Creating a Healing Space: Tips for Caregivers

Healing within my zen den.

Its been a process with many ups and downs. My reclaiming happened within 2021, 2022 it was MY space again. A room that I could retreat to and allow my creativity to flow and grow.

Our Healing Room, for our family.

Until it became the literal medical of that. The room, the massage table, the space, was used to organize and store medical supplies and wound care was happening either daily or every other day.

My space, although I could hold off on succombing to this for a while, it then became too much. The weight of what was expected from me. The worry, the resentment, the anger, the multitude of emotions and feelings being felt. The questions. Its very easy to sink into victim mentality, after 2 yrs + 3 surgeries of my husband, it felt like a personal, painful joke.

Of course as a wife and mom I would do anything for them.

Something has to give though and far too often, its the caregivers mental health.

My room, my space, became the ‘dumping ground’ again in a sense that it was just so emotionally overwhelming for me to be in there, it was merely used for storage and wound care. This made sense in the moment, ease for what we were living in and with at the time.

I knew this was something that is important to my own mental health. During those first few years of the turmoil, having this space – entirely to me for a full year – was life giving. As I was questioning myself the other day, HOW did you do …

I didn’t have the opportunity to THINK about what I needed to do or take care of. It was a matter of fact. However when I skim the surface for taking care of me, I truly get little benefit of this. I may be able to keep myself skimming the surface, staying afloat, however thats it.

This weekend, I took back that space, with still a bit of filing to do to finish organizing, the space feels fresh again, like me again. Honoring who I know I am and that my quirkiness and uniqueness is admired by some, possibly not by others and thats ok. The ying and yang of life, much like my zen den healing room! I am grateful for this space, I am grateful I had the opportunity to use it how I needed to. I am also grateful for the glaring spotlight of importance that even when it was a caregiving room, its deeply crucial for me to have this space for me, and thats ok!

Don’t leave yourself in the dark… lean in and honor your heart + soul!