Create a soft place to land in your home, a refuge from the stress of the day.
(Madisyn Taylor)
Our day-to-day demands can quickly take their toll on our well-being if we are not vigilant about caring for ourselves as best we can. One way we can ensure that we have an opportunity to relax and recuperate each day is to create a soft place to land when we arrive home. This landing pad, whether it is an entire room or merely a small corner of a larger area, can provide us with a safe and comforting refuge in which we can decompress and recover from the day's stresses. There, we are enveloped in feelings of security that transcend other issues that may be unfolding in our homes. Our landing pads also act as way stations that enable us to shift our attention away from our outer-world concerns and back to our inner-world needs.
To create a soft place to land in your home, begin by scouting potential locations. Or perhaps your entire home is your landing pad in which case you may only need to declutter. Your habits can often provide you with insight into the perfect spot, as there may be an area of your home you gravitate to naturally when you are in need of comfort. Any space in which you find it easy to let go of stress and anxiety can become your landing pad. A basement or attic, spare room, or unused storage area, furnished with items that soothe you, can give you the privacy you need to unwind. If you appreciate the elements, you may find that spending time in a section of your garden or outdoor patio helps you release the day's tensions. Preparing these spaces can be as easy as replacing clutter with a small selection of beautiful objects that put you in a relaxed frame of mind. Remember to consider noise and activity levels while choosing the site of your landing pad. If you know that ordinary human commotion will distract you from your purpose, look for a secluded spot.
The soft place to land that you create should inspire within you the mantra, "I can breathe here. I can relax here. I know I am safe here." When you return to your home after braving worldly rigors, you will feel a subtle, yet tranquil shift occur inside of you as you settle into this most personal of retreats and feel centred once again.
My Thoughts:
My ‘go-to’ place to unwind or step away from things is the sofa, well my end of it. Coffee is better when taken sitting there, usually a cat will be slumbering on the arm with reassuring purrs when stroked or talked to and there is a wall light strategically placed to give the right amount of illumination for reading or craftwork.
If I want to escape from everything and everyone then I abscond to the study upstairs. It was never the intention that it was my personal domain but that is how things have evolved over the years. My desk faces the wall for when I want to get lost in writing, but there is another smaller one on wheels that sits in front of the window. From there I can look out across the coastline and watch the waves on the beach. There is also a comfy lounger chair for when I want to read or just take time-out to do nothing but gaze at the view. The windows in the study open fully so that it seems as if there is nothing between me and nature for when the weather allows, but the huge panes of glass provide the perfect landing for Mother Nature to lash rain against, a sound that I really love especially when doing nothing or meditating.