Most of us have heard the phrase “My home is my sanctuary”. But do we actually know how to make that our reality? My hope in this blog post is to give some meaningful tips on how to go about achieving this and to get our excitement and imagination flowing!
The goal is to make our homes the place we look forward to coming to, the reprieve from the hustle and bustle, the oasis away from everyday life. That sounds lovely and all but let’s get real here for a second. I can only vouch for my life but I would venture to guess that many share in a similar reality.
This reality perhaps looks less like an oasis and more like……. more work. Follow me here. Who comes home to a relaxing atmosphere that we can genuinely call a sanctuary? Or……….does reality look more like kids fighting, lawns needing mowing, meals needing prepping, laundry needing washed, dishes needing loading, dog needing walked, homework needing completion….. you know pretty much havoc unleashed! This does not sound like an oasis at all, this sounds like a headache waiting to happen!
This is not to say we do not have peace and happiness in our homes, but perhaps the words oasis or sanctuary are a stretch of the imagination. I am proof that this is achievable. Perfect example in my life is Beach Therapy. I conduct my private counseling practice Beach Therapy out of the comforts of my own home. At first I did this because economically it made more sense. I slowly began to make that area in my home a beach sanctuary. I now look forward to being in that room, it brings me peace and I feel a very genuine sense of joy when I counsel there.
I feel so much in an oasis at Beach Therapy that now that I am building my practice and things are flowing nicely I drag my feet at the thought of moving into some sterile building. I am not sure where the future will lead me or my practice, but I know no matter the path the beach sanctuary will need to follow. Today I will share how I was able to create that for myself and how I believe we can all create that.
I did this by taking the ocean theme, which brings me the most peace and creating an area in my home where I am surrounded by things that remind me of it. From the colors on the walls, to the pictures hanging, the shells scattered around, the pillows on my therapy couch and even the smells I infuse into the room. I keep adding to the room and with each edition I become more immersed in the peace it brings and creates.
I’ve had multiple Beach Therapy clients tell me how much they love it and would miss it should I decide to conduct my sessions outside of my home. One thing I always assure them of is even if Beach Therapy is in a sterile building, once you enter my four walls you will forget where you are at. Now that I have created this personal oasis I want to continue to create that in my life and to help others do the same.
A simple way to start is by picking a room, whether it be your living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen or any room really. Pick a room and pick a theme that brings you complete joy. Fill it with that joy. From the colors, to the smells, to the decor down to the small details only you notice. It seems simple, and it is simple, but it also works to create the peace you want when you come home. Perhaps both before and after your hectic day you spend 20 minutes in your created oasis, just soaking in the beautiful calm. What a great way to both start and end a day!
The second advise I would give you is this. Make your oasis off-limits to all negative energy. What do I mean by this? It is a rule in my home that the kids are not to spend lots of time in my therapy room. I also shun upon any type of arguments conducted in that room. I love my children more than the sun and moon, but they have endless amounts of energy, give little thought about treating things nicely and they fight with each other about various insignificant things, as children often do.
I do not like this type of energy in that room. They struggle with being calm for any length of time. On the contrary, my oasis is both a calming room for myself and my clients. My children know that the house is theirs but that room with some exceptions is off-limits. Not everyone has the ability to make a room off-limits, that much I understand, but you can still create a space where you set rules. Rules that say if we are upset, fighting, feeling a burst of uncontrollable energy, please exit this room. This room is for when we are searching for peace, calm and tranquility and it will not be tainted by any other energy.
Creating this space should be an adventure. Not a quick put it together deal. What I mean to imply is take the time to enjoy it. I have enjoyed every step of creating the space I have for Beach Therapy and it continues to morph as my vision for it becomes more vivid.
Friends, family and now even clients who visit any kind of beach from all over the globe have brought me back sea shells from those locations. I love this and I am so thankful people do this because these items add to the love I have for this room. I look around before each session and immerse myself in the thoughts of what those beaches must have been like and the joy it brought to those who visited.
These precious moments before a session allow me to refocus. In this time of grounding and refocus between clients I always welcome the peace I am feeling into the new session I am about to have. This allows me to be the calming presence for clients who need and seek that.
I hope this gives you inspiration for what it would mean and be to create your very own oasis in your home, office and life. If you or anyone you know is looking for someone to talk to in order to find your peace amongst a world of chaos you can reach me at mybeachtherapy.net.
