After spending 13 months traveling and living aboard before finally moving into my first adult apartment this year, I wanted to create a homey place of my own. I started completely from scratch and on the hunt to find everything you need to fill an apartment. Throughout college I had roommates that had purchased all the decor and furniture. This was a really exciting time for me to create my own space. I wanted to create a space where the energy felt calm and cozy. You know that vibe you feel when you walk into a yoga studio? I wanted to find my own vibe of that. Here are new things I purchased or practiced in my apartment.
Air Purifying Plants
Plants are an easy way to add decor and provide a functional purpose to increase the air quality in your apartment. There is also some excitement that comes when you plants start to grow. I have memories of who I bought the plants with or who gave me the start. When I was moving into my apartment I used NASA’s list of the best air purifying plants. NASA has conducted research for decades on which plants are best at filtering toxins out of the air. Humans spend about 90% of their day indoors so good indoor air quality is extremely important. If you’re interested in the topic look up ‘Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and indoor air quality’. This is an extremely important topic and validates why adding plants into your home helps to increase your health.
From this list I purchase a Cornstalk Dracaena and Spider Plant. I love having plants because I like that plants change the energy of the space you are living in. Plants bring their own energy into your space. If you don’t know much about growing plants there are TONS of podcast and a thriving instagram community to help!
Plants are an easy way to add decor and provide a functional purpose to increase the air quality in your apartment. There is also some excitement that comes when you plants start to grow. I have memories of who I bought the plants with or who gave me the start. When I was moving into my apartment I used NASA’s list of the best air purifying plants. NASA has conducted research for decades on which plants are best at filtering toxins out of the air. Humans spend about 90% of their day indoors so good indoor air quality is extremely important. If you’re interested in the topic look up ‘Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and indoor air quality’. This is an extremely important topic and validates why adding plants into your home helps to increase your health.
From this list I purchase a Cornstalk Dracaena and Spider Plant. I love having plants because I like that plants change the energy of the space you are living in. Plants bring their own energy into your space. If you don’t know much about growing plants there are TONS of podcast and a thriving instagram community to help!
Oil Diffusers
Now that I have an oil diffuser, I don’t think I could go without having one. I have a small oil diffuser I keep on my nightstand. An oil diffuser is basically a humidifier that you put your own oils in based on the vibe and energy you want to create in your home. There are oil blends to help you fall asleep or alleviate allergies. Oil diffusers can help elevate your mood, provide relaxation and improve sleep, increase immunity, etc. I use it every night when I am laying in bed after a long day. To learn more about the benefits of oil diffusing click here. My favorite essential oils are frankincense and lavender. Each of these essential oils work create a meditative and therapeutic atmosphere. To use an oil diffuser all you need is purified water and about 3 drops of your favorite oil.
Salt Lamps
Himalayan Salt Rock Lamps work by giving off negative ions into the atmosphere. You know the calming feeling of a beach. That essence is created by the amount of negative ions in the air. Our modern living spaces are filled with positive ions. Positive ions are given off electronics, fluorescent lights, air conditioning, etc. Excess positive ions can affect our bodies by enabling feelings of tiredness, tension, anxiety. Each pound of Himalayan salt can filter a 4 x 4 foot area. Most salt lamps are around 5lbs. For best practice place these lamps near you computer, tv, or oven area. Any area with concentrated electoral areas. The lamps work best when they are illuminated. The negative ion charge stretches further when the rock is heated. Salt lamps are also a nice night light because the amber glow isn’t too harsh.
Smudging
Smudging is the act of burning sage to cleanse the air and energy of space. This may seem a little hippy dippy for some people. This is an ancient practiced used in many different Native American and indigenous tribes rituals. When sage is burned it gives off a medicinal smoke. This smoke helps to detoxify the air by releasing a large amount of negative ions, similar to Himalayan Salt Lamps. People who struggle with allergies, asthma, etc can benefit from this practice. I can tell a huge difference in the feeling of my space after burning my sage stick. It is part of my cleaning routine now. Whenever I get my apartment fully clean I smudge to clean the air and energy as well.
There a many different practices to burn sage. You can just burn it in one place just as you would incense if you are just testing it out and getting comfortable with the practice. There are many different smudging prayers that can be found on Pinterest.
Smudging is the act of burning sage to cleanse the air and energy of space. This may seem a little hippy dippy for some people. This is an ancient practiced used in many different Native American and indigenous tribes rituals. When sage is burned it gives off a medicinal smoke. This smoke helps to detoxify the air by releasing a large amount of negative ions, similar to Himalayan Salt Lamps. People who struggle with allergies, asthma, etc can benefit from this practice. I can tell a huge difference in the feeling of my space after burning my sage stick. It is part of my cleaning routine now. Whenever I get my apartment fully clean I smudge to clean the air and energy as well.
There a many different practices to burn sage. You can just burn it in one place just as you would incense if you are just testing it out and getting comfortable with the practice. There are many different smudging prayers that can be found on Pinterest.
Decluttering
Do you ever watch those before & after home improvement shows? Sometimes when I’m watching them I can’t help but think that the reason their home looks nicer is because the clutter is gone. Sure there are different light fixtures and the walls are painted but a majority of the actual changes on those shows is someone has just decluttered the living room. Moving abroad for a year really helped me live on less. I don’t think I could go back to my old cluttered ways. It is really easy to just accumulate crap. How useful are all the things in your apartment? Do you have drawers of stuff you haven’t touched in 2 years. Do you have random clothing items that maybe have only been worn once (and that was halloween 3 years ago). GET RID OF IT. Take an hour and go through a room. Pick up everything in that room and ask yourself, “Is this actually useful?”. You do not have to practice a minimalist lifestyle to declutter. Just clean out your space of useless things. I promise the space will start to feel more open and lighter. It is really easy to get bogged down by your own collection of junk. The feng shui of your decluttered space will make you feel much more at ease in a room.
I love this blog post SO much! I’m really interested in wellness lately and what products I can be using to improve my life. A lot of times I find myself randomly wanting things just because they’re cute and Urban Outfitters sells them, though, so I’ve been trying to learn more about what exactly would be beneficial to me and why. Current obsession is essential oils! Need to get a diffuser.
xx
annabelle | http://www.mixed-hues.com