Published In
Psychology
Do You Need An Emotional Escape Room? Read All About This Wellness Trend First!
You’ve heard of “panic rooms” but what about an escape room for your emotions? An emotional escape room? Well, let’s just say that our feelings need an escape room too.
We’ve seen the growth of so many wellness trends such as mindful eating, dopamine dressing, and Hygge but I have one more wellness trend that you can (and frankly, should) follow this year.
Emotions have never been more important than in the last two years. Being stuck at home has been an emotional rollercoaster ride but many of us have prevailed. From implementing color psychology in our living spaces to dressing to make us happy, we’ve evolved a lot.
However, there’s one wellness trend to top it all off! Emotional escape rooms! The concept, brought on by Pinterest, is a trend that speaks of people looking for ways to convert the not-so-used spaces in their homes into something that’s just…theirs. If you’ve been thinking of little corner libraries, music rooms, or a simple reading nook – then you are right.
This need for creating a safe “space for feels” has brought on this trend of creating an escape room for emotions. Let’s take a look at what are these emotional escape rooms, how are they beneficial for your wellness, and how to create an escape room in your home.
What Is An Emotional Escape Room?
Just what the name suggests, an emotional escape room is exactly that. A room or space in your home dedicated to helping you de-stress and escape the strong emotions you’ve experienced in the day. Considering that most of us are still working from home, it’s easy to see how your home has become your shelter.
This wellness trend is only asking you to add to your shelter and make sure your emotions are given a safe space too.
Emotions come in all shapes and sizes and the purpose of these escape rooms is to help process the emotions that you may not feel comfortable doing so in public. I mean, just like you would go to a rage room to vent your anger, why not have an escape room for your emotions where you can go and just…process those emotions?
This trend is now being adopted by people of all ages and some people are even designing themed rooms. For example, music rooms, crystal rooms, and meditation rooms.
Did you know that searches for music rooms have increased twice while searches for creating crystal rooms have increased eight times? The desire for tiny libraries or reading nooks has increased twelve times while massage rooms are up by more than any other room.
Now, this doesn’t mean that you need a spare room to create a literal escape room. Emotional escape rooms are more like spaces where you can just forget about your stress and relax. For example, you can easily look for a space in your home and create it into a cozy section that you can escape to whenever your emotions become too overwhelming.
Can Emotional Escape Room Benefit Our Well-Being?
The psychology behind escape rooms is the flow state. It’s a state where you are absorbed in an activity for your pleasure and relaxation. The Flow theory says that when you engage in an activity for your benefit, you enter a mental state of complete immersion. This immersion can be also defined as a state of focus.
Having a space you can escape to is where you permit yourself to unleash your strong emotions. The founder of Ikigai, Tunteeya Yamaoka says,
“If you have a space that triggers emotional processing, it can help you reflect on what’s going on in your life,”
In this emotional escape room, you allow yourself to think about everything. From your missing purpose in life to what you want to what’s causing you to feel a certain way. This way you can find yourself connecting to those emotions and express the feelings you might not be even aware of in the beginning.
How To Create An Escape Room?
The best part of creating an emotional escape room is that you can create it according to your taste and vibe. Before creating an escape room, ask yourself:
- Do you want a place where listen to some calming music and just let go?
- Do you want to place where you can curl up with your favorite book and read?
- Do you want a place where you can concentrate on your awareness?
Once you have an idea of what you want from and in the space, you’ll be able to create an escape room that is more likely centered around what brings you the most pleasure and relaxation.
To create your emotional escape room, here are some tips that might help you:
- Look for a spare room or a dedicated space in your home. It can be your wingback chair or a corner on your desk.
- Choose a soothing color. Pale and cool colors such as Pale Green is a good choice to have in your escape room to start with.
- Next, you need to make sure the lighting is well in your escape room. Some mood lighting can go a long way in helping you create a setting to relax and express your emotions.
- If your escape room is cluttered then you might not find the emotional relief you’re looking for. Make sure your emotional escape room is free of unnecessary clutter. However, you can set up painting, artworks, or decor items that may help make your space cozy but make sure it’s an organized mess.
- Music can also be a part of your emotional escape room even if it’s not a music escape room. I would recommend that you keep your emotional escape room cell-free. Set up an old school record player to play relaxing music when you’re occupying the room.
The key to an emotional escape room is coziness. You need a space in your home where you can express your emotions without having to worry about anything else.
When it comes to creating an emotional escape room all you need are the things that make you feel loved or remind you what you need to be grateful for. The important thing is to have a safe space in your home where you can express your emotions, where your feelings are validated, and where you can be open with yourself- emotionally.
You don’t need to look outside for comfort when all the comfort you can find is within your four walls. Your home can be your healing space if you let it be.
Do you have an emotional escape room? What does your emotional escape room have?
Let us know in the comments below. You can also DM us on our social media. If you’d like to hear from us, drop us an email at info@calmsage.com.
Take Care!
Next Read:
Own Your Feelings: 9 Ways To Hold Emotional Accountability
How To Emotionally Detach Yourself From Someone
20 + Daily Affirmations For Healing Emotional Neglect