A Little World All To Myself

A little world all to myself.

When the world becomes too hectic and scary, or we find ourselves in despair, depressed, or in need of a break – we feel a need to move to a place that will restore our sense of rest and wellbeing. To our own private sanctuary that will grant us a pause, safety from the world outside, time to breathe, and allow our lungs to expand again, from their held and contracted state, to let the deep inner sighs of relief out and release tension, anguish, and overwhelm. No matter what this place is, an inner world, or a hiding place – it is a call to self-love and self-care, and we must honor this call for our own health and wellbeing.

We all need an island of respite, somewhere that offers us a soft landing, a place of safety, compassion, and understanding for the swirling thoughts that will not be silenced, and the shadowy atmosphere of images, feelings, and relentless judgments haunting the mind and being stored and then held in the body. Our own inner haunting can be frightening, painful, and unrelenting, and is a powerful motivator to seek out a hiding space and refuge; to unplug the mind’s scary images, reveal the shadowed corners, and gently quiet the disembodied voices. David Whyte, the wonderful writer, and poet describes the term “haunted” as:

…someone or something that walks the halls of our house or our mind looking for what will help to lay its own self to rest.

_David Whyte, “Consolations”