🌿 Micro Sanctuary Setup (Physical + Energetic Containment)

Today, I am overwhelmed by everything that is happening in my house. I current split a living space with my mom who's retired. It's a full house, there is a lot of space but we still end up....with things just everywhere.

(As someone who is Autistic this overwhelms me and sometimes causes shut downs.)

I know we are at the start of a new season. I know that we are in a landscape transition from what used to be there which was SO much work, to something that will be more doable moving forward. But outside right now, is chaotic, we've removed trees, pulldown down vines that had been growing for years, pruned trees, bushes etc. Plus we have clean up from the last ice storm as well. All while she's also organizing her sheds, taking everything she owns out to see if she wants to use it/keep it.
You walk into the back yard and it's just a garden BOMB of destruction.

And inside, which we share....there's not a fight but I'll say there is tension (at least on my side) because I like bright, clean, lots of space for living. And then when I work on artistic projects, I want everything out all the time but in some ordered chaos. This is part of ADHD. Sometimes I can end up feeling so overwhelmed if I have to take everything I need out of storage, set it all up to work on a project. Because then, who knows if my Autistic side will even have enough capacity to do the work I actually want to do.

Having stations, leaving things out and easy to grab allows me to step in and out into a project easily. I am more productive, I also can live around things which forces me to continuously look at them which gives me more creative ideas and helps projects move to completion quicker. But currently there is no specific space in the house for this which.....is honestly everything I want. A studio space. That is just mine, that can be chaotic and an organized mess. Where I can see everything I'm working on as soon as I walk in and where I can just chill, live. LIVE within my own creative world.

But currently that just isn't a reality.

All of this to say that I spoke about this in therapy and ended up with some prompts in order to create a micro-santuary which I thought I would share incase anyone else could use this as well.

See below for the steps :)

These photos were taken in December 2024. There weren't take for anything specific I was simply trying to get back into shooting everyday life. I love photographs that are like a "visual personal diary." (I believe that came from Katie West.)

You can see how, even though things are organized there is just so much of everything. There is not just 1 plant, there's 20. There's not just one centerpiece, there are 3? 5? I can't even tell. And while you can easily move around things, it's all just so visually HEAVY.

Make Your Own Micro-Sanctuary

1. Choose One Corner
Pick one small area you can control fully today—desk, bed, chair, windowsill, even a tray. Somewhere the rest of the chaos can’t bleed into.

2. Physically Define It
Use a blanket, candles, essential oil, a shawl, headphones—anything sensory or symbolic. Say to yourself (or out loud):

“This space is mine. It is safe, it is quiet, and it is enough.”

3. Visual/Verbal Tether
Write or post one grounding phrase nearby—something like:

“I am not responsible for everything I see.”
“My energy is not up for negotiation today.”
“This corner holds me when the world is too loud.”

4. Breath/Touch Anchor
Pause here. Three breaths, or hands on heart. Let your body feel the container you've created. Even 2 minutes here can recalibrate your whole system.

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Currently Day Dreaming about....