Creating a Personal Sanctuary - DIY a Refuge from Sensory Overload

Oh my goodness, Friend! I’m so excited to share with you my favorite ways to create a personal sanctuary, a refuge from sensory overload.

I’ve shared a few times, about my sensitivity to sound and touch. This can be a challenge as a married woman. So having a safe space for me to disconnect is essential for my highly sensitive experience.

In our home, I have the largest space to just be in my own world. I would describe myself as a Spiritualist and Scholar, so my space is full of books, tarot and oracle decks, my reiki table and my altars.

This space is where I make my oils and bath salt blends. It’s my cottage in the woods, a safe environment for me to reconnect with me and create with freedom. If you’ve been thinking about rededicating an empty space in your home to something significant for yourself, DO IT.

Creating a personal sanctuary should have a clear purpose for use. It can literally be what you want and how ever you like. Just like a painter has a studio and a seamstress has a sewing room, what is your space?

Knowing your space is about knowing what you like. If you like to cook, how can you decorate and arrange your kitchen to romanticize every experience when you’re cooking?

What do you like to do when you’re seeking refuge from the outside world?

Truthfully, I’ve created my entire home to be a personal sanctuary. With that said, I have another space in the house that is definitely a favorite – the bathroom.

Regardless if I’m taking a shower or bath, it’s a full experience. I decide if I want music or not, I include aromatherapy and massage by using fragrant soaps and scrubs when bathing everyday.

These moments are sacred and shouldn’t be rushed. if having a personal sanctuary in your home feels like a luxury, fear not friend. Find a space outside of the home, a park, library, coffee shop, book store-- the sky is the limit. Trust your nervous system and how it responds to the environments you’re in.

The goal is to have a relationship with our body so that you can create sanctuary where ever you are.

Once you know where your personal refuge is located, now you should determine what you’re going to do there. Like I mentioned, my space is for creating, meditating, reading and being. These are my tools for loving on me.

Knowing what you need when you’re overwhelmed is the key to mastering the highly sensitive lifestyle. Some need solitude when others may need community or partnership. Reflect on the spaces and the people who make you feel safe and at ease. Recreate or request exactly what you need to decompress from the chaotic feelings we can experience as sensitive souls.

What do you do to replenish your energy and restore your nervous system?