As we return to our pre-pandemic "normal," one thing that has stuck with me from my time on lockdown is needing my own space. Unfortunately, your own space can be pretty hard to come by these days due to rising home prices, needing roommates, or your once oh-so-cozy and private work-from-home space now getting traded in for a desk in the middle of your company's office building. So, where do you go when everyone constantly wants a piece of you, and frankly, you have nothing left to give to the world?

The answer is you create an emotional escape room for yourself.

Emotional escape rooms are a pandemic-indicted trend that allows us to repurpose unused space in a home to help us decompress, plan, meditate, or just take a good old-fashioned nap. They are a space for reflection, healing, and slowing down while the world keeps raging on the outside. As a mom of two toddlers under five, space is a must-have to help keep my emotions in check, my thoughts crystal clear, and a piece of me, just for me. So if you need your own space to thrive (but just need the motivation to transform your space), I hope my love letter to my emotional escape room below helps you decide to reclaim your piece today.

Dear Emotional Escape Room,

Although you may seem like a mere screened-in porch to some, you are my window to the world and my entry point to Mother Nature. In the wee hours of the morning, you allow me to sit and drink my hot tea while breathing in the quiet, while at night, I'm given the privilege to watch the stars dance in the sky. During the day, I spend most of my hours working from my laptop while watching lizards run across the grass or watching the rainfall while my brain chugs away at my tasks for the day. I've taken my time to decorate you just for me, although you have some kid-friendly elements when I decide to share you. I love your wicker chairs with thick and relaxing cushions. You're my favorite place to put my feet up while staring into my backyard.

I've filled you with greenery to make my days brighter and full of life and created a space to add my books when I need to dive into a story to release the day's stresses. What I love the most about you is that four closed-in walls don't define you. You keep me protected with your shelter while allowing me to see the world around me. I think of you as a metaphor for my life and how not feeling caged in is one of the things that I crave.

You help me reclaim my peace, serve as a non-traditional meditation space, and top any coffee shop in the area. Both myself and my little co-worker (my five lb. Yorkie, Koby) are allowed to stay for as long as possible without needing to order a thing.

If you're reading this and still doubting the power of an Emotional Escape Room, I want you to know the following things…

#1

You don't need a huge space to dedicate to your emotional escape room. I have five rooms + a bonus room, and I chose to make the screened-in porch my special place because being in nature calms my anxiety.

#2

You can design your space any way that you wish. Ditch the Pinterest expectations and make it a place where you feel at peace.

#3

Let your inner minimalist shine: the fewer "things," the less clutter, the better. Be intentional with the items you choose for your mental escape room/space. Fill this space with love, harmony, and good vibes—the rest will be waiting for you on the outside.

#4

Don't wait until you move or buy your dream home. You make space in life for the things you want, and if you want peace and a place for reflection, change that unused guest room into your space, make the spare bathroom room the home spa of your dreams, or give your shed or garage the makeover it deserves.

Your emotional escape room is waiting for you. Create the peace and solitude that you crave.

Always yours,

x Ashley

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^{Photo Credit: (Left) ELLE Decor}