Oasis

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Oasis

The coming weeks through the end of the year are often chaotic, tense, emotionally draining. Even when you have strong, positive relationships with family, friends, and co-workers, it can all be a bit much.

It means you need to create an Oasis, for your own well-being, a space into which you can escape, even for a moment. Here are some suggestions:

The Astral Oasis

Take a few minutes and close your eyes. Visualize your perfect tranquil space.

For some, it will be a cozy chair by the fire, with books or tea or knitting or some combination.

For others, it will be a space on the beach or somewhere else in nature.

For yet others, it could be a fond childhood memory, or a fantasy world, or outer space.

Whatever makes YOU feel safe and happy is your space. You never have to tell another individual about it. It is secure, and it is YOURS.

Build a few minutes in your day, similar to meditation time, to visit this space. You can keep building it, rearrange it, do whatever you want until it feels good. Then, visit it regularly. When you start feeling restless in it, make changes to it. But this is YOUR space. You can embellish it with scents, sounds, textures, whenever you wish.

You can visit it anytime you need a moment of peace in a stressful day. If you can close your eyes, do so, and imagine it in your mind’s eye as you follow your breath. If you are not in a place or situation where you can close your eyes, keep them open. Follow your breath, and hold the calm, safe feeling you have when you visit your oasis.

If you do this regularly, simply saying or thinking the word, “Oasis” (or whatever you choose to call it) will take you there for a few moments of calm.

The Physical Oasis

Set up a favorite chair, corner of the couch, oversized cushions and blankets on the floor of your bedroom – anything that makes you feel safe and calm.

Carve out a few minutes every day to sit there and feel peaceful. It can be right before bedtime (that will help you sleep). It can be first thing in the morning, to start your day on a calmer note. It can be a break during the day, or when you get home from work, to transition from the detritus of the day to something calmer.

As you do this regularly, you will be able to call up the look and sensation of the space (similar to the way actors use sense memory) if you’re have a stressful time away from home. You will be able to take a deep breath, pull up the sensation of how good you feel in the space, and build moments of stress relief into you day.

Again, after a period of time, just saying or thinking the word, “Oasis” (or whatever you choose to call the space) will give you access to the feelings of calm and safety.

Naming

Names have power. Words have power. Naming your sanctuary, especially if you never share that name with anyone else, gives you even stronger boundaries and safer space.

Working in and with the space regularly will, as mentioned above, give you the ability to speak or think the name wherever you are, and pull up the sense of tranquil security.

Start creating the space  now, during these stressful weeks, slowly, with flexibility, and then you can carry it with you next year.

You’ll know when you want and need to make changes, and that’s a good thing. The space does double duty: it offers calm and safety, while being a work in progress to grow with you as you grow.

Have a lovely season, my friends.

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