A Healthy Home

It is almost unhealthy how much I love my apartment.

It is my sanctuary, my refuge from the world, my creative center. It is where tonight I sit in my older, brown La-Z-Boy recliner, with a cup of Tazo Calm tea, a hand-knitted blanket, a pillow behind my very painful back, and this laptop.

I hide in here a lot. This is a place where I have very little fear; unlike out in the real world, which always seems to eat me alive. My books keep me company, I can slip into the stories of people with lives much more exciting than my own. A world without pain. A world with answers.

I have prints of rich paintings on the wall and a red curtain that looks like raw spun silk over the window. These are such simple little details of decadence for someone without a lot of funds. Red is my power color. It makes me feel alive. Very few things manage to accomplish that task these days.

My recommendations coming from my tired middle-of-the-night mind are:

1. Always use the best you can afford (within budget) to treat your body and mind. If that means you love organic food, then love organic food. If that means you want to sleep on 500 thread count sheets, do that. If you want to buy the most expensive tea on the shelf at the grocery store because it is the only beverage that can make you feel sane, go for it! Life is short and your body/mind are all you truly have so treat them well.
2. Let the right one in. This is technically the name of a vampire movie. A good one at that. But what I mean is, bring people into your life who don't judge you. People who think you are good, who encourage you to take the next step and let you cry on their shoulder when it is needed. Being picky with your boyfriend/friends/occasionally family is your right and you need to make sure you are being respected.
3. Get a hobby. Actually get a few. Make your home reflective of these, and leave inspiration pictures, projects, and tools around. It is important to feel like you are accomplishing goals and not just sitting around collecting dust.
4. Learn and Do. Especially more about how to treat your body/mind better. The healthier and happier you are, the better energy you can spread to those around you. I try to work on this every single day. Incorporate it into your space, with a well-stocked fridge, and perhaps goals framed on the wall.
5. Don't get stuck in your safe-zone. I'm trying to learn to take my own advice, but it's hard to not hibernate in comfort. I need a push every now and then.

Also, note to self: desperately require humidifier to make this place more comfortable and stop my increasing nosebleeds. Glargh.

Awesome stress advice I found...and can't remember the source. Someone please tell me in the comments!!