Haven of Rest: A Nurse’s Guide to Building a Soothing and Comfortable Home Refuge

Natural materials, houseplants, and essential oils are easy but effective ways to rework your house right into a soothing and cozy sanctuary. Even the easy addition of houseplants has been found to scale back stress, lower blood pressure and improve overall mental health. Unfortunately, chronic job stress and burnout occurs each day amongst nurses as a consequence of long shifts, heavy workloads and low staffing levels, and a key symptom is difficulty relaxing and taking time away from work, study finds “Human Resources for Health” reveals.

But there’s excellent news: by transforming your house into an oasis of rest, you’ll be able to facilitate stress reduction and mental and emotional rejuvenation after work. And – in turn, you’ll be able to prevent burnout and cope higher in your demanding role with greater resilience and overall well-being.

Choose natural materials

Natural materials reminiscent of jute and sisal are minimally processed and low in toxic VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which improves indoor air quality. Incorporating natural materials into the house can improve the respiratory health and overall well-being of nurses, who often experience the physical and mental demands of long shifts.

Especially, almost 50% of home owners they claim that having natural materials as a substitute of artificial ones makes them feel noticeably happier. Natural fiber rugs, particularly, can add warmth and texture to the ground and supply a soft surface for drained feet after an extended shift. Jute (derived from the Corchorus plant) is soft, flexible and looks like sleeping under bare feet. That’s why jute fiber rugs are a fantastic alternative for the bedroom, front room or anywhere you walk barefoot or on the ground. However, please do not forget that heavy furniture will leave everlasting dents whether it is placed on jute.

On the opposite hand, for high-traffic areas reminiscent of a hallway or hallway, sisal fiber rugs are a superb alternative because they’re durable and wear-resistant, yet soft and cozy. You will certainly appreciate the soothing texture that greets you after a demanding day. Derived from the agave plant, sisal has thicker, straight fibers which can be also relatively easy to keep up and require occasional dusting to maintain clean. This simplicity is ideal for the drained nurse who prefers easy-care furniture, so you’ll be able to concentrate on rest fairly than maintenance.

Enter the outside

When nurses spend time in nature, they turn into less stressed, happier and more relaxed and supply higher quality of care to patients. Unfortunately, the character of shift work often signifies that you might be unable to go away the constructing or go outside for roughly eight to sixteen hours at a time. Fortunately, nevertheless, even houseplants have been found to have a positive effect on stress and anxiety. So, in terms of home interior design, incorporating the outside is one in every of the most important trends immediately, and the addition of houseplants can successfully create a relaxing and peaceful atmosphere in your house. Houseplants also improve air quality, making a healthier and more rejuvenating space. Fresher and cleaner indoor air also can help reduce stress levels, improve respiratory health and improve overall well-being.

The peace lily is a fantastic option when selecting houseplants so as to add to your house. With elegant, dark green leaves and pristine white flowers, peace lilies are beautiful and may add a touch of calm to your space. They are also air purifiers – they remove toxins reminiscent of benzene and trichlorethylene, commonly present in paints, varnishes, adhesives and artificial fibers. Moreover, peace lilies are easy to keep up, known for his or her hardiness and flexibility, and require only infrequent watering.

The most tasty aspect of peace lilies is their scent – a soothing scent with calming properties much like lavender. This relaxing fragrance will help create a stress-free home environment for nurses, improving mental and emotional well-being after demanding shifts.

Alternatively, snake plants even have strong air purifying properties which might keep the air fresh within the room and allow you to sleep higher. Unlike other plants, snake plants emit oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide at night through the unique photosynthetic technique of CAM “crassic acid metabolism”. Perfect for the bedroom, snake plants are also available in sizes compact enough to suit in your bedside table, where they will help create a supportive sleeping environment. They are also easy to keep up and require only occasional watering – roughly every 10-14 days, but can go up to a few weeks between waterings. This ease of care makes nurses enjoy having a green companion of their living space, without having so as to add significant demands to their busy schedules.

Elevate your house sanctuary with essential oils

Essential oils also can play a key role in creating a relaxed atmosphere and soothing mood and emotions. A study published within the International Journal of Nurse Practitioners found that nurses who inhaled lavender oil experienced less work-related stress throughout their shift than the control group. So, by infusing your house with lavender oil, you’ll be able to effectively calm your nervous system, reduce stress and anxiety levels, and return to work refreshed and rejuvenated.

For example, reed diffusers are a classy and practical technique to disperse essential oils into the air. At the identical time, ceramic candle diffusers are equally effective and add a comforting, warm glow. In the bedroom, it’s also possible to spray the corners of the pillowcase with a couple of drops of lavender oil. Lavender is thought for its soporific properties, reduces anxiety and promotes rest. Creating an environment that’s conducive to sleep will help ensure quality sleep, improve mental and physical health, increase concentration and increase resilience to the challenges of a demanding career.

As a hard-working nurse, your well-being is paramount and also you deserve a homely haven where you’ll be able to rest and recharge after work. Using natural materials, adding houseplants, and diffusing essential oils are easy but effective ways to construct a soothing and cozy haven that suits your unique needs.