Home and Life: Interior Design & Self Care

With the closing of September, Fall is officially in full swing. Back-to-school has happened, pumpkin spice lattes have appeared, and for a lot of us - busier schedules have prevailed. With summer vacation over and the weather inching ever so slowly toward colder months, you may be feeling unmotivated, overwhelmed, or stuck in a rut. What is there to do to help you manage your schedule, get motivated, and get over the seasonal blues? Today, I'd love to discuss some self-care tips for your home and life to help you get moving again.

I'll admit it - I have Pumpkin Spice coffee in the coffee maker. But that's about all the Fall Fever that's going on in my home. With the weather still in the high 80s here, I'm just not feeling scarves, cozy throws, s'mores or hiking - yet. Make no mistake, the fever WILL hit. It might just take a few more weeks!

But until that fever hits, I'm feeling a little bit blue. The excitement of summer vacation has past and the stress of the Holidays seems to be already bearing down upon us. (I'm talking to you Hobby Lobby - putting out Christmas Decorations in July!) A "new" year has started for a lot of us as school, sports, and other obligations swing back into effect after summer break. And if you're like me, you're feeling tired, overwhelmed, and unmotivated. How do we stay motivated until the excitement of Fall and the Holidays hits? How do we manage the overwhelm of a new schedule? How can we spruce up our Interior to elevate our mood when we’re at home blocking out the crazy world that’s demanding our attention? Let’s dive in and look at some self-care tips for your home and life.

3 Tips for Managing Overwhelm

I see this a lot with women. We take on too much. Our schedules quickly become overwhelming and hardly manageable. We try to be and do ALL. THE. THINGS. And the truth is, that most of the time we spread ourselves so thin that we wear ourselves out emotionally and mentally. If we are constantly saying yes to good things, we cannot say yes to greater things.

Let's look at an example:

Nehemiah was the cup-bearer to Artaxerxes, King of Persia in 445 B.C. When he heard that his people, the Jews, were in distress and the walls of Judah were fallen, he asked the King for permission to return and rebuild the city. Once there, Nehemiah rebuilt the wall in 52 days! Yet, during this time we was called away by wicked schemers FOUR times. And four times, he said no because he was focused on a greater thing - a God thing.

So what am I trying to say to you?

1. It's ok to say no

This has to be one of the hardest things for women to do - saying "no". We don't want to feel like we are letting others down or missing out on something important. The truth is we need to get focused, find our great project (our calling in life) and say yes only to things that align with that purpose. In the example above, Nehemiah knew his work was important. He was focused, dedicated, and persistent. This made it easier for him to say yes to rebuilding the wall and no to those that wanted to lure him away.

2. It's ok to not be good at all the things

Nehemiah didn't care what others thought about him. He wasn't about people-pleasing and saying yes to everyone that asked something of him. He knew what his task was and he stuck to it. What about you? Do you know what you are called to...what your great project is? The truth is, we often have to say "no" to good things so we can say "yes" to greater things. When we know what our purpose and calling is, it makes it easier to say "no" to good things that might just serve to distract us from our real goal.

3. It's ok to go slow or say not right now

Let's be honest - your greater project or calling might not be glamorous. You might never receive an accolade or a thank you. Your great project might be serving day in and day out in your home, supporting your husband and raising your children. In saying yes to that greater project, you may have to say "no", go at a slower pace, or put off other good things. It may be difficult and it might require sacrifice, but building your name, your business, or your likability isn't as important as building relationships with your friends and family.

So, there are my three tips to manage overwhelm in your schedule and get focused - figure out your priorities (what you are and aren't called to), say "no" more often, and don't worry about being the best at everything.

But what about your home? Your home is your oasis…it’s where you come to relax from the stress and overwhelm that is your life and schedule. It's where you interact with friends and family to build those ever-so-important relationships. How can you spruce up your home to make it a happy, joyful environment?

3 Self Care Tips for Your Home

1. Throw Pillows are your Best Friend

I love throw pillows. They are so cute and so easy to buy. But what I hate is flat throw pillows. You know - pillows that lose their "oomph" after a season. I especially hate when that happens after I forked over a ton of money for that pillow! But throw pillows are still one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to spruce up your home. You can quickly change them up for the Holidays or as new trends emerge.

But unless you want to be like Joanna Gaines and pay for a separate warehouse just to store all your pillows, I recommend buying pillow covers! Pillow covers are basically a sham that comes in a variety of sizes. You select and stuff them with an insert. This makes them easy to wash and they lay flat to store! Plus, when your insert starts looking like its lost its fluff, you can buy another inexpensive insert instead of having to replace the whole pillow!

2. Change up your Walls

Repeat after me - "Clutter is chaos and blank walls are the enemy." Seriously, look at the sky and the trees. Look at the ground and all around you outside. Our natural landscape is full of color, texture, pattern, imagery, and life! So why would you have a lifeless blank wall in your home? Walls are your real opportunity to express your personality through color, pattern, texture, and art.

To spruce up your home easily and inexpensively, move the art in your home around or add some new pieces to your collection. Think of your home like a museum gallery that once a season changes up what's on display. You - and your friends - will be excited to come home again!

3. Bring out Seasonal Decor

You might not be a one-season decorator, only sprucing things up for Christmas or you might go all out every season. Whatever the case, moving around decor and introducing new items into your space can really give you a mood boost! This could be something simple as introducing a new scented candle or something as bold as a fall mantle display. Whatever you do, try to add excitement and novelty for your brain. This refreshes your space and helps elevate your mood.

So let’s bring this all together. What is the great project in your life that you feel called to? Is it being a mama? A wife? Is it being a good friend, an encourager? Honestly, the greatest projects in life have less to do with WHAT you do and more to do with WHO you impact and the person YOU become. So start saying no more to obligations and “good” things and start saying yes to your great project and the people around you. Make sure though as you are pouring out, that you are also filling yourself up…if that’s a little retail therapy for some throw pillows from target, that’s ok!

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