Find Your Safe Space
Lately, my thoughts and focus have been on the idea of how you can find your safe space within your day to day life.
I’m always on the lookout for life lessons – those little magical moments when I have an ‘ah ha’ and think – Oh, yes, that’s a good one!
Well, our teachers come in all shapes and sizes and the latest one of these ‘ah ha moments’ came from my dear pup, Georgie Girl.
We were having a glorious late afternoon thunderstorm here in New Hampshire – well, glorious to me, but not so much to my dear Georgie, who is afraid of thunder!
As the rain was coming down hard on the roof and the thunder really starting to peak, I was in the laundry room folding sheets, and Georgie Girl soon ran in panting and shaking.
I was in the midst of folding a queen-size sheet, and Georgie ran right for it, tucked her head in the middle of the sheet, like she was saying, Mama, please wrap me up and let this be my safe space.
I adore my girl, but these sheets were white and my favorite, so I swapped out the sheet and picked up an old faded towel from the bin beneath the folding table and held it out for her.
She immediately tucked in her head, and I wrapped the rest down over her big body.
I held my hands still on her back practicing Reiki and we stayed that way for several minutes until I felt her panting subside and her whole being relax.
Connecting to Recent Thoughts
No surprise, that moment came right on the heels of what I’ve been thinking a lot about lately – finding safe moments and spaces within our own day to day lives.
Places and spaces where we can step away and give ourselves that sense of security and comfort, just like I had for Georgie Girl.
Lately, my serene, safe space has been my office. I close the door, stream tranquil music, sit for a few minutes in stillness and then take a few minutes to read a passage or two from one of my favorite spiritual books.
Outside of the house, I find safe, tranquil spaces in the woods, implementing the Japanese method of Forest Bathing, which I wrote about here.
Not all of you have the luxury of a quiet office, or wooded trail, but those quiet, safe moments are available if you intentionally look for, and create them.
Find Your Safe Spaces
~ Put on a pair of headphones and tuck into a corner of a couch with a blanket wrapped around yourself.
~ Set up a folding chair outside under the shade of a tree.
~ In the car, shut everything off, and just sit and breathe for a few quiet moments.
~ Create a little ‘altar’ with a some of your favorite books and mementos on a small table or stool in a corner where you visit for a few moments of quiet contemplation each day.
Many of my coaching clients, especially those with young children and/or demanding jobs, set an alarm 15 – 20 minutes early each morning to get up and create that sacred, quiet space in their days.
The beauty in giving yourself those few extra moments of comfort, kindness and care, is the impact it has on the rest of your day, and in turn, those you encounter as you move through your day.
You become the ripples on the pond, spreading your positive energy to others.
So…
Do you have a favorite space to which you retreat?
Are you ready to find one?
I would so love to hear!
I also know first hand that a notebook, scrap of paper or any writing devise of any sort, can be a safe place as well.
With that in mind, here is the latest writing prompt for you.
I feel safe when…
