Having your own small bit of space is so important. It doesn’t matter what you call it or what it’s purpose is: a sacred space, a creative space, a meditative space, a relaxing space, a sanctuary, a cosy nook. Whatever you use it for, what’s important is that it’s a space that offers you support and solace and it’s yours. More than ever before, we all need somewhere in our homes that feels like a safe and welcoming place.

If you’re lucky, perhaps you have a whole room that could be yours, that you could envision turning into a sanctuary where you write, paint or do whatever it is that you find helpful, nourishing and reassuring. If you’re like me, perhaps you share your house with a number of other people and claiming a whole room for yourself is just not possible. Even so, there is usually a way in which you can claim a small part of a room and my writing exercise below is an invitation to begin envisioning how you might do that, starting with one small step.

Your creative, healing or sacred space might be a neatly stocked cabinet beside the kitchen table, full of arts and craft materials that you can get out and put away again. Or it might be a low shelf with some precious items beautifully displayed and a yoga mat stored beneath it. It might be your Grandad’s old folding chair, a box of seeds and your gardening journal, neatly tucked away in a corner of the shed. What it looks like is unique to you.

Here’s the writing prompt to get you started making space for yourself:

Create a creative/ healing space:

Begin by asking yourself: Where in your home and locale do you feel most content? What is the habitat which best allows you and your creative self to flourish? Where do you most want to go when you need to nourish or replenish yourself? Is it indoors or outdoors? Think about specific times and places in your life that have made you feel this way. Write about this in your journal.

Next describe your idea of a perfect creative/ healing space that will enable you to capture those feelings. Be as detailed as possible – colours, textures, items of furniture. What kind of equipment might you need? Don’t try to envision it all fully formed in one go. Build it up bit by bit on the page. Thinking about how small details might make you feel. Do you want cushions that you can sink into on the floor or a desk in a corner by a window where you feel alert and vibrant. Breathe life into the space you imagine. You may want to draw and colour it, or make a collage from pictures you collect.

Now list the steps (however big or small) you need to take to create this out of your current environment, out of both what is possible and available to you, but also leaving space to dream a little.

Look back over that list, what is the smallest step there that you could do right now to get started? Now take that step…