After Michael Buble and Mariah Carey retreat back into the mist until next year, we get to that cliché time of year when everyone tries really hard to come up with original New Year’s resolutions, and harder still, to stick to them.
But as we all know, we rarely upkeep our resolutions for longer than a couple of weeks or so, because in a desperate effort for a fresh start, we have a tendency to bite off more than we can chew and set ourselves completely unattainable goals. The problem with this tradition of resolutions is that people try to change too much all at once, and let’s be honest since the aim is self-improvement, these resolutions are rarely fun or pleasurable.
Hit the gym, go on a diet, do a post-holiday detox, sort your finances, take care of your mental health. Despite the good intentions, the truth is that if something isn’t a part of your daily routine, it can be incredibly difficult to incorporate a radical change into your lifestyle. And all too often, we succumb to the all or nothing approach.
If I can’t make time for a proper workout, well then I’ve failed and there’s no point doing anything else. Well, I couldn’t keep off the sugar this week, so I might as well give up. Factor in if you have a bad day at work, or you’re feeling poorly, and all motivation just goes out the window.
But the trick with making improvements in your life is to make manageable, incremental changes. If you try to do too much all at once, you’re bound to get overwhelmed and you’re just setting yourself up to fail. By committing to little steps here and there, you’ll find you’re making much more positive change without even realising, and they’ll be much easier to sustain in the long term.
We all know that our environment plays a key role in our productivity and mood. So in an effort to commit to your New Year plans, start off with changing your mindset. Mental health is of the utmost importance at the moment, and taking care of your inner self is crucial if you want to succeed in other areas, so why not build from the ground up and start off 2022 by refreshing your most important environment – your bedroom!
This is where you rest, sleep and get ready for the day. It’s super important that the bedroom is a place that lets you do all of those things comfortably and effectively. But sadly, over time, our cosy nooks can suffer from neglect and become somewhat stagnant. So, from the quality of sleep to creating a fresher, brighter atmosphere, here are some fun suggestions to breathe some new life into your bedroom – the better your bedroom, the better you’ll feel!
Quality of sleep is in many ways more important than quantity. Even a full 8 hours can leave you feeling lethargic and groggy if the sleep itself wasn’t all that restful. So the clue is in the title, to refresh your bedroom, we must start with the bed!
A new mattress may be just the thing to completely overhaul your sleep cycle. If you’re sleeping on an old mattress that’s lost its shape and bounciness, then it won’t support your frame anymore and you’ll wind up sleeping in a bad position that will leave your body feeling sore and could even cause long term problems for your neck and back. A new mattress might seem like a big investment, especially if you opt for something like memory foam, but this is something that will last you a decade, so not only are you getting your money’s worth but imagine how much more productive and better you’ll feel when you’re finally getting a decent night’s sleep every day.
Giltedge Sirocco Mattress
If a mattress isn’t feasible just yet, then focus on the other elements that are just as important – the pillows and linens. A poor pillow can cause as much trouble to your sleep as a bad mattress. If your pillow has lost its elasticity, that means it’s not providing proper support to your head and neck. Pillows now come in a huge variety of shapes, fillers and feel so consider what’s best for your preferred sleep and posture and invest in a new set.
Bed sheets are also important to get right. The material you choose is very important, so if you’ve been sleeping on synthetics for years, switch it up to cotton or even organic cotton if possible. Invest in silk pillowcases – these are much comfier and don’t absorb moisture from your skin nearly as much as alternative fabrics, so your skin will look and feel better too! Make sure you choose the right sheets for the time of year – sheets you use in winter won’t be ideal for summertime, since you’ll overheat and be uncomfortable.
Generally on the subject of bed sheets, a very easy resolution to stick to is simply to commit to changing your sheets more often. Is there a better feeling than diving into a fresh set of sheets that still have that lovely lingering smell of fresh laundry, after a long day? Why not treat yourself to a comfy pair of pyjamas while you’re at it too!
Why not use the new year as an excuse to embrace Feng Shui? This ancient Chinese practice is all about harmonising yourself with your environment. Make a little scale sketch of your bedroom and furniture and play around with different setups – see how you can reorganise your room to make it more homey and restful. If your room doesn’t get a lot of light, maybe consider changing your blinds or curtains to a lighter colour, adding an additional lamp or fairy lights or hanging a strategic mirror – the existing light in your room will bounce off it and make your whole room feel brighter.
Even if you’re not a plant person, maybe this is the year to change that. Adding a plant to any living area instantly gives it a more organic feel – by bringing a touch of nature into your intimate space. Moreover, there are certain plants that are especially good air purifiers, such as the peace lily, so you’ll not give your bedroom too much of a makeover but improve the quality of the air you breathe. Taking care of a plant is also said to be very good for your mental health, so adding some greenery to your bedroom comes with many benefits.
Not unlike a house plant, a bit of art is also a great way to give your bedroom a whole new personality. Maybe you have some photographs you’ve been meaning to hang up or want to replace some juvenile or worn posters with a lovely framed print or painting. It’s great to support local artists, so you could make a weekend out of shopping around for your first piece of art and the actual process of hanging it up is a lovely nesting activity, plus adding some intriguing art to your walls will help boost your own creativity.
If you want to make more of a major change to your bedroom such as installing an en-suite or a walk-in wardrobe it’s well worth researching and finding an expert builder to meet these goals.
Complete all your efforts with one big early Spring clean, light up an aromatherapy candle, pour yourself a nice hot cup of tea (or glass of wine) and curl up with a good book or Netflix series in what will feel like a whole new bedroom.
