One of the keys to building trust and establishing a dialogue is by creating a safe space for people. Have you ever had a friend who assured you of their reliability but later you found out you were betrayed and left alone in a difficult situation? Well, you are not alone, as a lot of people are faced with a similar situation.
In a world full of wrong perceptions about people and stigma, being a person or having that person with whom you can be vulnerable to open up with your problems or request assistance is paramount to your cognitive health. As humans, we all need that person with whom we can feel safe, and we all have that time when we want to be alone, right?
Part of our goal at Funchatt is to provide a welcoming chat environment where you can meet new friends and have healthy interactions.
What is a Safe Space?
According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, a “safe space” is an environment where an individual or group of people can feel sure that they will not be endangered by intolerance, judgment, harassment, or other emotional or physical trauma. If you’re looking for a community where you can meet and have conversations with various people around the world, you may want to visit Funchatt.
Having a safe space and being a safe space for people to thrive is essential. Safe space is where you don’t have to ask for forgiveness for being you, showing any feelings, and being fully authentic. In this kind of space, you’re capable of evolving more freely.
One of your healthiest safe spaces maybe with your honest buddies from college, your family, or partner. This knowledge that you’re being paid attention to and will be respected regardless of your feelings or what you say gives true meaning to life and happiness.
If you want to be a safe space for someone, below are some helpful tips to get you started:
1. Don’t Aim to Fix their Problem
Have you noticed that when someone is in grief, we attempt to resolve it for them? Well, that may make us feel good, but not the other person, as it might even make them more solitary in their grief. The goal is to be present for them and not attempt to fix them or their emotions. Sometimes people don’t need fixing; they just need to walk through their pain.
Cultivating these fundamental elements will enable you to hold a valuable and kind space for the other person. Nowadays, we barely hold space for one another, so the fact that you are attempting may exonerate you of any unintended mistakes you make.
If you need someone to hold a safe space for you, you might consider getting a therapist or try joining a community at Funchatt, where you can interact with all kinds of people.
2. Remember to Check in with your Breathe
This is a practical method that ensures you stay grounded. Also, it will enable you to remain connected to your body. That is the most potent means of examining your connection to the person you’re talking with and yourself.
3. Establish and Honor Boundaries
Setting and honoring boundaries can enhance protection in a friendship by establishing private limits. When you discuss boundaries in your relationship, you let your friend in on your preferences and entice them to discuss their own. Understand that boundaries don’t only preserve you but also your relationship.
Boundaries can be sexual, biological, emotional, or monetary. All these are crucial to promoting regard in a successful relationship. Once you have understood your boundaries, you and your partner should make sure to honor them.
Here are a few examples of boundaries that improve emotional security:
- Regarding what is valuable to you.
- Disseminating private news unhurriedly.
- Cherishing your time by not over-engaging.
- Requesting space when you crave an alone moment.
- Expressing your comfort level of intimacy.
4. Avoid Seizing Their Pain
Have you noticed that being a safe space for someone in intense pain can stir up your pain also? It is important to understand that offering a safe space for someone requires that you maintain a clear goal. Even though you’re in the challenge with them, you are simply holding their hand and not snatching their crisis and turning it into your own.
5. Promote Accountability and Pursue Through
Doing this proves to your friend that you are responsible and value the friendship. When you devote yourself to a worthy course and follow it till the finish, you establish confidence by expressing your patriotism to your partner. However, this doesn’t have to take place in one day.
Allowing your friend to watch your constant effort, no matter how small it may seem, demonstrates to them your loyalty to the relationship. Aim to keep your friend in the ring, as this will enable you to keep yourself accountable.
6. Be an Active Listener
This is a vital element of a healthy connection. People crave being listened to and understood to feel safe. According to Dr. Isabelle Morley, a clinical psychologist, “Effective listening is when you lay aside your defenses and distractions and truly absorb what your partner is telling you.”
That means that whenever anxieties or problems ensue, your friend will feel safe talking to you about them. So, rather than the issue accumulating or your friend coming to be resentful, you can be of help to promptly and skillfully handle it.
Here are a few ways to practice active listening:
- Non-vocal signs of being attentive like grinning, nodding, and keeping eye connection.
- Asking for clarification where necessary.
- Summarizing what has been explained.
- Listen not only to hear but to comprehend.
7. Maintain an Unconditional Positive Regard
This is a method illustrated by Carl Rogers where you hold your partner with absolute regard. That is the basis of every therapeutic relationship. It rests on the understanding that regardless of what your partner has done or who your friend is, you still hold them in high esteem, kindness, and positive regard. That is part of what we are aimed at creating on the Funchatt platform. We are committed to raising a community of kind individuals that can accept and value each other.
8. Give your Friend the benefit of the Doubt
This implies eliminating rash conclusions and being interested in understanding the rationale for their attitude. Rabbi Shlomo Slatkin, a relationship therapist, says, “Most people’s motivations are subconscious and often connected to the baggage they bring to the relationship.”
When you quit judging and composing tales of why a person acted in a particular manner, you will start to view them appreciatively from a place of understanding. You may not always subscribe to their views, but you can at least establish a safe space without conflict.
Conclusion
Providing a safe space for people is fundamental to building a strong and positive relationship. There are myriad ways to create a safe space for people. However, you might consider attempting some of the strategies we have listed above and determining which one functions best for you and your friend. We have a community of great minds where you can build strong and safe connections with amazing personalities.
Join Funchatt today and get started on your journey to establishing safe and supportive relationships!
