Everyone needs a little escape, a little time away to replenish, renew and recharge. How does a personal wellness retreat sound like to you? When you think of a retreat, what comes to mind? A luxurious spa or wellness retreat in Bali, Bora Bora or The Bahamas? Well, you don’t have to spend a fortune to experience a getaway from the daily grind to experience the benefits of an expensive getaway. You can create a personal wellness retreat right at home and your pocket will be very thankful to you later.
A retreat by definition is an act of withdrawing or moving back, as in a personal retreat, you are withdrawing from the stressors and pressures of your daily challenges that wreaks havoc on your overall health.
You don’t have to wait till you are in a tight spot or feeling like you are on your last leg to take a personal day and dedicate it to your wellbeing. You can easily design a day or weekend retreat and with some guidelines and creativity, you can design an economical yet incredibly powerful retreat to recharge and reinvigorate your life.
Why Do You Want a Personal Retreat?
Having a clear understanding of “why” you want and/or need a retreat is important so that you can plan it in the very best manner that will allow you to achieve the shift that you seek in your life. Listed below are some questions to help you define your ‘whys”
- Are you feeling stressed and run down and in need of some major self-care?
- Are you craving an experience indulgent in relaxation and bliss?
- Could you be feeling stuck in some area of your life and need to recharge?
- Are you overwhelmed by the stressors of work and need to reprioritize your activities?
- Could you be craving more connection to self, to spirit?
- Do you just need physical and mental relaxation?
- Do you need to reevaluate your personal or professional goals?
- Is life calling you elsewhere?
- Maybe you want to dedicate the retreat to a hobby that you have neglected?
Where & When to have your retreat?
The other questions that may follow is “where and when” to have your retreat? We are presently living in a Covid-19 world, so I will focus on providing ideas for a home retreat. If you are comfortable with the idea of staying in a hotel, you can book a one-day stay or weekend stay, in a luxury suite to indulge in your experience. This may work nicely, too for those who live in very large and busy households.
If you are designing your retreat at home, find a way to make things work with what you have. Find a babysitter for a day or two so you can create that sacred time for yourself. If that is not possible , make an agreement with those in the home to honor your personal day and make sure they do not interrupt you for the duration of your retreat. You can prep anything for the family or the members of your household in advance of your day.
When thinking about the “when” be realistic. Look at your schedule and make sure it is clear of any zoom calls, meetings, deadlines, conferences, appointments, kids’ events…you get the picture. Figure out how much time you need to plan the retreat to fulfill your purpose. Let everyone know that you will not be available on that day. This is your personal wellness time for your physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
What would You Want To Do In Your Retreat?
Now that you have identified the purpose of your retreat, it’s time to get into the mood and spirit of the day. Make a list of all the things that you would like to do on your retreat. I’ve listed some examples of things you might do on a personal retreat depending on the purpose.
- If you thought of doing a detox or cleanse, a personal retreat is perfect for that.
- Facials, massages, mani/pedis are perfect for a self-care focused retreat. Use organic, perfumed lotions and body oils, scented pillows and room diffusers for the ambience.
- Light exercise: nature walk, tai chi, pilates, yoga
- Eating organic and healthy foods (prepare your meals ahead of time)
- writing in gratitude journal
- creating vision boards
- going through memorabilia, photos, videos and appreciating all positive memories…perhaps thinking about how to show appreciation to those after the retreat
- long candlelight bath or shower
- Resting: nap throughout the day or stay in bed as late as you want to, heck stay in bed all day if you choose too! It’s your day…no judgement.
- Read novels, books or self-improvement books
- Meditation for spiritual connection; do some mindfulness meditation
- Have an guilt-free day and guilt-free fun. Do what you want, do nothing if that’s what you want. It’s your day.
Do not engage in any social media interactions and turn off all devices on that day unless, you are working on a digital vision board or writing and journaling.
Personal Retreat Takeaways
Let the intention of your retreat guide you. You know what your intentions are. Start with a good stretch or with any activity that begins to relax you to remove the stress and negativity that you are retreating from. Go easy, be gentle with yourself and don’t force anything. You may not get the answers that you seek from a one time event. However, this can kickstart a routine of self-care that you can incorporate into your life time and time again to reconnect with yourself.
You don’t need to wait until you’re in a bind to plan a personal wellness retreat. Retreats are useful for periodic check-ins with yourself and are a powerful way to recharge, rejuvenate and empower you to action.