Make Your Home An Anxiety-Free Sanctuary
In the same way we might eat certain foods to stay healthy or practice yoga to calm our psyche, treating the spaces we inhabit to some simple stress-reducing measures can make an enormous difference in the way we feel when we’re in them.
Over the years as I’ve honed in on my minimalism and changed up my home, I can personally attest that my anxiety levels have changed for the better. From sleep routines and meditation spaces to beautiful scents and intentional habits, making your home a true sanctuary is easier than you think.
Make Yourself Some Tea
The practice of turning an ordinary behavior into a ritual helps us slow down and self-soothe. Something as simple as making tea has incredible benefits. For me, it’s a naturally calming ritual I look forward to every evening. The consistency of that is something that helps me stay calm. When I’m making tea, I’m not worrying about my phone or my email—I’m forced to take a moment.
Beautiful retro aesthetics meet high-powered contemporary performance in a die-cast, powder-coated steel kettle. This kettle makes it a breeze to heat water for tea, oatmeal and more. Featuring a 360° swivel base and easy-to-read water level indicators, the kettle shuts off automatically when water reaches a boiling point, when the jug is lifted from the base or when it's empty. A soft-opening lid prevents the sudden release of steam.
'50s Retro Style Electric Kettle
SMEG, $189.95
Rest & recharge. Sleep is crucial for physical and mental renewal. The ingredients in this soothing herbal tea blend were chosen for their calming effects on the nervous system, and their ability to prepare the body for essential deep sleep.
Sleep Tea
Sakara, $20.00
Be Strategic With Scent
It’s not just that certain scents calm and others energize. Scent can trigger old memories and old patterns, so use scent to create new ones. The candle in my kitchen smells like how I want to feel when I get home for the day and unwind (in one word, relaxed). Whether I stay in this house for the rest of my life or not, I want these memories to be the ones I hold on to.
This is my favorite candle, and I burn its fir scent in my home throughout the year, not just the holidays. The subtle but seriously entrancing scent wafts through the air even before the candle’s lit. As it burns, the supremely relaxing fragrance—cedar and citrus—smell even more gorgeous. Beyond the stunning scent, the botanicals encourage a feeling of blissful calm—no small feat. Handcrafted in small batches, each LINNEA Candle is crafted with soy wax and fine fragrances, providing a rich and welcoming aroma when lit.
Linnea Candle in Forest Fir
Rejuvenation, $39.00
Mine and everyone’s favorite diffuser. This stone diffuser scents your home and looks beautiful while doing it. With a cover crafted out of matte ceramic, it doubles as a piece of decor—making it perfect for bedsides, countertops, and shelves. It’s gorgeous and sleek and a brilliant way to get essential oils and aromatherapy into your life, along with a little humidifying vapor. Use it with their custom essential oil set.
White Stone Essential Oil Diffuser
Vitruvi, $119.00
Carve Out A Meditation Space
Daily meditation has helped my anxiety enormously; as with any practice, having a reminder helps you stay accountable. During lockdown in 2020, I took a room in my house and turned it into a simple yoga and meditation space- white walls, seagrass rug, pine console table, a couple of plants, + my yoga mat and meditation pillow. It isn’t fancy—something that reminds you to do the practice is enough.
Keep your mind clear and your meditation pillow clean. I wanted a meditation pillow with distraction-defying firmness and shape, and I also wanted it to reflect my values, so it had to be consciously made with responsible, non-toxic materials. It’s filled with cotton, and the cover is wipeable and water resistant, so “om” away.
Mini Square Floor Cushion in Blanc
Gathre, $76.00
The Alo yoga mat is a staple in slip prevention (I believe that’s a thing). Which means you can focus more on transitioning from crow to handstand—or chilling in down dog—and less on making adjustments just to keep your asana in place. Plus, good cushion provides support and stability for your practice.
Essential Set
Alo Yoga, $175.00
Establish A Sleep Routine
Try starting your evening routine earlier than when your head is ready to hit the pillow. It takes a few hours for our brains to start to let go of the day. Make a cup of tea and take a hot bath, followed by an indulgent skincare routine. Light candles and dim or switch off the bedroom lights. As you get closer to sleep, lose the phone—I keep mine across the room, away from my bed, starting at 9 p.m.
This body-and-spirit-centering bath soak, infused with Himalayan pink salt, helps take the edge off during turbulent times (or after a crazy day). Called “The Martini” after the traditional name for the last take of the day in filmmaking, the soak is made with pharmaceutical-grade Epsom salts, chia-seed oil, passionflower, valerian root, myrrh, Australian sandalwood, and wild-crafted frankincense.
“The Martini” Emotional Detox Bath Soak
goop, $35.16
Though I love other non-toxic skincare products and lines too, Tata Harper is my favorite. Tata packs the most ingredients at the highest levels of concentration to deliver maximum results—without a single drop of artificial chemicals. It’s luxurious, high-end and I look forward to washing my face whenever I’m using their products. My twice-a-day routine currently includes the Superkind Softening Cleanser, Concentrated Brightening Essence, Superkind Fortifying Moisturizer and Retinoic Nutrient Face Oil. I also use Mount Lai’s jade roller in the morning and Gum She stone in the evening.
Tata Harper, $86.00- $235.00
SHOP CLEANSER | SHOP ESSENCE | SHOP MOISTURIZER | SHOP FACE OIL
Mount Lai, $32.00
What’s In Your Fridge?
Now more than ever, we know how inextricably linked our food is to our overall health. And we know from our own personal experience that the more whole the diet, the better we feel. Moreover, food can have a huge impact on mood. Eating whole foods and avoiding triggers like sugar, gluten, caffeine, alcohol, and dairy can make an enormous difference. Stocking your fridge and pantry with healthy, delicious choices sets up your kitchen as a place of healing rather than stress. Have lots of fruits and vegetables on hand. Start your day with a strong influx of nutrients—my favorite juice is celery, cucumber, ginger, apple, and lemon.”
Now it’s easier than ever to enjoy fresh, all-natural juices at home with the JE98XL Breville Juice Fountain Plus. This simple-to-operate juicer has a heavy-duty 850-Watt motor that produces enough power to extract 8 ounces of juice in only five seconds.
Breville Juice Fountain Plus Juicer
Williams Sonoma, $149.95
Beauty and detox in a bottle. Replenish the minerals missing from your tap and bottled H2O, and up your intake of essential daily greens with Sakara Beauty and Detox Water Drops. Their Detox Drops’ antioxidant-rich blend of chlorophyll is harvested from white mulberry leaf for maximum healing benefits—including helping the body rid toxins by moving them as waste through the GI tract. The Beauty Drops Deeply hydrate your cells with naturally-occurring ionic trace minerals that help support collagen and make skin glow. I put these drops in my Hydro Flask before I leave for the day.
Beauty Water® + Detox Water Drops
Sakara, $39.00
Keep It Clean
Messy environments are stressful, and the act of cleaning up can itself evolve into a meditative, calming ritual, especially if you can position it in your mind as self-care (as opposed to a hated chore). Clutter can be a challenge, especially if you have kids. In your house, I suggest following the “Rule of X”. If anything—electronics, video games, toys, clothing—hasn’t been used within the past X months (this is a number that you deem appropriate for your family, whether it’s 3 months, 6 months, a year), it’s sold or donated. It’s about being intentional about what you have and when you use it and making sure it’s not taking up unnecessary space. And the things you do use should all have a place. Creating the habit of putting something back where you (or others) got it is the key.
These multipurpose bins organize your belongings in the chicest way possible. The roomy felt interior stashes everything from seasonal clothing to kids’ toys, lasts forever, and is a great handcrafted alternative to plastic. I have them in nearly every room in my house, from the mudroom, to the bathrooms, to the linen closet, laundry room, and primary bedroom closet.
Hogla Storage Bin with Handles
The Container Store, $9.99- $24.99
Tired of all the bottles–spray, pour, squeeze, and pump–cluttered beneath your sinks? Me, too. This versatile formula works beautifully on all surfaces, from stainless steel to finished wood. Finally, a single product to tackle kitchen countertops, appliances, bathroom fixtures, and tiles. Highly concentrated yet safe to use around kids and food, this product will quickly become a household favorite.
Surface Cleaner
The Laundress, $13.00
We hope you enjoy the items recommended here. @ A Good Home, we put a lot of thought and intention into our recommended items, only suggesting things we love and use (and think you might, as well). We also like transparency, so, full disclosure: We may collect a share of sales or other compensation if you purchase through the external links on this page.