It started with a meltdown, a spilled bowl of egusi soup, and a husband who muttered, “We should just move.”
But instead of packing boxes, Adoma Mensah did something unexpected:
She bought a can of sunshine-yellow paint.
By Saturday morning, her kitchen walls — even the ceiling — were glowing like dawn. No contractors. No Pinterest board. Just a woman reclaiming her space, one brushstroke at a time.
Now, every Friday, Adoma asks herself: What does my soul need this weekend?
More often than not, the answer isn’t wine, yoga, or a nap.
It’s color.
And in that simple act — painting a stool, a mug, a cupboard door — she’s found her most personal, powerful weekend self-care ritual.
“I didn’t want calm,” says the 34-year-old brand strategist.
“I wanted joy. And I realized: if I had to wait for life to be perfect to feel it… I’d never feel it at all.”
Now, every Friday evening, she does a “color check”:
Is the house feeling heavy? Dull? Drained?
If yes — she paints something.
A stool. A mug. The front door.
And just like that, the weekend begins.
Why Color Is the New Cozy
Let’s be honest: most cozy movie night ideas follow the same script:
- Dim lights
- Blankets
- Something nostalgic on screen
- Someone asleep by 8 PM
But what if comfort doesn’t come from darkness — but from light?
From a splash of fuchsia on a reading chair?
A lime-green teapot that makes you smile?
A bedroom wall in “Dawn Glow,” because waking up should feel like hope?
Adoma isn’t alone. Across West Africa — in Lagos, Cotonou, Kumasi — more people are turning to emotional color therapy as their go-to weekend ritual.
Not expensive. Not complicated.
Just intentional vibrancy.
“I used to think only rich people could redecorate,” says Chioma, a teacher in Enugu who repainted her bathroom coral pink after her divorce.
“But joy doesn’t need square footage. It needs courage — and one can of paint.”
The Psychology of a Hue
Color isn’t decoration. It’s mood architecture.
An environmental psychologist , explains:
“Many young Nigerians are now choosing paint over pressure, turning weekend self-care rituals into vibrant acts of resistance against burnout.”
In fact, many young Nigerians are skipping spa days and instead hosting “Paint & Pour” weekends:
- Friends gather with wine, jollof, and sample pots from B&Q
- Each person paints one small thing
- No skill required. Just feeling
“It’s cheaper than therapy,” jokes Yemi, 29. “And I see my progress.”
Joy Doesn’t Have to Wait
We act like happiness needs permission.
Like it must be earned through hustle, wealth, or stillness.
But sometimes, joy is as simple as a wall that smiles back.
Adoma still has messy days. Soup spills. Arguments happen.
But when she walks into her yellow kitchen — especially on gray mornings — she remembers:
“She is the author of her atmosphere. And every weekend, she renews her spirit — not with silence, but with a self-care ritual that shines back at her.”
And every weekend, she picks the tone — one brushstroke at a time.
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