Taking Space

I strongly believe that we  have the answers to many of our problems within us. So often a patient will present to me feeling out of sorts. They will sit down, and immediately tell me all the things they know that are not working for them. Many times they will also list the ways in which they can change things.

While there are many reasons we can lose touch with our needs, and the things that make us feel happy, one of the biggest causes is that we don't take space for ourselves.. 

It becomes so easy to get caught up in routines or unhelpful habits. We forget the importance of having a break from our day to day life  and the perspective that we obtain from stepping outside of it. 

Sometimes we don't even realise we need space, but find ourselves feeling fatigued, frustrated  or irritated more easily. This is often our body or mind telling us things are out of balance.

While a three or four week holiday may be an easy way to solve this, this is often not feasible.

 A more practical idea is to take small moments of space in our day to day. Doing this takes us out of ourselves and may shift unhelpful thinking patterns or thoughts. It also allows us to become more in touch with our needs.

Taking space may involve doing something like going to nature, finding a nature walk nearby or even doing a day trip. 

Meditation provides an excellent way of taking a break  ( if you already meditate doing a new or different kind of meditation can be of great benefit)*

Other ideas include changing a routine, going somewhere different, calling a friend you haven't talked to in awhile, or putting on music that you love but haven’t listened to in a while.

It can be helpful to start by writing a list of the things you enjoy doing. Often we are not doing enough of these.

As humans we need space to both gain perspective and also to recharge.

The link below is to fantastic podcast that looks at simple things we can do:

Ten percent happier Dan Harris

https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/samantha-boardman-473

*See meditation section of this website for tips on establishing a meditation routine.