corner in the family room. This is where I do my daily quiet time as well as where I journal, pray, read a magazine and enjoy a cup of tea. It’s stocked with my books, journals, magazines, pens and notebooks.
I have tons of inspiration on my “Woman Caves” Pinterest board:
Follow Tabitha Dumas’s board Self care:: woman caves on Pinterest.
4. Create ways to enjoy “me time” in your home.
You shouldn’t have to leave your home to be pampered.
Gather candles, bath salts and lovely soaps to enjoy a hot bath after a stressful day.
Do you love to blow off steam by concocting new recipes? Organize your spice collection and keep your favorite cookbooks handy for when the mood strikes.
Maybe your idea of “me time” is gardening, so keep your trowel and gardening gloves accessible and treat yourself to a few new plants this weekend.
Get inspired! Here’s my post about Inexpensive Self Care Ideas.
5. Make yourself comfortable.
If you’re like me, you’re “on” a lot during the day and want to decompress and relax at the end of the day. What would bring you comfort? New sheets with a high thread count? A scented lotion to apply right before bed? Candles to light, a blanket to snuggle under, soft music playing, wind chimes you can hear while you’re doing dishes?
When you’re comfortable in your own home, it becomes your respite from an exhausting and hectic world. It also allows you to recharge so you can go out and do your life’s work the next day.
You’re worth making your home your #haven.
Do you plan to try any of these ideas? Or what are you already doing to make your home your refuge? Share on the TabithaDumas.com Facebook page.
And remember…you can follow my Pinterest board, too. Follow Tabitha Dumas’s board Home:: decorating ideas and inspiration on Pinterest. Please pin and share! 
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