Personal space is not just a term. Any person needs solitude, where he feels himself outside of other people's manipulations, in complete safety, feels himself the master of his time, thoughts, feeling complete freedom. How to organize life in order to feel psychological comfort and protect personal space from unwanted intrusions?
Personal space surrounds every person. You can notice this with the naked eye as an example of how far we allow different people to approach us. We try to keep strangers away - at a distance of one and a half meters. If an unfamiliar or unfamiliar person crosses an imaginary line - this is an invasion, pleasant or unpleasant - this is the second question. Within a radius of one and a half meters, only "ours" can be. But a loved one reduces this distance to zero - and this is a sign of trust on our part. In fact, "personal space" has several dimensions: material, spiritual or psychological, and very intimate. It is here, alone with ourselves, that we can put our thoughts in order, feel inspiration, look into our souls, think over plans for the future, talk with our own conscience, heal psychological traumas, calm down and feel harmony and silence in ourselves.
Material boundaries of personal space
Each person has a need for his own things, in his own space, where he feels "at ease", in relative safety. The wider the boundaries of material personal space, the more protected we feel from the outside world. Note how we feel, for example, in someone else's kitchen. Fatigue from stress occurs very quickly. But on our own - we can be for hours. Personal space begins with your own towel, which no one except you touches, a personal pen, desk, personal computer, your own room where you can close the door and feel independent, to be alone with yourself. Where do the material boundaries of personal space end? Most likely where the "common" territory is located, where you intersect with those who live nearby. A person who has everything in order with his personal space will rarely encroach on someone else's personal territory. However, there are individuals who easily invade, and sometimes subjugate the personal space of another, even if it is fraught with conflict.
Psychological personal space
If everything is more or less obvious with the boundaries of material space, then psychological personal space is a subtle and complex concept. You can call it the inner world, in which there are very personal emotions, memories, attachments, love, friendship, personal human values. It would seem that this ethereal region is difficult to penetrate. But in reality it turns out that to make it easier than simple. Incorrect questions “Do you want to have a baby?”, “Do you sleep with …” and other personal questions - already mean that they are invading your personal space. It is especially painful when close people encroach on the inner world. A vigilant mother finds her daughter's diary and publicly discusses her notes. Favorite person is trying to control your thoughts, daily routine, personal correspondence. A jealous wife rummages through a mobile phone or looks for “traces of crime” in your computer. Home tyrant (husband, father, brother) criticizes your appearance and forbids wearing too sexy, in his opinion, dress or wearing makeup. Best friend digs out the details of your intimate life. Constant control can make a person restless, unhappy! In such cases, the person closes, becomes secretive. And not always because it is to blame for something. It’s just hard to live when someone constantly looks over your shoulder into the intimate world, unceremoniously climbs into the soul.