Holiday at Home.

Our home, our spot, our sanctuary. Home is the place where we can seek safety, comfort and peace. From the beginning of time, we have sought a sacred space to live. A place that provides protection and healing from the harsh elements.

Home has been where many of us have spent most of the last three years. It also became the school, the office, the local restaurant and the coffee shop. Home became where we did everything. Now more than ever we need to appreciate truly how our home makes us who we are.

Often, we only make an effort within our home if we were going to have guests over.  For instance, on a Saturday night, having friends for dinner I would typically prepare a platter paired with a beautiful New Zealand wine (or four) chilled sparkling water, fresh flowers, light a candle, you know all the things that you do to create ambience. But how do we enjoy our home in the middle of winter when most of our friends are suffering from ills and chills? Well, we still do all of these things, but, just for ourselves!

It is important to understand that we can have beautiful experiences and memorable evenings and fun times within our home without it being a special occasion or having guests over. We can use the good china, drink the good wine, and add little touches to create harmony within the home, just for us. Jewish mystics have always acknowledged the importance of seeking peace within our home. They call it Shalom bayit, which quite literally means peace within the home. The principles of this encompass that it is absolutely essential to practise peace within our home for our spiritual well-being. 

So, what brings you peace? 

This can look different for everyone. Even though the home is our protection from the harsh elements. Bringing a controlled segment of natural elements into my home gives me peace. 

For instance, when night falls, I like to have the fire going, or if it’s not cold enough, even just lighting a candle or burning sage sticks. This fire element has always warmed my soul. 

Flowers in a vase is an absolute treat for me. And I will go to the effort of picking myself flowers or buying myself flowers. This brings me joy. And also encompasses the natural elements of earth, air and water in my home.

I personally suck at keeping plants alive, but this is another way to bring these elements into your home. I will lazily, however, continue to buy flowers! One thing I do to continue the life span of flowers is to dry them. 

A beautiful way to remember experiences is to dry the flowers from that experience. I have dried many of my friends’ flower arrangements from weddings to funerals for them so they can have something to keepsake. This is such an easy, but special thing to do for someone. 

Simply, separate the flowers into small groups, and hang the flowers upside down in small bunches using rubber bands. I use coat hangers to hang them with. Make sure they are hanging in a dark warm place; I usually use my garage. Spray the flowers with hairspray and that’s it! Wait for the magic. Super easy. Box them up and it is such an inexpensive, but thoughtful gift for a loved one.

Now back to caring for ourselves!

In this day and age when we are spending more time isolated at home, we need to allow permission to ourselves to do these loving acts for ourselves and not just for others. Little things can make a huge difference. 

My hot tips as to how to feel good this winter? Go plush! 

Start by buying a big beautiful new throw (and not storing it away in a cupboard only to pull out for guests) but actually using it, cuddling up with it. That soft touch is important for our nervous system.  Snuggling a plush thing is such a luxury. Or purchasing a plush pair of slippers or a plush soft sleeping mask. Now, these things do not have to come with a plush price tag. We all know Kmart can provide us with soft, cushy and cheap options! 

Taking the time to take care of yourself and not feeling guilty about it is a priority. My daughter and I like to do facemasks together, it gives us time to connect and do something nice for ourselves. On the weekend I often like to get the sage sticks burning, pour a nice glass of wine, get the nail polish out and even the scrabble board. Now that could sound a bit Brady bunch like, but no, with children, it’s not all perfect and someone will be sure to end up yelling. Especially in Scrabble. 

But the intention to connect has been established, and that is what is important. Every moment can create a new memory, no matter how flawed, if a connection was made, this contributes to our well-being. Our home should be our place of connection, not disconnection. Even if this is just with ourselves, you know, without the phones, doing nice things for ourselves. Whether that is painting a picture, planting a plant or just having some music playing that makes you feel good. All the stuff that you would do to create a nice environment for someone if they were unwell. Do that, for you, to keep you well. 

I always turn off the lights and turn on lamps. Soft lighting brings me peace. I got this from my father. He was super into creating great space through lighting. He knew how to create a place you want to be. He was a musician, so I guess he knew how to make and create beautiful sounds and beautiful spaces.

I have the same lamps that we had as children in our home in my house today. They are 30-plus-year-old lamps, they are funny looking; one is grey and tall and has the old school chunky round plug and cord, and the other lamp is the shape of a pink planet, ring and all. I guess it’s Saturn. Never really thought about which specific planet it was until writing this, but this lamp would make an interior designer cringe. But I just can’t part with my funny old lamps. They make my house, home. The children all have salt lamps in their bedrooms. This is a nice soft light that provides a calming effect. My oldest daughter listens to soft classical music to sleep. Something that my husband and I do if we are super stressed. I started using music as an aid for sleep when I was caring for my terminally ill father. Igniting all the senses I would use lavender oil, music, and heat to calm my nervous system.  I believe these tactics have healing properties dating back thousands of years.  They have been useful to aid sleep for my whole family over the years.

Salt does not have to be only used for light in our sleeping spaces. Salt, another natural property, can be used for healing in so many ways. Indulging in a warm salt bath is such an easy thing to do to maximise muscle repair and relieve stress. 

Next up! Permission to treat! Take your favourite packet of biscuits to the bath, without feeling guilty; why not? In these times, where uncertainty surrounds us, we must find solace in self-soothing. Hmm does that makes us all big babies? Well, no. But we do need to learn to treat ourselves well. We are right bang in the middle of a health crisis, cost of living crises, housing crises, and global unrest, I mean pour the whole damn bottle of bath salts in, eat the whole packet of biscuits, let’s face it; we deserve it. 

Looking after ourselves is the one thing we can control. Oh, and I’m not meaning looking after ourselves by eating right and working out… You can of course do those things if you like! Go you. But I’m talking about focusing on our mental health, our spiritual health and how we can ensure we are being the best we can be to ourselves.  Being nice and kind and compassionate and gentle to ourselves and treating ourselves with small things that give us that warmth within our soul!

Let’s tune out from the world and into our home, our sanctuary, set our minds to holiday mode, and have a mini holiday, at home.