Sanctuary. Doesn’t that word just sound so, I don’t know, relaxing? And quiet? And peaceful? And something that you so very much deserve but likely feel like you don’t have?
We have long heard of the “man cave” or “man town”. It is not a new concept. Clearly a man deserves to have a special place that is just for him. Where he can do what he wants, when he wants. It is a place away from the family where he can unwind from his hard day. He deserves this. He deserves to have a place that’s just his, where he can set it up however he’d like and he can do whatever he wants inside. He deserves to have a place of sanctuary that is just for him.
The idea of the she-shed, however, is a much more recent term. It has been around since ~2015 and has grown in popularity over the years. Because clearly a women deserves to have a special place that is just for her. Where she can do what she wants, when she wants. It is a place away from the family where she can unwind from her hard day. She deserves this. She deserves to have a place that’s just hers, where she can set it up however she’d like and she can do whatever she wants inside. She deserves to have a place of sanctuary that is just for her.
EVERYBODY NEEDS SANCTUARY!!!! Everybody. And sanctuary can (and likely will) look very different from person to person.* It can be a converted garage. It can be an “extra” closet that received a cool make over. It can be a corner of a basement (or the whole thing!). It can literally be a shed. Or a treehouse. Or anything that feels special and inviting. It is a place to rejuvenate and spend time with one’s own thoughts. And it is vital. Because even the most extroverted person needs time and space to sit with his/her own thoughts. All alone. Each person needs a place to call his/her own, where anything goes and that anything is whatever the space’s owner wants and needs (within reason).
Taking time to recharge is crucial to one’s overall health and wellness. We all need it. Just like our bodies need food, water, sleep, shelter, etc., our emotional and logical brains need peace and quiet to help process out events from the day, thoughts that run through our heads, and emotions that often cloud judgement. These things cannot be properly managed when there is a great deal of outside chaos that comes naturally when dealing with family, children, dogs, a FedEx delivery person, a grocery-store run for the forgotten milk, and/or all of the other million things needed to be an adult in the western hemisphere these days.
So please do yourself (and everyone you love) a favor and find your sanctuary.
*NOTE – The images chosen are very gender-biased and were selected simply to illustrate the point and not to imply that sanctuary should look any sort of way. Your sanctuary should be a reflection of YOU. Always. Pink. Purple. Camo. Pink camo. Pink and purple camo. Doesn’t matter. Just make it YOU! Because YOU deserve it!
