The magic of third spaces

Photo by Li Sun

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how much it helps to have somewhere to go that isn’t work and isn’t home. Just… a third place.

Sociologists call it a “third space”—a setting outside of your responsibilities where you can simply be. It might be your neighborhood library, your church, a pottery studio, the climbing gym, a quiet bench in your favorite park. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It just has to feel like yours.

For me, it’s recently become the gym.

After years of working out at home—surrounded by perfectly good equipment and an endless supply of YouTube workouts—I found myself resisting the routine. Not because I didn’t enjoy moving my body, but because I was craving a shift in environment. Now that I also work from home, the house started feeling a little too full of… well, everything. My whole life, lived under one roof.

So I decided to try the gym again.

And honestly? It’s not just about the fitness. It’s the people. The rhythm. The act of leaving the house with a single purpose: to do something good for myself. There’s something deeply satisfying about showing up in a space that’s not asking anything from me except presence.

Third spaces do that. They give us a change of scenery. A way to reset. A moment to remember we’re part of a larger world.

It doesn’t have to be social, but sometimes it is—those small nods of recognition from regulars, the casual chatter, the feeling that you’re part of something, even in silence. And if your nervous system’s been on high alert (hi, modern life), having a place that’s steady and nourishing can make a huge difference.

So here’s your reminder: if things have felt a little too close, too loud, or too same-same lately, maybe it’s time to find your third place. Somewhere that doesn’t belong to your to-do list. Somewhere that gives you a little breath of air.