Your first space is where you live, your second space is where you work or go to school, and your third space can be any location that doesn’t fall into the first two categories.
Third spaces play an important role in helping us build individual and collective identities outside the home and workplace. A third space is where you relax in public, encounter familiar faces, make new connections, and experience new sights/sounds. This facilitates leisure time – creating a sense of well-being and positivity while also helping to combat depression, anxiety, and loneliness, and increase our resiliency. Spending time unstructured provides a valuable break from the sometimes unrelenting nature of our schedules. Some guidelines for a third space include:
- Neutral ground (no obligation to be there)
- Easy to get to – ideally by foot or a short transit
- Encourages “public relaxation”
- Does not have a cost to attend
- Allows you to move and convers freely
- Somewhere you can frequent
- A leveling effect (no emphasis on individual status)
Some third space examples are:
- Coffee shops
- Parks / Pools
- Public libraries / Bookstores / Book Club
- Churches / Community Centers
- Gyms / Studios / Running Clubs
- Barber Shop / Salon
- Front stoop/ Porches
- Markets or Village Square
- Fantasy Football Leagues
- Dog park / H.S. Track
- Can also be a space for “solitude without loneliness” – like a theater or yoga
How to find your third space:
It may take some courage and experimentation but finding local third spaces that resonate with you is well worth it. Perhaps slow down to chat with your neighbors on the block. Join a group to learn a new hobby or reconnect with an old one. Find a place to volunteer or attend a faith-based community gathering. Take your next project to your local café and work from there. Please know that while virtual community building is tied to some psychological benefits, research shows it does not yet match the positive impact on wellbeing demonstrated by developing in-person communities. And finding an in-person third space is especially important for remote workers, whose second space is already primarily virtual.
Bonus Idea To Try: start a summer tradition of Friday-night picnic dinners in the park. Pick a green space destination to meet up with family or friends after work on Friday, pick up some picnic foods, drinks, and reusable plates/utensils + a blanket = feels like jumping right into your weekend while enjoying the benefits of longer summer evenings before sunset.