How to Add Tranquility to an Office

Tranquility--calm, quiet, and free from disturbance. Most of us cannot say that we have an office fitting that description, whether at home or work. But a few simple changes and additions can make your work space a quiet, soothing area for creativity and focus. You don't have to follow complicated charts or buy expensive items. Just think about what makes you feel relaxed and at your best. After that you just have to remember to feed all of your senses.

Things You'll Need

• Candles with calming scents
• Something to produce gentle sounds
• Sweet treats

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Instructions

Feed the Five Senses

• 1

  Adopt a tranquil color scheme with cool colors like blue and green. Avoid strong contrasts. Often secondary colors like green, turquoise and purple are more tranquil than primary shades, pastels more tranquil than vivid shades. Gray more than black and white. If you can't paint your walls or change major items, add little touches of color in your line of sight. Change the curtains or add a pastel vase to your desk. Put a picture of the ocean or a waterfall up.

• 2

  Use aromatherapy to help set the mood. Surround yourself with soothing scents. Try chamomile, lavender, passionflower, or vanilla scents. Use room sprays, potpourri or candles.

• 3

  Use sound because it is a very powerful thing. We use it to connect to the world even before we are born. Invest in a sound machine or install a little indoor waterfall. There are also sites on the internet that provide sounds for your desktop for free. Listen to classical music if you don't like nature sounds or if they put you to sleep. If all that background sound is distracting to you, invest in a white noise machine. It will block out any distracting noise.

• 4

  Add a soft throw to your office or a pillow. Place a lush little rug under your desk to relax your feet on, if you take your shoes off. When we were little, nothing made us feel better than our blankie or favorite stuffed animal. That doesn't change just because we grew up. You can do something as simple as buying comfort grip pens, a wrist cushion for your mouse, or a massage pad for your chair.

• 5

  Create a small stash of your favorite candy or treat, one that makes you feel good. Have a fruit that makes you think of exotic places.