Mastering Self-Care: The Art of Holding Space for Yourself

Self-Care
Written By Anna .

Hey lovely souls! In this blog post, we are going to dive into the topic of holding space for oneself.

We’re going to take a deeper look into:

  • What does it mean to hold space for yourself?

  • How to start holding space for yourself

  • Journal prompts and insightful action items that may assist you in exploring ways to create more space in your life for yourself.


Nurturing Your Inner Sanctuary: Understanding the Essence of Holding Space for Yourself

Creating space involves creating time for you just to be!

You are busy managing life, family, career, social aspects, eating, sleeping, and everything else that gets thrown on the plate of life. Often, we find ourselves running on autopilot almost at machine-like levels.

While yes, the body is magnificent, and the mind is resilient, we need time and space to be.

Do you have any designated space in your life to just be?

This doesn’t have to be a full day, week, or vacation!

Even if only for 5 minutes. Do you have space for you? Are you holding space for you? Whether you are currently or not, where can you create more space for yourself?

If you currently have no time for yourself, I encourage you to review your schedule and see where you can commit to or add in 5 minutes designated for you only. It may not seem like much, but you will see the difference it makes over time.

If you already have designated self-time, where could you add 5 minutes?


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Empowering Self-Care Practices: Key Actions for Holding Space Within

We all frequently put ourselves on the back burner of life. I know I’m guilty of this. There is so much busyness and things to do constantly. We could very well be perpetuating self-neglect even though we feel like we're checking off all the boxes of our daily tasks and feel productive.

Here are some key actions to take when holding space for yourself.

  1. No sudden changes-  One initial step is to embrace where you are and appreciate it. We often feel that if we do not take immediate action, we are failing, even if the action is nonproductive. There is much to say about just breathing, bringing awareness to where you are, and planning for your next steps.

  2. Commitment – This is a commitment to self. Guilt-free commitment to self. Dig deep and determine why it may be easy to commit to another but not yourself.

  3. Trust – Trust in yourself. If you are feeling lost or anxious, bring awareness to this, create shifts in your perspective, and move into a state of trust. Trust the process you are in. It may not be an immediate aha moment, but you’ve laid the intention. Trust you will receive the answer to your needs. Do not force, just as we cannot force a flower to bloom. just allow the ever-unfolding rose of your life to bloom for you.

  4. Choose where your attention goes-  Don’t allow yourself to be pulled in by external nonsense that may be available. Be aware of your surroundings and how they impact you. Bring awareness to all things you consume. Your internal dialogue, the people, places, things, TV, music, books, podcasts, friends, family, social media etc you take in. Take note and determine what is beneficial and what is not beneficial for you. Don’t allow things you do not wish to have to influence your life to limit your joy and happiness.

  5. Give yourself your flowers- Give yourself your flowers where they are due. Evaluate and remind yourself of the goodness within, no matter the outside circumstances. You have a choice to feel good about your goodness.

  6. Be the light- Be the light, joy, and happiness you seek if you do not have these things in your world and feel as if someone else should provide them. Shift your perspective and be all you seek from the external world. If there is no one lighting you up. Be the light. Light yourself up, and you will be the beacon. Lead by example.

You are amazing and capable of so much. Know this and live in it.


Guided Reflections: Journal Prompts and Action Steps for Cultivating Self-Space

Journal Prompts:

Where can you create and hold more space for yourself?

Where in your schedule can you make more time to Be, even for just 5 minutes daily?

What is the change you wish to see in your surroundings?

How can you be that change you seek?


ACTION:

Begin to bring awareness to what you’d like to see in your world. What would your ideal life look like? Take 5 minutes (or more) and write it down.

Declutter your life! Review your schedule! What can you let go of?

When cultivating self-love, holding space for yourself is a must.

Even if only for a few moments, allowing our complete being to be. This can offer profound insights into yourself that you may not be aware of. It will often assist in bringing another level of awareness to yourself.


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Here are 5 quick ways I begin holding space for myself when I felt like I have no time to spare in the craziness of my busy life and responsibilities.

Some of them may or may not work for you. But this is how I got started:

  1. Wake up 5 minutes early. This may not seem significant, but it allowed me to wake up, decompress, and set my intentions for the day.

  2. 5-minute mindfulness walk @ lunch. I would walk around my building at work for a few minutes before it was time to return from lunch.

  3. 5 minutes, no bathroom, bathroom break- I know, gross, right, but as a parent, sometimes this is literally the only place I’m alone. So I take my time(when I can, of course)

  4. 5 minutes in the car before or after your work commute. Just sit for a couple of extra minutes. Breathe and gather yourself.

  5. Take an extra 5 minutes before bed, even if to breathe and give thanks for 1 thing you are grateful for from your day.

Now, with all this said, it's easier said than done. I can give personal testimony that I have tried them all, and all were catalysts that assisted me in creating and holding more space for myself. I know, ideally, we would all like to have more time for ourselves, but easing into a commitment that was small allowed me to stay consistent, and I was able to build on it.

Anna .
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