Finding your safe space (and introducing Doug the horse)

Hi, I'm Juls, I used to be a youth worker in London, and I've worked for various charities in Brighton, and that's been really hard, that's been really tough on occasions. And on various occasions, I've hit a wall where I just think, "Stuff's got to change. This is too hard." And for that, you need to know, where do you go in tough times? Where do you escape to? 'Cause you need that space.

Some people call them man caves, some people call them thin spaces, but either way, it's probably a place where you can think, where you can maybe even connect with God if that's what you do. But it's a space where you can really screw your head on and think about what needs to happen next, what you need to do next.

And what I often do is stand in a field like I am now, and I come and hang with my mate, Doug, who's over here. Doug, come here, you scoundrel. Here's Doug, for the camera. He's a lovely fella, but I love hanging in this field with Doug, chatting to him. I've told him all about my hard days, my sad days, I've cried on him, I've hugged him, but equally I can talk to God at the same time and tell Him all about how I feel and what to do and what I should be doing next.

So I just encourage you, really, to find that space, that safe space, that thin space, whether you want to call it a man cave, a thin space, a escape place. Somewhere that's quiet, where you can really think when times are tough, where you can really screw your head on and get your head around maybe what big decisions need to happen next.

And I'd encourage you to hang out with an animal. I don't know whether you've got access to an animal, whether a friend's got a pet. It doesn't need to be a horse, maybe a dog, a cat, maybe look after someone else's animal. But I think, yeah, just make time. Hang with animals, hang in field, in open spaces, to keep your mind moving and keep thinking about maybe what's next, and just to clear your brain when times are tough.

It's helped me a lot, and I love doing that with Doug here. You gotta say goodbye, Doug, you and I. You're a little rascal, yes you are.