Environmental Self-Care
What is Environmental Self-Care?
A while ago, I wrote a post about self-care and what it really means to practice self-care. I talked about the six areas of self-care. One of those domains is environmental self-care. It’s how we take care of the space around us. How can I use my environmental to calm myself? To energize myself?
Environmental self-care is not an area of self-care that we think about very much. At least, I certainly neglect it.
Decorative. A desk is cluttered with office supplies.
When I moved into a new office space, I helped my colleagues, Joanne and Lorren, decorate their new offices. I went into the office last week and passed by their offices—they looked beautiful. The lobby is almost done and is looking great. I walked to my office at the end of the hall—total disaster. And it hit me—this is another way I don’t take care of myself.
I even decorate offices! So much so that I’ve considered opening a business around therapy office and lobby decor! So, how did I not extend that same care of space to myself? I’m not good at this area of self-care. It’s not something I think about for myself.
Partially as a result of not paying attention to my environmental self-care, I was coming to the office less and less. It was hard to find the motivation when I have an office at home. But that space isn’t what it could be either.
Building My Space for Self-Care
Now that I’m busing it out to get my space in order, the experience was very eye-opening for me. The difference I had in my body and in my self walking into my office now versus then is night and day. It really had me thinking how much space really affects me—how important environmental self-care is.
My physical working space affects:
the efficiency of how I work
how I feel when I come into the office
how I feel with a client
So many aspects of my work is affected by the environment. Now I realize that taking care of my space is very much an act of self-care for me.
How I tended to environmental self-care in my office:
Decorative. An opening in a forest reveals a lake with mountains in the background.
Light candles
Hang pictures of people and places I love
Arrange furniture in a comfortable way that feels calming and good
I recently took a trip for a wedding. The area was so green and forested. Walking around outside in that environment, I realized just how calm my body felt in that space. It reinforced the idea that environmental self-care is vital for my well-being. Even though it’s an aspect of self-care I don’t think about often, it’s still so important—especially for those of us who are self-preservation repressed.
Creating a Space with Self-Care in Mind
So, how do I think about creating a space with environmental self-care in mind? First, I think about how I want to feel in a given space. For my office, I wanted to feel calm, but energized. I wanted to feel welcomed.
Think about one of your spaces, like a home office or a bedroom. How do you want to feel in that space? Grounded? Inspired? Calm?
Next, I think about what will inspire my desired feeling. I feel welcomed and calmed by nature and beauty. Oceans, trees, candles, natural colors. I look for images that are aesthetically pleasing, of nature, images of natural colors. Things that make me feel welcomed and calm. Then, I build the space around it.
What inspires your desired feeling? This could be as big as new pieces of furniture or as small as lighting a candle while you get ready for bed.
Being mindful of environmental self-care can also just be about noticing when a space feels too cluttered or messy. It might affect you and how you feel in that space. Taking the time to tidy up and de-clutter the space is another important aspect of environmental self-care.
Create a Space that Feels Good
Decorative. A living space is neatly arranged with plants, a mirror, a rug, and furniture.
Environmental self-care is all about having a space where you feel calm, grounded, centered, or however you want to feel that is helpful for you. Whatever it is can be very helpful in terms of self-care. Maybe you have your favorite books in your space that are out and accessible. Maybe you regularly buy yourself a bouquet of flowers.
For those of us who are privileged enough to live in an apartment or a home and have a room for us, environmental self-care can be something to think about. It can behoove us to have a space that we love to be in. And that helps us to feel what we need to feel.
Hi, I’m Melinda
I’m a therapist who uses the Enneagram and Brainspotting to help 20 & 30-somethings understand and change unhelpful patterns, love themselves, and navigate all the big transitions and emotions that come with where they are in life.
WHAT MY CLIENTS OFTEN LOOK LIKE:
1) Empaths and “HSPs” who feel deeply and are afraid that something is “wrong” with them or have been told that they are too “sensitive”
2) Helpers or “over-givers” who want healthier relationships with themselves and others
3) Enneagram enthusiasts who want to grow
4) Premarital and young couples wanting to start their marriage off on the right foot