Mental Health Care Tip Of The Month: Creating A Sacred Space For The Mind

With summer nearing its end, people are headed back to school and diving head first back into work and their daily routines. For this month’s Mental Health Care Tip, I wanted to focus on how to create a sacred space for the mind to keep you stress free as you transition back into the duties of your day to day life. When we get caught up our daily routines, we tend to sometimes forget to feed our mind and soul. Then when stress becomes a factor, it can lead to anxiety and depression that can be crippling to the point where completing tasks like decluttering your home or doing rituals can feel like they’re impossible to do. Having a sacred space for your mind and utilizing that space on a regular basis can help alleviate some of your stress and help you cope through any low periods of depression. Start by choosing an area. Choose an area or part of your home that isn’t frequented by visitors or other people that live in your home. This is to allow you to have peace and solace to do whatever is needed to uplift your mind and spirit without many interruptions. Places like your bedroom or an unoccupied corner of a living room can be good spaces. Anywhere near a window is great. Allow the light to shine in. If space is limited, get creative and empty out a closet or go outside if you have to. Next you’ll want to set up your sanctuary and create an ambiance that will be soothing and beneficial to your spirit. You can create an altar or put down a mat or blanket for mediation. Include things that are personal to you that bring you joy. If you have a hobby like painting or sewing, you can utilize this space for those activities. Decorate. Adorn your space with photos of you during happy times. Add any healing crystals that you have an affinity to. Burn incense. Light candles. The key is to make this a refuge where you can disconnect from the physical world and dive deeper into your own spirit. So avoid using technology in this space. Unless you have some good reads on your Kindle, laptops, phones and other electronics should be avoided. These are things that connect us to the physical world and even if your phone is on DND, you still might see that triggering text message from your mom or that email from your boss asking you to come into work on your day off for the 3rd time this month. Those are occurrences that can cause negative shifts in energy and create more stress that pulls on your mental health. Set ground rules for your space and stick to them. Other than no technology, make it a rule to cleanse yourself every time you enter your retreat. Burn sage, palo santo, or sprinkle a little Florida water on yourself so you don’t carry low vibrational energy into your safe haven. Keep your space clean. Even if the rest of your home is a wreck, don’t allow the icky energy that comes with clutter to take over your asylum. Don’t allow any negative self talk in this space either. Get a jar and put a quarter or penny inside for every time you make a self deprecating comment. This is a place to show love to yourself, not dive deeper into insecurity. Now, one of the most important elements is to give yourself something to do while in this space. Look up guided meditations on YouTube (there’s A LOT), do a healing ritual, pray or say incantations, paint, read a book, do a puzzle or write down your goals. Learn something new. It’s also ok to simply sit down and just be reflective. Talk to your ancestors and spirit guides. You don’t have to be present at their altars just to communicate with them. They will hear your prayers. Whatever you decide to do, just make sure it’s something uplifting that will shift your focus from all that’s going on in your life. Taking a few moments everyday or even every week to disconnect from the physical world in order to feed your mind and spirit can be very beneficial to your mental health. Visit your sacred space as often as you feel necessary. It’s especially important to utilize your space when your anxiety and depression begin to get the best of you. Even brujas and brujos get caught up in daily life and forget to take care of ourselves or just become to busy to do so sometimes. Having a mini sanctuary in your home will be a visual reminder to take the time you need to recharge. And when you take the time you need to recharge, you will be better able to not only just maintain but also improve your mental health. Understand that holistic and metaphysical methods are highly effective but they don’t work for everyone. Don’t ever be afraid to seek counsel for your issues. I myself, have shied away from traditional therapy in the past because quite frankly, talking to a 60 year old white man about my issues wasn’t exactly therapeutic. Luckily, times have changed so finding a therapist the same hue as you is not as hard. Check out therapyforblackgirls.com to find a melanated counselor near you and continue doing whatever is necessary to maintain your mental health and protect your energy brujas and brujos. Peace and infinite blessings.