on May 14, 2025
Last Updated on June 1, 2025 by Linda Dieffenbach
Build a Sacred Space Within—One Breath, One Choice, One Moment at a Time
We live in a world that constantly asks us to do more, give more, and be more—often at the expense of our own well-being. In the busyness of life, it’s easy to disconnect from ourselves, ignore our needs, and push through overwhelm without ever pausing to notice how much we’re carrying. But deep within each of us is a sanctuary of stillness, clarity, and strength. The key is learning how to return to it.
In this article, I’ll walk you through a series of practices and reflections to help you reconnect with your inner sanctuary—tools that support your nervous system, build resilience, and bring you back home to yourself, even in the midst of chaos.
The Hidden Cost of Stress
Stress is a physiological response that occurs when we perceive internal or external demands as overwhelming or threatening. While it’s designed to help us survive short-term challenges, chronic stress takes a significant toll on our overall health and well-being. It affects our nervous system, disrupts hormone regulation, and contributes to a wide range of health issues—from fatigue and anxiety to high blood pressure, digestive problems, and impaired immune function.
Despite what we may know intellectually about stress management, many of us still live in a constant low-level (or higher) state of stress that we’ve come to accept as normal. Culturally, we’re encouraged to push through, numb out, and carry on without addressing what we truly need. Emotions are often seen as weakness, self-care as selfish, and vulnerability as something to hide. These beliefs are deeply ingrained, and they shape the way we relate to ourselves and others.
When we ignore our own needs, stress builds quietly over time—until we find ourselves depleted, overwhelmed, or even physically unwell.
Begin With the Body: A Simple Reset
One of the most accessible and effective ways to reconnect with yourself is through the body. We often carry tension without even realizing it—tight shoulders, clenched jaws, shallow breathing. These patterns become so habitual that they go unnoticed, yet over time, they can contribute to chronic pain, poor posture, fatigue, sleep disruption, and a reduced capacity to manage stress effectively.
The following contraction-and-release practice works by intentionally engaging and then relaxing different muscle groups. By consciously creating tension in a specific area and then releasing it with the breath, we send a clear signal to the nervous system that it’s safe to let go. This simple act can help bring awareness to hidden tension and guide the body into a state of deeper relaxation.
Here’s a simple Contraction-and-Release exercise you can try:
- Start with your eyes – Close them tight, breathe in deeply, hold for a few seconds, and then slowly exhale as you release the tension.
- Move to your jaw – Clench tightly, inhale, hold, then gently let go.
- Raise your shoulders up to your ears, breathe in, hold, and release.
- Continue down your body—hands, abdomen, hips, legs, and feet—contracting each area with the in-breath, holding, and releasing with the out-breath.
This progressive relaxation method signals safety to your nervous system and helps you return to a more grounded, peaceful state.
You can do this full-body sequence or just focus on one or two areas when you’re short on time. It’s especially helpful before bed or during stressful moments in your day.
Observe Without Judgment: Mindfulness & Emotional Awareness
The next step in creating your sanctuary is awareness—gently noticing what’s happening within you. Build a relationship with yourself that is grounded in observation, curiosity, and compassion. Let this process deepen your understanding of what you need and how to support your healing.
Over the next week, I invite you to observe:
- How stress shows up in your body: tight shoulders, shallow breath, fatigue
- What emotional patterns arise: irritability, anxiety, sadness
- How you speak to yourself in those moments
- The beliefs and stories that come up when you’re overwhelmed
Also notice the ways you might avoid your own needs: staying busy, saying yes when you mean no, prioritizing everyone else.
And just as important, take time to recognize your strengths and resilience. What tools do you already use to care for yourself? What helps you feel grounded, supported, or calm? Notice the moments when you advocate for your own needs, honor your limits, or make a choice that supports your well-being—and celebrate those choices.
This practice of mindful self-observation helps you identify both your patterns and your power. When you understand how stress impacts you, you access choice. You can begin to respond rather than react.
Reclaim Your Space: Building an Inner and Outer Sanctuary
Your sanctuary is both a physical and energetic space. It doesn’t have to be perfect. What matters is making intentional choices that support your well-being and help you feel safe, grounded, and at ease in your environment.
Start with what’s around you:
- Declutter one small area that’s been weighing you down.
- Create a calming space-a sanctuary in your home. A room, a corner, whatever works in the space that you have.
- Build an altar to honor your well-being and the sacred time dedicated to your self-care practices. Create it in a way that lights up your spirit.
- Set aside time (even if it’s just 5–10 minutes) each day as your non-negotiable self-care time. Use this time to engage in a practice that nourishes you and brings you joy.
Then turn inward:
- Practice breathwork (even just a few slow, conscious breaths)
- Meditate
- Journal your thoughts or emotions to release mental clutter
- Use gratitude, affirmations, or soothing music to shift your inner state
When practiced consistently, these small rituals become anchors—reminders that you can always return to yourself.
Choose What Nourishes You
Creating an inner sanctuary means choosing what truly supports your well-being, not piling on more to your to-do list.
Here are a few areas to explore:
- Movement: Find something joyful—walking, dancing, stretching
- Nutrition: Ask your body what feels nourishing vs. depleting
- Relationships: Notice who supports your growth and who leaves you feeling depleted. Invest your energy in connections that feel nourishing and reciprocal.
- Media: Focus on content that inspires or soothes you, and reduce exposure to sources of stress or negativity (news, social media, etc.)
- Thoughts: Practice speaking to yourself with the same kindness and compassion you’d offer a friend
- And perhaps most importantly: Allow your emotions. Let yourself cry, rest, grieve, celebrate, feel. Your emotional world deserves just as much care as your physical body.
Bringing It All Together: Your Sanctuary Plan
To integrate these practices, I recommend creating a simple self-care plan. The focus here is on intention, not perfection.
What’s one habit that adds to my stress—and how might I begin to shift it?
Write these down. Commit to checking in with yourself regularly. Celebrate your progress.
And remember—you don’t have to do this alone. If you need support or you’re feeling called to go deeper, I offer private sessions and group programs that can support you in reclaiming your power, restoring balance and building emotional resilience, and reconnecting with your wholeness.
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Your inner sanctuary is always within reach. With each breath, each mindful choice, you return home to yourself. That’s where your true power lives.
Ready to take the next step?
If you’re feeling called to go deeper, Creating Your Inner Sanctuary is a self-paced online course designed to support you in moving from stress to steadiness. In this 1-hour recorded workshop, you’ll explore the roots of stress, learn practical tools for relief, and create a personalized plan for lasting inner peace. The course includes an interactive workbook, guided exercises, and space to reconnect with what truly nourishes you.
About Linda Dieffenbach, BSW, RMT
With over 15 years of experience in energy healing, coaching, and personal transformation, Linda Dieffenbach creates a compassionate and empowering space for healing and growth. She specializes in helping you break free from the patterns that leave you feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected—guiding you to reclaim your power, restore balance, and create meaningful change in your life.
Linda’s extensive training spans personal empowerment, chakra healing, self-care, stress relief, healthy relationships, communication skills, trauma healing, and suicide prevention.