{"id":26549,"date":"2022-02-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.saatva.com\/emotional-escape-room\/"},"modified":"2023-08-29T18:30:41","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T18:30:41","slug":"emotional-escape-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/emotional-escape-room\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Turn Your Bedroom Into an Emotional Escape Room"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It should come as no surprise to learn that over the last few years, rates of anxiety<\/a> and stress have drastically escalated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnxiety, fear, and worry has skyrocketed in my clients over the past couple of years,\u201d says Zoe Shaw<\/a>, licensed psychotherapist and author of A Year of Self-Care<\/a>.<\/em> \u201cCOVID social distancing recommendations have been a perfect storm for those who may have been teetering on the verge of agoraphobia or social anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what prompted a new trend: emotional escape rooms<\/a>. Essentially, these rooms serve as a space to get away from your emotions, unwind, and decompress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The benefits of having an emotional escape room in your home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shaw has been suggesting to her clients for years that they implement an emotional escape place in their homes<\/a>. And now, this is more important than ever: \u201cClose to half of the workforce is working from home, and I don\u2019t think that trend will slow down,” says Shaw. “As a result, the way we use our homes has changed, and the way our family interacts with our work has changed\u2026if we can work from home, we can spa from home too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is, it\u2019s not expensive or difficult to create this type of room. With a few small tweaks, you can transform your bedroom or even a cleaned-out closet into an emotional escape room and create a calming sanctuary where it\u2019s easy to refresh yourself with a good night\u2019s rest<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur environment has a profound effect on our mental and emotional health,\u201d Shaw explains. \u201cCreating a space that is calming, clean of clutter, beautiful, and physically supportive calms our nervous system and creates a reset, allowing us to get back to our day with a renewed sense of clarity and purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to turn your bedroom into an emotional escape room<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are five easy ways to start creating your emotional escape room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upgrade your blankets <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As you plan your emotional escape room, focus on engaging all five senses, starting with touch. Make your bed cozy<\/a> using a fluffy chenille blanket or a snugcomforter<\/span> Soft pajamas and a plush rug to scrunch your toes in will help provide a sense of comfort and peace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aweighted blanket<\/span> can also help \u201ccalm racing thoughts, panic, or rumination,\u201d says Shaw. The pressure these blankets provide increases the production of serotonin<\/a>, the hormone that makes you feel calm. Weighted blankets can also improve sleep quality by lowering your heart rate and blood pressure so you fall asleep right away.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rethink your color palette<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Focus on sight by decorating your room with your favorite colors or a soothing color palette. Most experts agree blue is the best color for relaxation<\/a>. Green also helps promote sleep\u2014if you don\u2019t want to repaint your room, simply add some green plants<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mood lighting can also help set the stage for a good night\u2019s sleep. Keep your room dim and cool, using blackout curtains if needed. You should also avoid looking at bright lights right before bed. And finally, add some meaningful items around the room (such as photos of happy memories or gifts from people you love).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep tea nearby<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Next up: taste! Shaw recommends keeping a Keurig machine or small refrigerator in your emotional escape room. Stock the fridge with tea that promotes sleep<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chamomile is a plant that has sedative effects<\/a> and is often used for improving sleep quality. Ashwagandha, an herbal medicine that has been shown to help with sleep<\/a>, is another good choice. And peppermint tea is caffeine-free and can relax your muscles<\/a> before bedtime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Play relaxing sounds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Add an element of sound with a Tibetan singing bowl<\/a>, a bell that vibrates when played and helps with relaxation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also simply play relaxing music<\/a>. However, Shaw advises that devices shouldn’t have a place in your emotional escape room. \u201cSo if you choose to play music rather than make it, have it piped in through a speaker instead of bringing your cell phone into your calming space,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diffuse essential oils <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The final sense to incorporate into your emotional escape room is smell. For this sense, Shaw suggests using an essential oil diffuser<\/a> with one of the following scents: lavender<\/a>, ylang-ylang, bergamot orange, lemon, pine, or peppermint. Alternatively, you can also purchase scented candles<\/a> to place around the room. (Here’s how to make your bedroom smell fresh<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottom line: Building an emotional escape room that draws on the five senses is the best way to create a place where you\u2019ll look forward to unwinding and falling asleep each night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more ways to find calm before bed, check out our guide to the best nighttime activities to help you relax<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your environment has a huge impact on your mood and ability to get a good night’s sleep. Here’s how to transform your bedroom into a calming emotional escape room.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":26550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[389,392,393,390],"tags":[],"coauthors":[465],"guest":[],"host":[],"class_list":["post-26549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sleep-health","category-bedroom-style","category-bedroom-styling-guides","category-sleep-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26549"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=26549"},{"taxonomy":"guest","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guest?post=26549"},{"taxonomy":"host","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/host?post=26549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}