16/52 - Sanctuary

To get back on track with my 12 letter prompt ("housewarming") this is my second use of it this month. I'm up to 'S' and have chosen...

Sanctuary

I have rallied.

Quetiapine has worked its magic, just as it did 11 years ago, and quietened my brain. Impulses to self-harm disappeared almost over night. Anxiety more easily shaken off. Focus returning. Feel like I've got stores of energy I can actually share with other people. 

It's like I've had an alarm going off in my head for a year or more, and eventually you stop really hearing it but your body and mind are tense, wrung out by it. And all of a sudden, it's turned off.

Sanctuary in my own mind.

My flat is also sanctuary rather than a trap, as it has felt for a while because of my difficult relationship with Southampton. The flowers and plants on the balcony are growing well, the seeds I planted indoors are all sprouting. Only two things haven't pushed tiny green leaves up into the air yet, but I hope they still might. 

This flat is so light and warm and quiet and it feels safe and welcoming.

Sanctuary. Inside and outside of my head.

This is new. I hope it stays.