The gift of space (and how a little can go a long way)

One of the things my clients are often searching for when they come to me is more space. Space to breathe, space to think, space to stop and take stock and figure out what it is they really want. Space, and its sister, Time, seem to be precious resources in this day and age. We are all so busy, doing this, doing that, doing everything we “should” be doing and a fair bit too that we “shouldn’t” be doing. Our lives often leave little time for space, and yet it’s in the spaces in between where the magic happens.

Have you ever built a fire, and eagerly piled on more logs, only to watch the flames sputter and die out, swamped by too much fuel and gasping for too little air? Fire needs space to breathe. Give fire space between the fuel and it will roar to life with incomprehensible energy and vigour.

We are just the same. We need space. But often not quite as much as we think we need (do you ever find yourself thinking that because you can’t take a day off, it’s not worth taking even an hour off? Or because you’re too busy to stop for an hour, you don’t even stop for five minutes?). Even a few minutes away from your desk, stepping outside and feeling the sun or the rain on your face, a few deep breaths, gazing at a tree and letting thoughts drift away, can be hugely beneficial to your mood for the rest of the day. To your creativity, to your feeling of fulfilment, of purpose, of vitality.

I had a beautiful example of this myself just this morning. I’ve had a weight on my mind lately trying to think about what my next steps will be, when I move out of my yurt. I’ve been promising myself space and time to “think about it properly” for a while. And then, this morning, when I’m having a bit of a duvet day (ahhh, a too-rare but delicious treat!), a couple of hours without my phone, just me, my journal, a mug of steaming tea and some chocolate biscuits, and the idea comes. Out of the blue. I didn’t need hours of brainstorming, of meditating, of communing with nature and switching off. I just needed the prospect of a couple of hours, and the half an hour it took me to do that journaling. Suddenly, I have the first few steps of the next path laid out in front of me. My vision unfolds a little further, and the excitement and energy that this gives me (along with the weight of worry that gets shrugged off) will carry me forward onto the next few steps.

So, where can you find a little more space? It doesn’t have to be huge. Five minutes, an hour, half a day. Give yourself the gift of a little bit of space, and see what magic unfolds! I’d love to hear your commitment to giving yourself some space this week, and how you’ll do that. Maybe you’ll inspire someone else to create their own bit of space too…. Do share in the comments below!

Here’s to creating more space, and the magic that follows… xx