Colors of Relaxation

Most of my closest friends know that my bedroom (and by extension my master bathroom...I'll discuss this room in another posting) is my sanctuary. My bedroom, especially is the place I go to retreat from my kids (I have no photos of the boys in this room at all), from housework and just when I want to relax and experience a sense of peace and rejuvenation. I light my favorite relaxation candle and drift away into the ambiance of scents and surroundings!

When I redecorated my room early last year I had no clue about the effects of color on mood...all I knew is that I wanted blue to be the central color in the room...I never knew why because green has always been my favorite color(my nickname in my neighborhood was Ms.Green)! After the room was completed and I settled into my newly painted surroundings I begun to feel a difference in the feeling of the room...(or was it in me?) I decided to do some research on colors as they affect mood and this what I found:

Pacifying Colors -- blue, green, and purple -- stay reservedly in the background, cooling, calming, and re-energizing weary spirits. Put them in rooms for resting and refueling.

Pale, serene greens slip quietly into a living room, bedroom, or reading room, hushing it with a whisper. Medium greens connect to nature, grounding and freshening the spirits of a home office, family room, or spa. Deep greens comfort a library, bedroom, or sitting room. But lime and parrot greens tend to waken and activate.

Blues and Neutrals Blues and purples work meditative wonders. Pale azure and glacier blues wash a room in coolness and unstructured serenity. Proud, strong blues work responsibility and contentment into the mood. Pale purple-blues prompt reflection and dreaming.

Neutralizers are the "noncolors": browns, beiges, grays, and white. Perfect for neutral territories of the house, such as kitchens or baths, these colors bridge together rooms, other colors, and moods. They neither activate nor pacify; they blend, combine, and cooperate.

White, another neutral hue, brings out openness, airiness, and an expansive spirit. It generously welcomes other colors into a room, framing them and showing them off to their best advantage.

Activating colors , such as yellow, orange, and red, move forward, warming and cheering, and inspiring conversation in varying degrees. Red, the intense one of this group, sparks emotions forcefully. Orange applies less pressure, and yellow merely suggests. If these extroverted colors please you, put them to work in the activity rooms of your house. Ruby, raspberry, or brick reds pack a punch in entries or halls. Even people who can't relax amid strong colors find a short spurt of red's exhilaration comfortable as they pass through a brilliant hall.

Notice what they say about brown? It's a neutral color that blends, combines and cooperates. The accent wall in my bedroom is brown! So without realizing I had created an oasis for myself where I can go to rest and refuel; emerging re-energized and filled with a spirit of serenity, contentment and cooperation!

What hue are you?

Relaxing With a Cup of Tea

It's early morning right before the sun rises and I am sitting quietly in my room sipping my first cup of tea. I love tea! I picked up the habit roughly seventeen years ago in Leeds, England where I spent six months on a modeling assignment.

This is one of many self care rituals that I practice. I sit quietly before the boys awaken, sipping from my cup of tea and writing in my journal while surrounded not only by calming quiet but the wonderful aroma of "Relaxing" an Aromatherapy candle.

This is the time of the day when I do my best thinking...when I create the masterpiece that is to be my day! There's a special feeling in the air that is unexplainable...all I can say is that there is so much peace and calm just before the sun rises. This is both literally and figuratively because as the sun peeks over the horizon I am bound to hear my two younger sons getting up and wondering aloud; "I wonder what's for breakfast!" After that I can barely hear myself think!

Here are some health benefits of tea that I found on the internet:

Fights Cancer & Heart Disease
Tea contains antioxidant compounds of polyphenols that help the body fight harmful free radicals. It is believed that harmful free radical can lead to cancer and heart disease. Tea also contains flavonoids that restricts the build up of cholesterols and help with blood vessel functionality.

Protects Teeth & Strengthens Bones
Polyphenols found in tea may reduce plaque, which lowers your chance of cavity and gum disease. Tea also contains fluoride that helps protect against tooth decay. Fluoride is extracted from the soil by the tea plant. This identified mineral also strengthens bones and prevents osteoporosis.

Improves Digestion The polyphenols in tea help with digestion of fatty food by increasing the flow of digestive juices.

Prevents Food Poisoning The catechins in tea are a powerful sterilizing agent, which kills germs and bacteria. Tea prevents food poisoning by fighting against stomach diseases caused by harmful bacterias.

Look and Feel Younger Studies suggested that the high concentration of antioxidants in tea have an anti-aging effect.

Strengthens the Immune System Vitamin C in green tea helps to treat the flu and the common cold. Moreover, the polyphenols in tea have shown to increase the number of white blood cells in our immune system.

Prevents Dehydration Tea is a good source of fluid intake that replenishes lost body liquid. Doctors recommend that it is vital to drink at least 1.5 liters of fluid a day. Tea is low in calorie and it is a great thirst quencher.

Do you enjoy tea? Share with me what kind you like.