The Best Way to Build an Inner Safe Space
Building an inner safe space in a world full of stimuli isn’t easy. It’s actually quite the contrary, a highly rewarding task that doesn’t require a huge investment. This is because having your own place to reconnect with yourself will allow you to grow as you continue to learn.
But what exactly is this about? In other words, a safe space is a place to go to when the maelstrom of daily events absorbs and overwhelms you. It’s your own private space. One where you’ll have the possibility to allow yourself to be as vulnerable as you want to be.
As you can see, every person will have a unique concept of this. This is because every person has different needs. However, there’s a common foundation for placing the pillars of this kind of structure.
To build this inner refuge, you must be able to stay silent without judging your thoughts. In other words, just let them be and do absolutely nothing, especially at times when all you can do is this little daily exercise.
As you can see, this is a meditation practice, in a way. Next, discover how to build your own interior shelter and the benefits of this process.
“Silence is a source of great strength.”
-Lao Tzu-
How to build an inner safe space
This place shouldn’t be a place to escape but rather to do the opposite. You must use it to connect with yourself and, at the same time, disconnect from any unnecessary daily stimuli. It’ll be a kind of firm ground to go to when a storm strikes. A storm is any situation that shakes, paralyzes, and stresses you.
Thus, when can you begin to build your inner shelter? When you begin to question what you’ve learned. In other words, when you take the time to look beyond the superficial. How can you do it? Where do you start? Well, there are three key ideas to accomplish it:
Give yourself permission to do nothing for a few minutes a day
Simply spend a few minutes a day doing nothing. A little trick is to take advantage of the moments that require some kind of waiting (at the doctor, for example). Don’t go straight to your cell phone for music or other distractions. Instead, give yourself this moment not to think and simply be. In other words, flow and find some peace amid the daily hustle and bustle.
The goal is to stop looking for stimuli to kill time with. Thus, with practice and training, you can extrapolate this exercise to other moments of your day. Meditate for a few minutes right after you wake up. In addition, just lie on the couch, close your eyes, and relax as soon as you get home.
Allow yourself to go blank
Another small action that can help you build your inner shelter is to try to detach yourself from everything that’s expected of you. Also, give up on your expectations of others. This is because you must try to connect with your essence. Let go of your ego, your thoughts, and everything that anchors you to the past.
Things begin and end in the here-and-now in your inner safe space. In other words, the goal is for you to stop paying attention to the past and the future.
Living this way will allow you to enjoy the present without ties or expectations that can frustrate you over time. It’s about connecting with what’s happening inside of you at this precise moment, in order to confront what’s happening outside. This way, you can gracefully emerge from situations that may make you stumble.
Visualize a peaceful inner safe space
Another technique for building one is to visualize a space that provides you with peace and security. It could be a beach, an oasis in the middle of the desert, or a tropical forest.
The goal here is for you to visualize yourself in this mental place at times when you need an outlet for peaceful reflection.
There’ll be obstacles
You might run into certain obstacles when you start to build your inner safe space: resistance, fear, uncertainty, insecurities, pain, etc. All of this is part of the process and you shouldn’t worry too much about it. Instead, try to go further and let it shape gradually, without pressure or demands.
In addition, it’s normal for all these resistances or fears to appear when you settle into silence. This is because you’re not used to stopping your thoughts and your actions.
Don’t get overwhelmed though. Remember that it’s about progressing little by little. Thus, practice these habits every day to integrate them into your routine and finally build your inner safe space. It’ll greatly benefit you.
Benefits of creating an inner safe space
How will this intimate personal space help you? The main benefit of having an inner safe space is that it’ll allow you to draw strength when you need it in the light of changes, complicated life situations, and crises.
Also, building an inner refuge will provide you with a place to go where no one will judge you. In other words, a place to breathe and connect with yourself.
Another benefit of inner safe space, particularly if you’ve already built it and consolidated it over time, is the ability to confront sudden changes. It’s a tool that’ll allow you to assimilate everything you’ve experienced from the perspective of an observer who doesn’t make judgments.
Be careful, though. An inner safe space isn’t a magical mechanism that’ll take away all of your pain and suffering. It’s a space in which you can serenely face various life situations and to go into when you’re overwhelmed.
Finally, building an inner safe space is the first step to understanding that everything you’re looking for, everything you need, is already inside of you.