I find it interesting how spaces mess with our general directional intentions. I think half of it is the collective consciousness of the space itself, but the other half is how we label and relate to the space.

In my own life, this has unfailingly been the case. “Home,” as in where I grew up, will always be a space in which I struggle to maintain my healthy ways. I didn’t have these same convictions when I was growing up, so that space has forever been ingrained as a place to eat pizza, cereal, cinnamon French toast sticks with tons of syrup and streudel. It’s a place where few people around me reinforce my healthy choices, where bags of potato chips and packaged loaves of white bread, boxes of cookies and secret hidden stashes of M&M’s crowd the kitchen pantry and above-the-refrigerator basket.

Vacation, no matter where it is, will also be a very hard space to maintain healthy habits. When I enter into vacation mentality, all thoughts of the hard work hang up their hats and go on vacation with me. No matter how much I want to do yoga on the beach as the sun rises, the thought of sleeping in wins almost every time. And because I’m such a lover of experiences, I must dine as the Gullah’s (or whoever claims ownership over the gastronomy) dine – hushpuppies, popcorn shrimp and all.

 The Places We Live Can Shape Our Souls if We’re Not Strong

And then there are the places we live. Boulder, CO is a magical place, partly because of the magic dust that blows off the mountains (I’m convinced it exists) and partly because of the collective mentality of the people. You really feel self-conscious if you’re overweight (or not white…). You feel bad if you’re sitting inside watching TV because you should be running, cycling or hiking like everyone else. How dare you take the opportunities to be active for granted! You drink the Kool-Aid to be like the cool kids and suddenly find yourself among the health-conscious. It’s not a bad thing, though arguably the reasons you got there aren’t the strongest foundations for sustaining life-long health.

When I moved to Wichita Falls, TX, I acutely experienced these shaky foundations of health based mostly on being accepted as a true Boulderite. When you don’t have the support of a healthy collective consciousness it’s hard to be healthy day in and day out. Thus, in Wichita Falls it’s perfectly normal to be morbidly obese and suffer from too many health problems to count. To me, this is very sad. But I can understand how it got to be this way because it’s not like there are very many people actively, boldly and loudly promoting anything different. If they are, they’re certainly viewed as the outcasts, because that’s just not how things run here. In the span of a 12-hour drive I went from being in the healthy cool crowd to being in the healthy outcasts committee.

 Our Mental Relationship to Space

It’s all about the space and our mental relationship to it. When I visit healthy places, I make healthy choices because everyone else is doing it. It works to my benefit. When I’m in unhealthy places, I will be more likely to make unhealthy choices. It’s okay because no one’s going to judge.

Healthy behaviors and belief systems that form the foundation of your life must be made irrespective of the influence of space. It must be true for you wherever you go. Otherwise you’ll always fall victim to the space and the perceived experience of how you should operate in such a space.

Overcoming the collective consciousness of a space to live your own truth is one hard journey. But I’m willing to create a supportive space for inquiry, progress, failure, curiosity and devotion. I’m on the journey to establish my personal foundations. The truths that define who I am, no matter where I go. Too much of my person relies on the space to govern my actions and decisions. It’s time to take back control from the space.

I hereby declare war on spaces. I want my power back.

 A Rally Cry for Space Shifters

What are we afraid of? Does our experience change when we show up as our True selves in new spaces? The FOMO (fear of missing out) concept hardens us. But if we show up in a space with all of us in tact, including an open mind, we become incredibly powerful. We become shape shifters.

We must become space creators. Our experience becomes richer, more fully appreciated, and in our control when we show up as Us.

This does not mean that all spaces will be experienced positively. Some will be experienced negatively – our true Self will make the final judgment call. With this information safely stored away in our minds, we can avoid such situations in the future because we know our souls diminish in these spaces. The next time someone pressures us to enter a space that we don’t enjoy, we can say no from from the soul, as our true Self.

When you seek new experiences, go in with your whole Self, do as the Romans do with intention and then make a conscious choice about how that experience nourishes or depletes your soul. And live on, more evolved, closer to the Truth.

Do you let spaces affect your health and happiness? Let me know in the comments below!

Image credit: Sweetie187