Setting Up A Safe Space // Self Care 101

Self-care is super important! That is why I will be making quite a few posts on the subject. I am still learning how to take proper care of myself, physically and mentally, but I have grown a lot in the past year and I would like to share what I have learned!

Setting up a safe space is vital to your wellbeing. It is somewhere you can go to get away from the stressful world and take some time to yourself. For me, this space is my room. I share a house with five other people so it's the only place I truly have to myself! However, your space doesn't have to be your room! It could be a kitchen, a certain spot in the library, a certain park, etc. For the sake of this post, I will be focussing on setting up a space within your own home, as this is where you can most likely control your surroundings!

Firstly, it is important to surround yourself with your interests. I do this with posters, by displaying my books and records, by pinning up sentimental objects, and by owning many plants! In terms of posters, I have a couple large posters (a Prince poster and an X Files poster) and a couple smaller film posters (The Shining and Star Wars). I understand that a lot of people prefer to keep their walls clearer and that is totally up to you! Whatever you feel comfortable with will work best for you! That's the trick to building your own space, you know what works best for you personally and can experiment freely.

I like to fill my safe space with music. It sets a mood for me and I tend to feel uncomfortable in silence. Most of the time, i'll pop a record on my turntable. However, I also listen to a lot of music on YouTube and Spotify! There are really good lo-fi playlists on YouTube and I love playing music that blurs into the background and doesn't distract my thoughts.

For me, my space has to smell nice. I cannot stand a room that smells bad or stale. I have reed diffusers dotted around my room. Just the cheap lavender ones from Primark. Walking into my room and being hit with its signature scent is so comforting to me. It reminds me that i'm stepping into a space which is mine alone.

Airing out your room is important! Super important! As soon as it's mild outside, open your window a crack and let some fresh air into your room. Your lungs will thank you! Either that or open the door to your room for a while. Let it circulate!

Soft furnishings and textiles are a massive bonus! Blankets, pillows and fresh sheets are a few of my favourite things! They make me feel relaxed and keep me warm in winter. Comfort is key in a safe space! It doesn't have to be anything too fancy though, my blankets are the cheapest ones from Primark and they do the job nicely!

Lighting, I find, is super important and can affect my moods and headspace dramatically! I prefer lamplight over my main room light so I keep my lamp beside my bed. When I want to relax, that's the only light I have on. When I am socialising or focussing, all my lights are on. I keep my blinds open 24/7 because I have a skylight window so nobody can look in but all the sunlight can stream in when I wake up. This means that I wake up immediately with the sunlight and don't stay in bed in the mornings as much as I used to! The sunlight is also super great when i'm studying and focussing, and also for blog pictures!

As I have mentioned, this space doesn't necessarily have to be in your home. This is a list of spaces where I feel the calmest and most comfortable:

• The quiet study floor of my local museum
• The psychology building cafe
• The woodland walk behind my parents' house
• On a quiet morning bus with my headphones on
• My favourite bench in the local art gallery
• Waterstones, or any bookshop anywhere
• The corner seat in my favourite cafe

Let me know what makes your space comfortable and stress-free! I would love to hear from you!