I Create Spaces that Nourish My Soul

Summary

Podcast Summary:
Mantra with Jemma Sbeg | OpenMind
Episode: I Create Spaces that Nourish My Soul
Date: October 13, 2025
Host: Jemma Sbeg

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Episode Overview

This episode revolves around the mantra: "I create spaces that nourish my soul." Jemma Sbeg delves deeply into what it means to intentionally craft physical, emotional, and communal spaces that support well-being, restore energy, inspire creativity, and foster inner calm. The discussion blends practical psychological and philosophical insights with Jemma’s personal experiences and actionable tips, concluding with reflective journal prompts and a weekly challenge for listeners.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Mantra’s Meaning: Beyond Cozy Corners

• Defining Nourishing Spaces

  • Not just about “cozy corners with candles” but intentionally crafting environments to support one's internal world.
  • The influence of surroundings on shaping mood, motivation, and even identity.
  • “Environmental psychology shows that our minds respond to cues in the spaces around us.” (05:09)

• Psychological & Spiritual Perspectives

  • Clutter can foster stress; order and natural elements reduce anxiety and promote calm.
  • Nourishing spaces are “sanctuaries” amidst chaos—places, physical or emotional, that we can return to for restoration.

• Nature and the Power of Place

  • Jemma shares, “If I haven’t been in nature, if I haven’t been around trees or water for a while, I feel my mood changing.” (08:14)
  • Even brief time in natural settings can restore attention and regulation.

2. Space as Extension of Self

• Reflecting Values in Environments

  • Discussion on how physical and communal spaces mirror our values, desires, and current mindsets.
  • “If your space is a reflection of your soul, what is your soul asking for more of? What does it want to see reflected back at it?” (10:49)

• Philosophical Insights: Heidegger & ‘Dwelling’

  • “To dwell is to be in relationship with the world in a way that fosters meaning, belonging and wholeness.” (11:30)
  • Importance of integrating natural elements and simplicity for a nourishing existence.

3. Community, Relationships & Emotional Spaces

• Quality Beyond Decoration

  • Nourishing spaces are less about aesthetics and more about how they feel, and the energy within.
  • Recognition of the importance of people—some relationships act as “safe spaces” just as places do.

• Inventory of Emotional Safe Spaces

  • Jemma suggests evaluating who in your life makes you feel as calm and authentic as your favorite physical spaces.
  • “What is it about them that allows you to relax into a conversation… to be weird, goofy, or funny? How can you spend more time in those emotional spaces and relational spaces?” (16:11)

4. Personal Reflections

• Jemma’s Experiences

  • Hotel living while traveling—sterile environments amplifying feelings of disconnection and unrest.
    • “… there is just something about crisp, plain white sheets … clinical white walls … it never felt like home.” (19:05)
  • Shift in preference from cities to nature with age, seeking “vibrant greenery” and solitude for true nourishment.
    • “The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve realized I actually really don't like [the city]. I’ve been leaning towards kind of hermiting at home.” (20:07)

• Attention Restoration Theory (22:38)

  • Nature's capacity to shift us from “effortful focus to effortless awareness.”
  • Recounts real benefits, including mood improvement, creativity boost, and biological reduction of stress hormones (cortisol).

• Rituals for Nourishing Spaces

  • Daily walks, prioritizing a tidy home, decluttering, and being selective about social engagement at home.
  • “It’s not the mess—it’s the sense of a constantly impending task that needs to be done right.” (25:52)

5. Practical Takeaways & Action Steps

Quote of the Episode

• Gretchen Rubin:
  • “Outer order contributes to inner calm. There is only so much that introspection can do. Sometimes you have to just interrogate the environment in which you're operating.” (31:12)

Journal Prompts (32:16)

• Where in your life do you spend time in spaces that drain you? Why stay, and is there an alternative?
• What makes a space truly nourishing to you—beyond its looks?
• What small change could you make in your surroundings today for greater peace?

Weekly Challenge (35:15)

• The “One Corner Refresh”:
  • Choose one small area (home, workspace, car), do a deep clean, declutter, and add something calming/supportive.
  • “It doesn't need to be big… this won’t take long, and you will see the effects very quickly.” (36:12)
  • Jemma’s own target: under the kitchen sink.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Soul nourishing spaces… are a reminder that there are still pockets of beauty and peace we can access, even amidst chaos or daily obligations.” (07:41)
• “To dwell, then, is to be in relationship with the world in a way that fosters meaning, belonging, and wholeness—and this is why nourishing spaces matter.” (11:22)
• “Cleaning our room every night before we go to bed so that when we wake up, there’s not clutter, does make me feel less stressed.” (25:36)
• “When you make space for those restorative moments, you're sending a message to yourself—‘we are in control.’” (16:19)
• “Inner calm isn’t only a psychological project, it’s also an environmental one.” (31:53)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:55 – Mantra introduction & initial reflections
• 05:09 – Environmental psychology and the impact of surroundings
• 10:49 – Spaces as extensions of self, integration with personal values
• 14:14 – Community, relationships, and the emotional qualities of space
• 18:30 – Jemma’s recent experiences & realizations from travel
• 22:38 – Attention Restoration Theory and the healing power of nature
• 25:36 – Rituals, tidiness, and practical steps for nurturing environments
• 31:12 – Featured quote by Gretchen Rubin
• 32:16 – Journal prompts for self-reflection
• 35:15 – Weekly challenge: the One Corner Refresh

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Final Thoughts

Jemma closes by emphasizing the importance of recognizing ourselves as part of our environments, not separate from them, and encourages listeners to be intentional about spending time in spaces—physical or emotional—that “leave us feeling energized, creative, happy, and clear.” The continual goal is to create or seek out those environments, even in small, manageable ways, that restore and nourish both mind and spirit.

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Connect with Jemma:
DM on Instagram @MantraOpenMind or comment to join community discussions and bonus episodes.

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Transcript

[Jemma Speg]

Foreign this is Open Mind. Welcome to a brand new week. Here is your mantra I create spaces that nourish my soul. I'm Jemma sp and every Monday I give you a simple but powerful phrase to consider and bring into your life. A a philosophy to guide you in the week ahead and hopefully even beyond in each episode. If you are a regular listener, you would know I love to unpack what our Mantra really means. I like to unpack how it's shown up in my own life and also how you can bring it into yours with journal prompts, with a weekly challenge, with so many other ways that you can take this mantra and put it into action. At OpenMind, we really value your support, so please make sure to share your thoughts on social media and remember to rate, review and follow Mantra to help others discover the show. For more exclusive content, monthly bonus episodes, early access and ad free listening, join our Open Mind plus community on Apple Podcasts each month. I love to respond to your questions and comments and dilemmas and whatever is on your mind in a special bonus episode. So leave a comment on this episode in the comment section or on Instagram at Mantra Open Mind if you want to be included in one of those special episodes, stick around. We'll be right back after this short pause.

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[Jemma Speg]

Okay, let's get right into it. It is time for this week's mantra. I create spaces that nourish my soul. I really love this mantra. This is one that has been resonating with me so deeply in the last few months. I think creating spaces that nourish your soul is not just about having a cozy corner in your house with a few lit candles. It's not just about having a nice comfy bed, although I'm sure that definitely contributes. It's about intentionally crafting environments that support your internal world. From a psychological perspective, we know that our surroundings, they play a huge role in shaping mood, in shaping motivation, and even in shaping identity. Environmental psychology shows that our minds respond to cues in the spaces around us. You know, clutter can fuel stress and decision fatigue, whilst light order, natural elements, those things like that, they reduce anxiety, they restore attention. So those are just a couple of examples. But by curating spaces that feel safe, that feel calming or that feel inspiring or that have a role in certain rituals that we perform. We give our nervous systems a chance to regulate, but we also give our minds certain cues to be in certain zones of thinking or certain mental spaces. And it can really help us move from survival mode in into a state of creativity, into a state of peace, into a state of attention. It's a deliberate act, such a deliberate thing we can do, influencing our space to influence our mind. That's the psychological level, on a spiritual level as well. I think we all know what it feels like to walk into a room, to walk into someone's home, to walk into our own home and just feel a sense of just deep peace and safety. Soul nourishing spaces, they act as sanctuaries for us. They are a reminder that there are still pockets of beauty and pockets of peace and pockets of places of restoration that we can access. Even when there's a lot of chaos in the world around us, even when there's a lot of daily obligations, there is, and I hope we all have kind of a sacred center within us or around us that we can return to that will nourish us. Whether that is like your therapist's office or for me it's Centennial park in Sydney, or it's simply like a quiet room or your bedroom. These spaces become a vessel for really reconnecting with what is internal and with just a state of calm that perhaps is harder to access on a day to day basis. I definitely find that if I haven't been in nature, if I haven't been around trees, if I haven't been around water for a while, I feel my mood changing. I was just recently in LA for our live show, which thank you to all of you who came. And I really did feel this because I was in a place that's like very concrete dominated and I was there for work. So I was rushing between buildings and I wasn't spending as much time outside. I felt a difference between being there and when I'm home and when I'm around nature and when I walk my dog and go to the park and go to Centennial Park. So there's no denying that this is like a big influence and does have a big impact on our day to day life. You know, there are many traditions, many spiritual traditions as well, that emphasize physical spaces as thresholds to inner transformation, where the energy of the environment mirrors and amplifies the energy of the self. Churches, for example, or when we go to graveyards. Philosophically, I think creating such spaces also speaks to the human search for meaning. You know, there are great thinkers who have brought up this idea. Thinkers like Heidegger, who wrote about dwelling as more than just inhabiting a house. It's about existing in harmony with the world. For example, a nourishing space could integrate natural elements that we would have encountered more often in previous chapters of humanity. You know, we need spaces that have sunlight and have plants or wood because they reconnect us with the earth. It could be a space that reflects our values, that reflects simplicity, that reflects beauty or stillness. All these things that align with the kind of existence that you want to embody. If this, your space, is a reflection of your soul, what is your soul asking for more of? What does it want to see reflected back at it? So it does become an Extension of us. It's like anytime you walk into someone's house, you see that their space is always going to be different. There's always going to be something unique or special about it. That tells you what's important to them. Or tells you what they value. Or tells you the relationship they have with their environment. And what they want from it in order for it to nourish them. To dwell, then, is to be in relationship with the world. In a way that fosters meaning, belonging to and wholeness. And this is why nourishing spaces matter. They remind us that life is not just about moving endlessly from task to task. But about existing in a state of resonance with our surroundings. And taking a moment to be present in that way. I really do think of them as an anchor. A nourishing space, I think, embodies this. It's kind of like a small rebellion against a lot of the alienation that we experience in modern life. Where we are constantly fragmented by screens and noise and external demands and traffic and people who are frustrating us. In those environments. It feels like we don't have much control. But when we step into a space that we do have control over, it gives life and gives us a sense of meaning and a sense of agency that maybe we're lacking. And that can also extend to the community that we invite into these spaces. I think we've been speaking about spaces that nourish our soul. As very like empty spaces and ones that only we inhabit. But there are many people who will inhabit these environments that make us feel good. There is many people who visit the same park who get the same feeling. Many people who are in your therapist's office. Many people who will go to the same cafe. And feel the same lightness or sense of connection with those around them. Think about the spaces where you have felt most alive. Maybe it was like a friend's kitchen at midnight where everyone is laughing. Or a park bench where somehow you end up talking to a stranger. Those spaces have less to do with furniture. And less to do with the paint on the wall. And less to do with, you know, whatever it is that we think of when we think of a space that is nourishing. And more to do with the energy that is brought to those spaces by the people who feel drawn to them. A nourishing space is one that also lets people feel like themselves. We're going to talk more on that later. The qualities of these spaces, I think they often go beyond decoration. Like I said, I feel like I've been focusing a lot on, oh, you know, the light and the plants and the stillness and the quiet. There's something else to them that really allows our attention to soften and really allows our nervous system just to regulate. And people have been trying to figure that out for many, many years. It goes beyond, again, what furniture is there. It goes beyond, you know, what colors are on the wall. It's just something within that space that feels nourishing. And I think it's different for all of us. What's important is to recognize where that difference sits for you. So what kind of spaces do you feel drawn to just because of your own personality or your own individual preferences? And how can you spend more time in those spaces? How can you deliberately influence your environment to create that in a more intentional way? For example, you can notice when a space is draining your energy because you will feel tense, you will feel alert, you will feel perhaps more irritable. For me, you know, when I was working full time, there was, like, every time I would go into the office, I would feel that way. Every time I was on my morning commute, I would feel that way. And then when I would come home and walk through the door, I would feel all of that kind of fall off me and all of that kind of, like, slowly melt away. It's the same experience I have now when I go to, like, the sauna. I feel like everyone is really in, like, a sauna moment. Everyone's, like, loving the cold plunge. Everyone's loving, like, the steam room. I'm also on that train. And I think there's something about those spaces where it's like, you have no job other than just to, like, sit still and just experience the heat and what's around you that is actually, like, quite magical and quite special. So I think when we are in a space that feels nourishing, we will notice a sense of calm. We will notice that, I think our thoughts begin to slow down a little bit. We will also notice that we can just relax, feel more like ourselves, feel more authentic. And, yes, we've been talking about physical environment, and we have introduced community in here as well. But those spaces are also those that we inhabit around other people. Some people become those safe spaces for us. The same way that, like, a physical environment can make us feel relaxed and feel like ourselves, there are certain people who can make us feel that way about ourselves as well. So when we talk about spaces that nourish our soul and we talk about identifying them, I also want you to just, like, quickly do a little inventory of the people in your life that make you feel, feel the same way that a quiet room does, or the same way that the sauna does, or the same way that an ocean does? What is it about them that also allows you to relax into a conversation, that also allows you to express yourself super authentically, that allows you to be weird or allows you to be goofy or allows you to be funny? How can you also spend more time in those emotional spaces and those relational spaces rather than perhaps entering group situations that you don't really want to be in that leave you stressed, rather than perhaps being around people that don't make you very happy because of a sense of obligation? All of this and everything about this mantra really comes down to making deliberate choices around what you choose to engage with in your environment and what you choose to limit. And I know sometimes there are environments that can't be avoided. Going to the dmv, going into your office, sometimes you're just not going to be able to get around that. But do you have a place that you can go, come home to that lets you turn off the parts of your brain that are in like a real high arousal mode in those other environments? I think really what I'm trying to get to is that this is all about listening closer to your body, to your energy, to your needs, and responding with care. The same way that, you know, if you had a child, you wouldn't constantly put them in a loud environment, you wouldn't constantly put them in a high state of arousal, you would make sure that they had a quiet space, you would make sure that you expose them to nature. Just because you're an adult now, that doesn't mean that there's not parts of you that still need that you still need to provide those same moments of stillness and calm through the spaces you inhabit to your adult self, allowing room as well for rest, for joy, for presence in whatever form that comes in for you, whatever environment that comes in to you that is like also a part of self care and that is also a way of showing yourself love. When you make space for those restorative moments in restorative environments, you are kind of sending a message to, to yourself of like, okay, we are in control. We are going to deliberately decide on how we can affect our mood, and we are not beholden to our mood in whatever form it comes to. Choosing certain spaces that nourish you and bring you calm is a way of being able to regulate yourself and not feeling like you are being torn in one direction or another by whatever is going on. Around you. So I think it's actually just a larger stepping stone in like a self care integration journey journey in kind of like a way of prioritizing wellness and safety and calm in a manner that doesn't feel big and large and bold, but actually quite small and intentional. Okay, I'm going to talk about how this mantra has shown up for me in my own life and also some tips for how to really embody this mantra right after this short break.

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[Jemma Speg]

Welcome back. Now that we've looked at the meaning and the many layers to today's mantra, I create spaces that nourish my soul. I want to get personal with you guys and just share some of my own insights and reflections about this phrase. So I kind of already alluded to this, but I've been feeling a little bit stressed recently and I think because of that, this idea of spaces that nourish my soul has taken on a new meaning because I haven't necessarily been in them. I'll be honest, and if you follow me on Instagram, you will know this. I have been spending a lot of time in hotel rooms recently. It is a privilege in some senses, because I'm traveling and I'm doing a job that I love. But there is just something about crisp, plain white sheets, which I don't know why hotels have plain white sheets, considering how dirty people are. Like, surely they could invest in, like, some navy sheets at some point and, like, the clinical white walls. And like, every hotel has to have these, like, barren white lights that make you feel like you are literally in a doctor's office. I never really noticed the impact that that had had until recently, until this last trip that I went on, because, I don't know, normally I'd be staying with friends. Normally, like, I'd be in an Airbnb or, like, I'd be in a hostel, and there's just more of a vibe. But it was this weird sense of, like, I would spend sometimes, like, a week in one hotel room and it never felt like home. And I found myself wanting to be away from that space as much as possible, which is kind of uncomfortable because obviously you need sleep and you want to rest. And it kind of threw me off my center and really has made and reinvigorated my realization on the power of our environment. I think also something that I've been really considering recently is my relationship to the city versus the country. So for a long time, and I don't know where this belief came from, I was like, if I live in the country, I'm going to be miserable. I'm a city gal. I've always have been. I love, like, the hustle and bustle of the city. Like, when I was in high school, I went to high school in Melbourne, and I would always, like, kind of pride myself on, like, how I could, like, navigate traffic and navigate, like, public transport, and I would, like, buzz in and out of people on the street. And I felt like I owned the city and, like, this is where I belonged. And then the older I've gotten, the more I've realized I actually really don't like this. I don't like being surrounded by hundreds of people at any given moment. I don't like the smells. I don't like how chaotic it is. And I've been really leaning more towards kind of hermiting at home and also considering and having conversations with Tom about, like, hey, when we move to London or, like, when we move back to Australia, I really think that we should move somewhere that's a little bit more solitary and that has a bit more of a natural element to it. I've really been pushing to move to the heath. When we move to London, it's not going to happen. It's like way too expensive for us to live there. But there's just something around being in a city and also having like access to like vibrant greenery that I think I'm really leaning towards and that my soul is really asking me to attend to. I think nature has become a lot more important to me the older I've gotten and also the more that I've started to really prioritize not just my mental health, but my overall general emotional health and just like, like my happiness health. And I know happiness health sounds kind of ridiculous, but it's just like I've been really prioritizing how much happiness and joy I experience in my day to day life and not being satisfied with happiness and joy only being something that I experience on the weekends. And I've realized that nature and regular exposure to the outdoors is something that really makes that possible for me. We know that nature makes us feel good for so many reasons, but because it really stores our attention in a way that that built up environments just can't. Psychologists actually they have a name for this. They call this attention restoration theory. When we're surrounded by natural settings like trees, like water, like birdsong, our minds naturally shift from effortful focus to effortless awareness. Instead of being bombarded by notifications or tasks and feeling pulled in multiple directions by multiple different stimuli, our attention just really gently follows the flow of nature and the sounds of nature and the flow of the river and the sway of the leaves. And it's in tune with those things in a much more deliberate and vibrant way. This kind of like soft fascination gives our brains a chance just to like rest and naturally recharge. And that means that when we step out of these spaces after we finish a hike, after we finish a run, we are calmer, we are clearer. And I've also found that we are a lot more creative honor on a biological level as well. Time and nature also directly impacts our nervous system. Fresh air, natural light, green spaces, water, it lowers cortisol levels because that is where our nervous system originally would have regulated itself. So the fact that we are now separate from that means that it doesn't have those same cues and that same ability to feel in tune with Mother Earth and feel in tune with the world around us, to come back to a place of calm, even a short walk outside. I feel like this is something I've been prioritizing a lot. Walking first thing in the morning, which has become a lot easier with a dog. Even that can ease tension in the body and really improve our mood. That's why doctors in some countries are actually prescribing forest bathing as a form of therapy or as a minor mental health intervention. They have found that just simply being amongst trees is enough to help slightly lift our mood and lift people out of perhaps a minor depressive episode or out of a bad mental state. Obviously it's not the only solution. And just telling people to go and be in nature is kind of missing the complexity of the issue, but it is something that does contribute spiritually and emotionally. I think nature also gives us the gift of perspective. Looking at the sky or standing near the ocean and or being amongst the trees reminds us that we are part of something bigger and also reminds us that we are kind of small and that all the things we're worrying about, they're not as grand as what is around us. A hike, a swim, sitting under a tree. It connects us to something that is larger than ourselves and it helps us feel grounded and also humbled at the same time. And this mix of awe, but also like a natural sense of belonging is what makes nature so profoundly nourishing. It doesn't just relax us. I think it reminds us of a deeper part of our spirit and the meaning of existence and the meaning of being here. I think more important than ever again. Grounding myself in my surroundings has become a crucial way that I've take care of myself. And some of the ways that I've been doing this is again, going outside every day, walking first thing in the morning, prioritizing a clean space. I didn't realize how untidy I was until Tom actually said something and was like, hey, we need to get it together. And now it's like become a priority for me. And he was right. Like, cleaning our room every night before we go to bed so that when we wake up, there's not clutter does make me feel less stressed. Making the bed in the morning does make me feel less stressed. Doing the dishes immediately after we've eaten or after we've done something does make me feel less overwhelmed. It's not the mess, it's the sense of a constantly impending task that needs to be done right. And it speaks to how our surroundings actually relate. Relate to our to do list. And they relate to our sense of responsibility and they relate to just like so many other things that you wouldn't think were bigger than that. Decluttering as well. We recently moved house like a Couple months ago, the amount of stuff that I had in my previous home, I don't even know where it fit. And it was stuff that, like, I was just carrying around for whatever reason because I felt sentimental towards it, because I'm perhaps a little bit too romantic, actually. It just made me feel more claustrophobic in my own home and made me feel like there were more things to account for and more things to clean. The romanticism and the attachment wasn't doing me as many favors as getting rid of that item would have. So I got rid of a lot of stuff. And I hate to say it, it has made me feel better also being more precious with who I let into my home. I know that sounds strange and bizarre, but not letting people stay every weekend, not letting whoever wants a place to crash crash, not always being the one to host things because my house does have a certain energy to it, and it's precious, and I want to protect that. I used to be someone who was always like, yes, come in. The more the merrier. And I definitely still am like that to some extent. And I love community and I love creating space for people to interact and to make friends. It doesn't always have to be in a place that I have to come back to to recharge. My body really responded to these changes. I felt like deliberately going slow in my home, making these, like, small shifts, deliberately spending more time outdoors, deliberately being in the present moment. When I'm outdoors, I have found myself responding better to things that I previously would have responded with irritation to. I found myself being more in the moment, and I've definitely found myself sleeping better. I found myself relaxing easier. I found myself spending less time on my phone because it is part of, like, a more holistic set of changes that I've put in place in my life that all come down to a sense of calm and a sense of belonging and kind of taking myself out of survival mode. And the role of place and space in that. It has been one of the most profound things that I've noticed, kind of helping me with that. So I want to talk about how you might be able to do this for yourself and also how you might rethink the spaces you're in and the spaces you could be in that could really help nourish your own soul. So I'm going to share some journal prompts. I'm going to share our weekly challenge if you want to integrate this further. Stick around for more after this short break.

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[Jessica St. Clair and June Diane Rayfiel]

Hi, I'm Jessica St. Clair. And I'm June Diane Rayfiel. And we are two friends trying to survive the chaos and celebrate the joy that life throws our way. And we do it every week on our podcast, the Deep Dive. Sometimes we dig into the deep stuff, like how I communicate with my dead best friend. And sometimes we give bad advice based off a tick tock I saw. And we're not gonna apologize for that. Absolutely not. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll hire a psychic medium. Join us, won't you? Listen to the Deep Dive wherever you get your podcasts from Lemonada Media.

[Jemma Speg]

Welcome back. So our mantra for this week is I create spaces that nourish my soul. And I really, really love our deep thought of the day. When it comes to this mantra, I think it really helps nail this in. It comes from Gretchen Rubin. Outer order contributes to inner calm. There is only so much that introspection can do. Sometimes you have to just interrogate the environment in which you're operating. We often think that if we just journal more, we meditate harder, we push through with willpower, we will find calm. But I think what this quote is saying is that sometimes the real source of agitation isn't, isn't always internal. It's external. It's a messy room, it's a crowded schedule, it's a constant stream of noise and notifications. It's being around too many people who drain our energy, which makes it harder to feel grounded. By interrogating the environment, by looking at the outer order, we are allowed we are able, I should say, to really see what needs to change beyond us that we may not be personally responsible for. That could really bring about more calm and peaceful conditions for our soul to thrive. In other words, inner calm isn't only a psychological project, it's also an environmental one. When you create outer order, when you set boundaries on your time, when you reduce your screen time, when you tidy your space, when you quiet the noise, you free up mental and emotional energy. And the calm you've been searching for inside starts to appear more naturally because you've removed the external friction that was disrupting it. Those are my kind of general thoughts about that quote. I also think that we can go deeper with this mantra, with our journal practice in a more personal way. And I have a couple of prompts that I think will help you do that. And of course, if you don't have your journal, if you don't like to journal, that's okay. These are just questions to kind of ask yourself that I think will help bring about deeper realizations about your own space in. In kind of a safe and introspective and, I think, practical way so you don't have to write about it if that's not your thing. Just think about these questions for me for a second. First, where in your daily life do you spend time in spaces that leave you drained? Why do you stay in them? Is there a valid reason for staying in them? And is there an alternative? Next, what makes a space feel truly nourishing to you? What kind of spaces do you find yourself gravitating towards when you want to experience deeper peace? And what is it about those spaces that bring that about, beyond how it just looks? And finally, what small shift could you make in your surroundings right now, in this moment today, that you think would bring you more peace? Now that we've posed those questions, I also want to give your mind a chance to maybe think on them further, or just give it a chance to reset. In just a second, you'll hear our music track. And I just encourage you to take this opportunity to just sit with the music, sit with the sounds, process this week's reflections in whatever way feels right to you. No pressure, no expectations. You could literally think about something entirely different. I just want to give you the opportunity to have this moment. And if this isn't for you, that's okay. Just Skip ahead about 30 seconds and we will be right back. But as you settle in, keep our mantra in mind. I create spaces that nourish my soul. And what is that bringing up for you? What is that making you consider about your own life? Beautiful. Now that you've had a moment to reset, to think, to ground yourself, it is time to take that clarity and take that energy and bring it into action with our weekly challenge. Of course, I would love to hear how it's going. So reach out to me at Mantra Open Mind with any questions, with any things you've noticed that this exercise may have done for you each month. Month. I love to respond to your questions, comments, dilemmas, whatever it is, in our special bonus episodes. These are available exclusively on Open Mind, but if you want to be a part of those episodes, feel free to DM me on Instagram or leave a comment below. Okay, so this week your challenge is the one corner refresh. I want you to choose one small area of your house, of your workspace, of your car, of whatever it is, and just do a deep clean, do a rearrange, do a declutter, add something that makes it feel more calming or supportive. It doesn't need to be big for me. I'm going to be doing this today. I'm going to be tackling underneath my sink in my kitchen. It's been causing me stress. I know I need to deal with it. It's not going to take me more than 30 minutes. I don't know why I've been putting it off. I want to challenge you to do the same. I'm going to clean my sink. What are you guys going to do? How are you going to change one small part of your environment it so that it feels more nourishing, less cluttered, and less stressful? I like that this is super easy. I like that this won't take long. And I feel like you will see the effects and see how this takes something off your mental plate or your mental load very, very quickly. All right, as we wrap up this week's episode, I want to share a few final thoughts about this mantra. I create spaces that nourish my soul. I think when you start to see yourself not just as, like, a figure in the environment, but a part of your environment and something that exists and lives within it and interacts with it, you start to also see how the spaces around you can actually be either favorably or unfavorably impacting your mental health, impacting your mood, even impacting, like, your spiritual health. There are some environments in some spaces that we can't avoid and that we kind of have to be in. And they might not necessarily be nourishing, but in the moments and the times and the spaces that we can control. How can we shift our daily choices or intentionally spend more time in spaces that are going to leave us feeling energized, creative, happy and with some sense of clarity? What does it mean to you when I see, say, or I speak about these spaces? Where is your soul kind of calling you to spend more time? That is really the thing I want you to take out of this episode. Where is home for you that may not be your bedroom but may be outside of your home? Where is the place where your soul feels really calm and how can you be there?

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[Jemma Speg]

Exclusive Open Mind original powered by Pave Studios. At Open Mind, we really really value your support. So please share your thoughts on social.

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[Jemma Speg]

Follow Mantra to help others discover the show. For ad, free listening and early access to the show, make sure to join.

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[Jemma Speg]

I'll share another Mantra with you next Monday.

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Until then, keep showing up for yourself and your journey.

[Jemma Speg]

I'm Jemma Speg.

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See you next week.

[Jemma Speg]

Mantra is hosted by me, Jemis Beg and is an Open Mind original powered by pavestube Studios. This episode was brought to life by the incredible Mantra team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Stacy Warren Kerr.

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Sarah Camp, Jen Passavoy and Paul Lieberskin. Thank you for listening.

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[Jemma Speg]

Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.

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[Jemma Speg]

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[Jemma Speg]

Let's go.

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[Jemma Speg]

Brad, you're on mute.

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