By Judith Glass

Whether your home or apartment is large or small, you need your own personal space –an area that reflects your tastes and your personality.  Sometimes when you care for another person, you forget about yourself. You give yourself entirely to the task at hand and think of everything your loved one might enjoy or that might lift his or her spirits. You may not think about yourself at all.  But you need to occasionally, even if it is 10 minutes a day. One of the ways to think about YOU is to give yourself a personal space. You need a personal space to re-energize yourself.

Since your personal space reflects your unique individuality, you should fill it with anything and everything that pleases you. It should appeal to your senses and be inviting, quiet, and comfortable. Whether it’s an entire room or a corner of a room, it should be as private as you can make it.  Be creative!  You can always make changes later.

Here are some general ideas for creating a personal space and how to use it:

Relax: You may use your personal space for a nap as well as a place to read, listen to music, do needlework, or just sit quietly and relax. Some furniture, like a chaise lounge, an adjustable lounge chair, or a day bed, lets you sit up or lie down.  Whatever it is, it should be comfortable and roomy. You might even want to throw an extra pillow on it and use an ottoman to prop up your feet. Some ottomans (foot stools) open to provide storage for your blanket, some magazines, or your knitting.

Keep Warm: Drape a colorful throw blanket over the back or arm of the chair to cover your legs or wrap around your shoulders. They come in soft velour textures as well as the more familiar cotton, chenille, or crocheted squares that look handmade. They come in beautiful colors and will hide any flaws in the old sofa or chair.  

Table: If you don’t have an extra table for your own space, a snack tray table or even a large box covered with gift wrap or wallpaper will do. You may need it to hold a lamp, a box of tissues, and your book.

Lighting: See if you can situate your chair near a window – one with a view of the garden would be especially nice, and the sun on your face always feels wonderful.  If you don’t have room for a floor lamp or small table lamp, you can buy a reader’s lamp that clips onto a book.  

Photo Albums: Dig all those photos out of the drawers and shoe boxes and make them into an album. While you may not get out to visit much, you can enjoy a “virtual” visit with friends and relatives in your album.  The memories they evoke of good times are sure to lift your spirits.

Music: If your personal space isn’t near the family stereo, why not treat yourself to a small radio/tape player that can be bought for a reasonable cost in the small electronics section of any store?  Depending on your mood, you might choose to play classical music, soft jazz, or oldies. If you want to do some stretching exercises, or pep yourself up after tip-toeing around all day, you may want to tune in to something livelier.

Flowers: If you have a garden, bring fresh flowers into your personal space. Some artificial flowers can fool the eye, if not the nose, and their beauty reminds us of love, romance, and special occasions.  A vase can be anything that holds water: a pitcher, a wine bottle, a beer mug, an old tea pot, or a tall colored goblet.

Color: What’s your favorite color? Everyone has one. And studies show that color affects your mood. Buy a couple of pillows in bold or exotic colors.  This may be your opportunity to be a little wild, so check out pillows from India and other Asian countries that have tassels, glitter and fringe.  Hang a picture or painting at eye level. And finally, throw down an area rug or oversized bath mat, which will also add color while pulling everything in your space together.

Aroma: Choose among the assortments of scented candles, incense, perfume sprays, and atomizers that can transport you to an orange grove, an exotic bazaar, or a flower garden. Aromas are especially effective when you are meditating.

Bulletin Board: If you have the wall space, you can post favorite photos, old greeting cards, invitations to special events – anything that recalls happy times and the people in your life.

In short, anything and everything that puts you in a relaxed, happy, renewed state of mind has its place in your personal space. Whether your space is a chair and a table or an entire room, make it your very own retreat.