In discussing “feeling safe” with a friend lately, they mentioned how in their current situation, this is the most safe they have felt in their lives. Their external environment was most nourishing and nurturing and accepting of who they are than they had ever experienced.
We also discussed what it meant to be confident and independent, and I shared with them how I always bring “home” with me where ever I go (I easily have two additional decades of experience over them). As we dissected this further, we asked questions like, “what does it mean to feel at home”, “what is the comfort that being at home offers”. A few things we identified with “being at home” were the feelings of unconditional acceptance and love, being our most authentic selves without judgement, criticism or hatred. No expectations of being anything other than our true selves. Feeling “safe”/ protected at home.
What a refreshing feeling isn’t it? to be accepted fully for your most authentic self without judgement and criticism.
We are all hoping to find this in our external environment, but are we also making sure we are creating this consciously within ourselves? We can only truly find external safety if we create it internally first. Are we noticing how we love our authentic selves, accept our variance and differences that make us unique individuals? Are we offering that same sense of “safety” and “home” to ourselves that we are expecting to receive from our external environment. What would this practice of creating “self-safety” look like for you?
What does “safety” and “home” mean to you?
Do you feel “safe” most times in your life, have you created a surrounding where you feel mostly “safe”. Do you create internal mechanisms of feeling safe?