Create Your Personal Sanctuary

My aunt recently passed away from cancer. The week preceding her death, she was moved to an end-of-life ward located at the end of a hallway. My cousin who was with her the whole time told me that she really liked the ward because it felt so calm. The stillness and quiet really stood out for her. This didn’t surprise me. She lives and works in a big city. Big cities aren’t known for stillness and quiet. Yet stillness and quiet are the brain’s greatest needs. The rate at which the brain takes in, processes, and puts out information is beyond the comprehension of the most intelligent human. We rarely give it a rest. Even when we’re sleeping, the brain’s restorative time, our habits have made sleep restless rather than restful. So how can you achieve the stillness and quiet that the brain craves?

My favorite tool is the personal sanctuary

A sanctuary can mean different things to different people. And they are all correct. However, they may not always be considered accessible. In order to be able to use a tool frequently and easily, it must be accessible, simple to use, and deeply rewarding when the goal is achieved; so much so that it creates a habit of reuse through self-motivation. This is how I’ve designed my sanctuaries. Since my mom passed away, close to twenty-three years ago, I’ve created simple sanctuaries in my home. Here’s my method for you to use immediately:

• Find a space within your home that is out of the main traffic area, with minimal house decor items, and with uncluttered floor and wall space.
• Move items in or out of the area as needed.
• Decide whether you want to put a favorite chair to sit on or if a few cushions on the floor can work.
• Think about 2-3 items to add, like a blanket, candles, a couple of photographs, a journal and pen, flowers, diffuser with your favorite essential oils, without cluttering this space.
• That’s it.

When you stand back from this space and look at it, general feelings of lightness, calm, and openness begin to set in and allow you to breathe more easily. Have a seat in this space and notice the serenity that sets in as your brain slows down, your muscles relax, and your jaw unclenches. Think about the best times during the day that you can come back to this space and recreate this stillness and quiet with ease. This is your personal sanctuary.

• Do you have a sanctuary in your home that you use often to get to the stillness and quiet?
• Or, how will you now be making room and time to enjoy the stillness and quiet with little effort?

Tell me about it in the comments if this blog