With more and more of us working from home, our home decor now plays a role in our working lives. Our bedrooms are typically one of the more private rooms in our home. This makes the bedroom an ideal place for working peacefully. There are issues, however, with making your room a frequent workspace.

Mentally associating our bedrooms with the stresses of the working day can affect our relaxation. This is can hinder our ability to fall asleep and get a full night’s rest. Working in our bedrooms means that we’re surrounded by our personal items. This may prove distracting while trying to get work done.

It is important to make the transition from work to relaxation as easy as possible. Subtle changes to our environment can make strong impressions to our overall mood. The decor of our rooms can make all the difference to our mental health. 

Using a Weighted Blanket

A weighted blanket is typically used around night time for sleep. Their distinct heaviness has therapeutic effects known as deep pressure stimulation. This can help ease the stress and anxiety of the day before bed time, raising serotonin levels. This creates the mental and physical relaxation required to drift off to sleep.

Weighted blankets can also have a place in your bedroom workspace. Mela’s Adult Weighted Blankets, for example, come in single, double, and king sized options – meaning you can wear one while working on your computer. A smaller, compact size is less likely to mimic the sensation of going to sleep. It will still, however, enact the deep pressure stimulation. This will still create mindfulness and relaxation. By doing this, your mind is less likely to associate your bed with the stress of the work day. Instead, it continues the association of relaxation. This will ensure that sleep is not interrupted when the work day is over.

As recommended by University of Pennsylvania Medicine, weighted blankets have been proven to ease symptoms of ADHD, tried on children engaging in school online. For working adults, this is an example of how weighted blankets can ensure focus. The added physical weight and increase in relaxation means that distraction is lowered. The temptation to leave your workspace decreases, and other sensory stimuli is less tempting.

Supportive Cushions

A huge benefit of a bedroom workspace is the comfort of your bedding. Rather than a stiff office chair, comfortable bedding may feel much better to spend hours working on. Your bedding is hand-picked by you personally to fulfil your comfort needs, and is less likely to cause muscle pain. A cushion provides extra padding and can be adjusted to be placed in uncomfortable areas of your body. Feeling comfortable will allow your body to rest. With less stress on the body, you can increase mental focus and productivity. 

It is important, however, to find the right cushion to use while doing a day’s work. Sitting on a very soft a cushion may feel cosy to begin with, but it encourages slouching and poorer posture. In the long-run, slouching leads to long-term back pain, according to the Center for Spine and Orthopedics. Too firm a cushion can dig into your back and may cause pain and irritability while working.

Lumbar cushions bridge the gap between firmness and softness, helping to prevent back pain. The lumbar area of your lower back is formed by discs, nerves, muscles, ligaments, and blood vessels. Controlling so many vulnerable parts of your body means that the lumbar area strongly influences your spine, upper body, and even legs. Supporting the lumbar helps ensure these other parts of your body remain pain-free. See The World in Cushions’ Large Rose Pink Cactus Silk Lumbar Cushion, for example. Its rectangular shape means it easily fits in the lower area of your back while using your laptop, and supports the back at the most vulnerable lumbar area. Its dusty pink colour and artisan fabric also gives a chic look to your bedroom while providing bodily support.

Vibrant Wallpaper

Working from home gives you the chance to escape the drab, plain four walls of an office – so why have them at home? Plain white or muted colour walls can make your room appear lacking in light or focus. Colour psychology dictates that plain walls lack variety that keeps the mind stimulated. This can lead to tiredness, and make the room appear more unclean.

Colours have also been linked to productivity, mood enhancement, and mindfulness. The colour blue on bedroom walls has been proven to provide greater relaxation and a more peaceful nights’ sleep. Blue and green bedrooms get an average of almost eight hours of sleep a night, according to a survey – the recommended amount.

Vibrant colours, rather than muted tones, are recommended to keep the mind stimulated and keep tiredness at bay during working hours. Blues and greens are also recommended in workspaces, to boost serotonin and concentration levels. A patterned wallpaper of contrasting colours helps boost vibrancy and mental stimulation, as well as making a great backdrop for video conferences. A bright wallpaper will also help the room feel opened up, and feels less claustrophobic. 

Unique wallpapers, such as the Savannah Landscape Wallpaper by Amsterdam Element, provide a mural you won’t get tired of. The piece is a beautiful, peaceful artwork of wild animals, water and sunshine. This wallpaper features lively blue and green tones suitable for  both daytime and nighttime. With such detail, the piece will feel fresh every time you glance at it. A sunny, faraway escape in your bedroom workspace will allow your mind to travel to a peaceful place.