A Safe Place

Hello again! So nice to see you still reading my blogs. I really do appreciate it more than you know. 🙂

Over the past weekend, I decided to change my office around. I am very fortunate to have my own room/office in my house and have always loved it in there surrounded by special things I have been given over the years by friends. There was one big problem though, I did not face the door. Due to where the internet cable comes in to the room I just couldn’t get things turned around. This on its own is not a problem but not being able to see the door meant I was getting startled on a regular basis. Seriously no fun!

So this past weekend, I moved everything around (after obsessively cleaning first – the OCD is much better these days but far from gone. My desk now faces the door and I actually have a shelf blocking other people from seeing me easily from the hallway. I always keep my door open and there is traffic in and out all the time but when I am alone, it is nice to feel cozy and even more importantly? Safe!

Do you have a safe place in your home? A place that you can go to when you feel overwhelmed or just need a bit of a break? A chair, a room, a tree stump in your backyard? I know I am very lucky to have a whole room but it wasn’t always this way. I remember trying to mark out a little space for myself when the kids were all still home. NOT EASY! I’ve also lived in tiny apartments where there was hardly space to turn around so I know not everyone lives the same way that I do. That said? We all deserve a space of our own. It might need to be little but it needs to be there for us.

When in hospital last year they had a “Safe Chair”. It wasn’t a private place but  it was explained within the first couple of days that if you felt unsafe at any point, you could go there and when someone was in that chair, we were not supposed to talk to them. This may sound silly but it actually never even occurred to me that you could ask people not to disturb you. I had never set a boundary with anyone to get time to myself, a quiet hour in a day or even 5 minutes on many days. I dropped what I was doing no matter who requested my attention. The kids, my husband, the dogs, the phone, chores… Looking back it no longer shocks me that I had a total burn out.

So maybe you could use a comfy chair in your home or anything else you find comfortable and let people know that when you are in that place, you prefer not to be interrupted. Put your music on (headphones are best), read a book, meditate or do whatever helps you feel calmer and more energized again. Even 5 minutes a day is a huge improvement over 0 minutes.
I used to say something all the time that I later learned was not at all true. I always said “I never have any time to myself.” I meant that! In truth though? “I never took time for myself” was far more correct.
So take some time today… and every day after. 🙂

This is taken from the hallway looking in to my office. The long table is my craft table which will not stay clean for long.
My desk somewhat hidden behind the large shelf. LOVING IT!