I attended an amazing women’s retreat this month in Minnesota and came home rested, having reflected a lot on my life and my personal values. We did yoga, meditation, group discussions, Qigong, journaling, even drumming. Look at these gorgeous women! We all came home ready to spring into spring with a renewed sense of purpose and a readiness to move into the rest of our lives.
But for some, this idea of retreat is foreign. Why would one spend an entire weekend with a group of women, some they just met, talking about themselves and studying with a Life Coach?
Wikipedia says a “retreat” is a quiet or secluded place in which one can rest and relax, or a period of seclusion for the purposes of prayer and meditation. For me, a retreat is a dedicated time for self-care. For me, a retreat is a commitment to myself to take care of myself.
A retreat doesn’t have to require you fly out of state and have a Life Coach lead it or have others join you. It can be as simple as taking five minutes away from your desk to go outside and walk around the block. It can be an afternoon to take in a movie with a friend or an evening with your spouse out to your favorite pizza place.
A retreat is about what you need to say to yourself, “I matter right now. I realize I need some down time and I’m going to give that to myself.”
What would a retreat look like for you? How could you give yourself a much needed rest? Dust off that 100 Ways to Love Yourself list and pick one that allows you to be with yourself, that allows you to retreat, then rest . . . and then repeat.
