5 Zen Ways Of Decorating Your Home That Will Help In The Fight Against Drug Addiction

Zen means to live in simplicity and get in touch with one’s inner self. Zen interior design has been becoming immensely popular because it creates harmony, balance, and feelings of relaxation that are based on minimalist decor.

According to Ulrich and Zimming, authors of the 2004 report, The Role of the Physical Environment in the 21st Century Hospital, a person’s living environment and surroundings can really affect their physical and mental health. And making changes to their environment helps relieve stress and fight agitation and restlessness.

This is very important for recovering addicts because they need to be in an atmosphere of relaxation in order to heal themselves mentally and physically. Having busy and loud tones and interiors can trigger stress and make them crave drugs upon being triggered. Living in a zen way has proven to be really effective in the fight against drug addiction.

Let’s take a further look at how decorating your home in a zen way helps fight drug addiction:

 

1. Use Earthy Tones

Using earthy tones in your interior design can help you relax and create the right ambiance you need to promote a healthy lifestyle. Colors that brighten up the room mixed with neutral tones help create a soothing and natural space and help energize one’s mind. You can pair these tones with bright colors to give the space more energy and make it look appealing.

Incorporating natural elements and warm tones in the decor will help you rid of the effects a fast-paced environment and hectic life has on you. According to the 2013 report on Biological research on addiction, people recovering from addiction need this relaxation around themselves at all times because living in a busy and stressful home will trigger their addiction cravings despite one’s personal taste in decor. 

 

 

2. Add Indoor Plants 

It is very common for people recovering from drug addiction to go on a nature retreat. This helps them get in touch with themselves and get away from a life of triggers for a while. Ecotherapy, also known as green therapy,  shows that being exposed to nature helps fight drug addiction and cravings. Now imagine bringing that nature retreat into your home! 

Indoor plants and greenery are a big part of zen interior decor. Small indoor plants in noticeable spaces especially around the busy areas of the home can be extremely helpful. According to research done in ecotherapy, being able to see greenery in your home can decrease the strength of addiction cravings. So don’t be afraid to load up on a few house plants!

 

 

3. Live Edge Furniture

There has been a tremendous increase in the popularity of live edge wood furniture and tables. This furniture is an important element of zen decor. Live edge tables are basically unfinished slabs of wood in wide plank or butcher block styles sometimes paired with epoxy art, and give the feeling of being in nature! They showcase the natural beauty by preserving a tree in its circumferential entirety and thus keeping the spirit of nature alive inside the furniture hence the name “live furniture”.

As we already mentioned, being around nature is really helpful in fighting drug addiction and addiction cravings, and live furniture can play a significant role in imitating nature in one’s home!

 

 

4. Bright Ambience

A Harvard study conducted to find the connection between behavioral changes and living environment shows that living in dull and dark spaces can make a person depressed and affect their health negatively. This is why it is important that there must be enough light in your home to help you stay energetic and relaxed.

The use of natural light is extremely important to keep your mind fresh and create a harmonious indoor environment. This can be achieved through the use of windows or skylights. Creating relaxing nooks by windows is helpful in de-stressing and calming oneself. 

 

 

5. Simple Decor

Simplicity over extravagance is really the main mantra of a zen lifestyle. It means to practice simplicity in every aspect of life including the environment one lives in. Showcasing too many design elements can be confusing and as already mentioned, a busy interior will induce stress which might trigger addiction.

From furniture to wall decor, everything is simple and calming when it comes to creating zen. A person can incorporate any kind of design elements they find relaxing including wall hanging that showcase words of encouragement that might help a person stay on the journey of recovery. Simplicity is the best indeed! 

The simple and relaxing decor and lively atmosphere play an important role in creating harmonious feelings inside one’s brain.  As discussed in the various studies mentioned above, people who modify their homes post-recovery actually manage their addiction cravings better and more effectively.