Blog post written by Emily Celis, LMFT, S.A.G.E. Holistic Health & Wellness Center
What makes a place a home? This was a question that our S.A.G.E. Family set out to answer in our recent S.A.G.E. Chat about the idea of HOME ? especially as the holidays are upon us. We collectively came up with these ideas of what makes a place a HOME: WHO you are with is your home, feeling grounded is home, having a sense of belonging creates the feeling of home, a cozy-ness feeling is what makes a place a home and self-care in the form of what you eat for making your physical body feel at home.
No matter what changes come throughout your life and what circumstances arise, who you are with can really create a sense of feeling at home, regardless of your surroundings. When so many things are spinning fast, having a trusted and loving person in your life, can create a sense of home for you. You can take that with you anywhere.
Feeling grounded can give you a sense of rooting down and connecting to what IS. When we are not grounded, life can feel frazzled no matter how many people, comforts or how much space we have in a home. When we can be grounded and centered in ourselves, we can feel at home.
Having a sense of belonging creates a feeling of home. When we are true to ourselves and get connected in spaces where we can authentically be ourselves, this can provide us with the feeling of home.
Feeling cozy can get us feeling like we are home. When we take the time to create our space and make it a place of rest, we honor what gives us the feeling of home. We can also uphold the traditions that make our place a home and give ourselves the freedom to pick and choose what works for us.
When we treat our body as the home of our soul, we start to see things in a spiritual sense and can start feeling more at home by caring for our physical vessel. Eating wholesome foods and giving our body the amount of movement and relaxation we need can be a wonderful start to the lived experience of feeling at home in our physical body.
The experience of home changes over the years. As children, our experience of home is created by our caregivers? Sometimes it is a positive experience and sometimes we may find ourselves needing healing from this experience (this is where guides can help you find your way home to yourself. As we age, we find ourselves leaving our homes of origin and beginning the journey of creating home wherever we are. Often times there is grief in this process as we let go of what once was and move toward creating what we hope for.
What can you do right now to start creating a sense of home for yourself?
Setting boundaries can be a great start to moving the line back to create space for yourself, physical space so you can begin seeking what wholeness means to you. Utilizing the question from Brene Brown, What are the stories I’m telling myself about the situation? can allow you to check-in with yourself about what is really happening? and allow you to make your decisions and choices from a centered. Getting to that place of home can be more easily accessed when you are coming from a place of Self-Compassion, take a moment to do this 5-minute Self-Compassion Break and learn more about Dr. Kristin Neff’s work if you’re interested in learning more about this. Taking care of your body can help you feel at home in your own skin, learning to love this vessel that is ours for this life. When you can write down and journal your patterns to create more understanding. And last, create an altar in your home as a place of grounding and connection; a place you can visit time and time again with items that symbolize who you are and what you intend for your life.
Find your HOME and create more moments of wholeness for yourself.
