When you create a safe space in your mind, you will have a permanent, humble abode that you can access for serenity and calm. Coming back to this space will enable you to recharge and regroup when needed. You’ll feel better equipped to face the small and bigger challenges of everyday life. Create a safe space in your mind, one that no one can ever steal from you. I’m galactically grateful to share a few ways in which you can create a safe space in your mind. 

Focus on activities that make you happy

Think back to times when you enjoy yourself the most. What are you doing? Who are you with? Where are you? 

Engaging in activities that bring us joy is one way in which you can come back to a safe mental space. When you’re genuinely happy, it’s harder for negativity and bad attitudes to reign supreme. If you can’t think of an activity that makes you genuinely happy or ones that used to, don’t anymore, it’s never too late to try something new. Maybe you’ll fall in love with a new hobby. Maybe you’ll find that a certain activity isn’t for you, but be proud of yourself for trying. We may miss out on passions if we don’t take a chance on something new. The saying, “it never hurts to try,” couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Focus on your sense of calm 

Close your eyes and envision the times when you feel calm and light. What scents can you smell? What are you doing? Do you allow yourself to relax and be calm? 

It’s too easy to get wrapped up in day to day life without making time for ourselves to sit in our own versions of calm. Calm could look like going for a sunset afternoon stroll, reading a book on a quiet Sunday, taking your car out for a scenic drive, or sitting alone with yourself and reflecting on your thoughts. Plenty of calm-inducing elements are available to us. Make sure you figure out what your version of calm looks like and make sure you visit as often as needed. 

Be gentle with yourself 

You have to be gentle with yourself to create a safe space in your mind. If bad thoughts are swirling around your head and dominating your life, it may be very difficult to be gentle with yourself. But, it’s entirely possible. Try to view yourself as a cherished friend or lover whom you want to unconditionally love and support. Your mentality is worth every ounce of effort and care that you can give.

“Instead of dissing yourself, uplift yourself.”

PSL

The more you practice positive inner self-talk, the more natural it will become. The positive self-talk will create a safe space in which you are gentle with yourself rather than beating yourself up. For example turn a  statement such as, “I don’t know what I’m doing.” to “I have a lot to learn and I can do this.” 

Compete against yourself

Your biggest competitor should always be the person you were yesterday. When you’re truly focused on becoming the best version of yourself possible, you’re committing yourself to the self-awareness it takes to change for the better. In competing against yourself, you create a safe space in your mind by carving out a plan for self-growth that you can continually revisit. Be honest with yourself about where you need improvement.

It’s not always pretty. It’s often messy, complicated, and may require baby steps. Taking baby steps to become better at whatever it is you want to, is 100% okay. I have to remind myself of this a lot. Change and good things take time and effort.  Are you willing to put in the effort and patience it may take to work on improving bad habits and a self-harming mindset in order to become a better you? I really hope you are because you’re worth it and you always matter, every day, 24/7.

Your happiness matters. Your mental health matters. The realist competitor you can face is the person staring back at you in the mirror every day. You know that person the best out of anyone else in this world and you need to be there for that person every day to the best of your ability. Compete against your self-doubt. Compete against your faults. Compete against your fears.

I’m thinking of one of my worst fears right now. It scares the living you know what out of me. I haven’t done it yet. What am I waiting for? Well, I’m afraid.  Although I’m afraid, I don’t want fear governing my life. I’m working on my baby steps to overcome my fears and you can too. It’s not easy and I wouldn’t say I’m succeeding with flying colors. But, I am worth it. You’re worth it. We’re all so worth it! Let’s do this and compete against ourselves so we can rise up in life and level up in ways we’ve only dreamt of. 

These are a few things that helped me create a safe space in my mind. I hope one, two, maybe three, or if I’m lucky, all four were helpful to you. The world is filled with a bombardment of excess chatter that can drown out our sense of safety within our own minds. Sometimes it takes a little bit of effort for us to create new spaces in place of old ones that aren’t as safe anymore for whatever reason. Sometimes we don’t have a safe space yet because we’re stuck in a bleak atmosphere full of pain, sorrow, regret, and stagnation. Through time and personal effort that bleak grey hallway of pity and sadness can lead to a room beaming out a beautiful white light of happiness, hope, and love.

When you create the pathway to this room in your mind, it’s always accessible to you. No one can take that from you. It’s personal, it’s beautiful, and it’s all yours. Be as selfish as you want in your own mind as long as you promise to hopelessly devote yourself to your own peace of mind and wellbeing. You deserve a safe space in your mind in which to curl up like a cat in front of a hearth of a crisp Autumn day.