We are each a work in progress, right? I try to remind myself of this daily. I have a high level of perfectionism and a low level of patience—with myself, anyway. My natural tendencies place me on the “destination” track as opposed to the “enjoy the journey” lane. Immediacy is my preferred route. It is not ideal, but it is the truth. And so, “we are each a work in progress” is my typical daily mantra. For the most part, I also live life through a black-or-white lens. Yup, I don’t do gray. I am all-or-nothing—strong-willed! When I set my mind to something, like working out or taking a hiatus from booze, I am like an assassin, laser-focused. But once I dip my toes into that gray space, I kinda lose my vision and throw in the towel. This loss of vision yielded three years in which self-care was non-existent. This is not exactly a healthy or forgiving approach to life. But, this is me. Knowing this about myself, I try to repeat my mental mantra daily because if I didn’t, I would beat myself up far too much. “We are each a work in progress, we are each a work in progress, we are each a work in progress”—on repeat!
Of course, my “all-or-nothing” dogma has its benefits, too. When I choose to cook seasonally, to maximize nutrient and health benefits for my family, you better believe you will only find strawberries or asparagus in my fridge in the spring and summer. Sometimes the decision to support local farmers or eat organically comes at a cost—both financial and convenience-wise. I simply will not buy zucchini at a supermarket when I know I can get it from a farm stand that harvests the veg with integrity from nutrient-rich soil. It also means I drive to multiple locations to gather my provisions. It’s a choice I make for my body, and for my family. This is going to sound super corny but it’s not a trend, it really is a lifestyle choice.
Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way the poster child for organic-ness, I like to splurge like the rest of us, but I have become so in tune with my body and what feels right that often the little devil and angel on my shoulder have to battle it out. The tug of war usually ends in a tie. Admittedly, I love and eat Shake Shack more times than I’d like to admit, and cheese doodles are my ultimate weakness. But I will try to at least buy the “natural” ones (whatever that means). And, here’s that slippery slope I spoke of earlier—you should know that when I do dip into those doodles, my fingers remain cheesy until the entire bag is gone. All or nothing!
When I decided to renovate my home, I became all-or-nothing dogmatic about my bed, my bedding, and my body. I decided, why on earth would I choose to ingest organic foods, and take exclusively natural supplements to support my internal body, and yet rest my external body on toxins? Guys, we spend more time in our beds than in any other single place EVER, EVER. When we invest in our beds, we invest in both our skin and our sleep. The skin is our largest organ, and a gateway to toxicity; sound sleep is what allows us to navigate life each day with clarity, grace, and focus. So began my journey towards creating a non-toxic bedroom—a safe haven that promotes safer, healthier, and more restful sleep!
The largest commitment (and investment) for my family’s sleep habits was to lay our bodies on an organic, non-toxic mattress, the EOS Pillowtop by Naturepedic. This bad boy is the crème de la crème of the Naturepedic line and features three layers—a lower support level that offers a firm foundation, a mid-layer for comfort, and a pillow top that delivers the ultimate 3-inch layer of plushness. All is wrapped in an organic mattress encasement with a chic AF gold zipper—it all screams premium quality. By removing chemicals from our sleep environment to create a non-toxic bedroom, I believe I am optimizing our body’s ability to rejuvenate itself.
I can remember about eight summers ago we invested in an “of-the-moment” foam mattress, only to trash it less than one year later. My husband Victor, who as a DJ and producer considers his ears to be his most valuable asset, was beginning to wake with a feeling of vertigo and a subtle ringing in his ears. After much research, we found that the culprit was the chemicals pumped into the foam. We were shocked to find testimonials from many people who became downright ill from the mattress toxins. This is an extreme case but regardless it made me abundantly aware of how many micro chemicals we lie on, breathe, or ingest. Your conventional mattress hosts chemical residues including formaldehyde and flame retardants! Hence why designing a non-toxic bedroom was so critical.
So yes, I embraced my all-or-nothing dogma wholeheartedly with an organic pillowtop Naturepedic EOS Pillowtop mattress in my master bedroom and the Chorus mattress in my guest room. No flame retardants are to be found because Naturepedic forgoes the chemicals that would necessitate those retardants in the first place. And for my linens—I cannot begin to count how many of you have asked about my bedding—they are exclusively Coyuchi and also organic, non-toxic sheets. Coyuchi is a brand that honors its people and production. Its materials are pure and minimally processed, and its products adhere to strict standards like Fair Trade USA, paying respect to the thread, the makers, and ultimately, whoever rests on its fibers. On my own bed, I chose the Linen Chambray duvet and corresponding sheet set, both in Alpine White and in the guest room the same collection in Natural. Both beds are draped in the Cozy Cotton Organic Blanket. My body could not be happier with this luxurious investment. Now I enjoy the destination of waking up every morning in our non-toxic bedroom but also the process of restful sleep.
While I am fully aware that going all organic to create a non-toxic bedroom can be a hefty expenditure, I also find that there is no area of the home that provides us with more coziness and gratification than the sacred space in which we sleep. Our bed is where we begin and end each day, after all. What could be more worthy of investment? Our bed should be where we feel most safe. We deserve for it to be a reprieve from the outside world, a sanctuary, and a place to decompress, dream, read, cuddle, and be our most at-ease selves.
