Taking dedicated personal time for ourselves is hard. We put our friends, family and things we dread on our calendars. But if I look back at my calendar from two years ago, there wasn’t a lot in it dedicated to taking care of myself.

I used to feel like I was running to catch up… but I could never get there! That frantic state is the worst not just because it’s a hard place to live, but because when you’re in it it’s hard to even know what will make it better.

Last year I made the idea of “living with intention” into an active part of my life by taking dedicated personal time every two weeks to think, take care of myself, process my feelings and what was or wasn’t working in my life. It was also one of the best years I’ve ever experienced, and I  don’t think for a second that’s a coincidence

Now I get it: If I want to have a sane life that feels great, I have to schedule time to actively focus on what I need. So I’ve started creating personal retreats for myself through the year.

This might sound complicated, but it’s dead easy!

A retreat can be whatever you’d like it to be. It’s dedicated time for you to do what you need, care for yourself, and come away feeling refreshed.

Completely Biased List of A Retreat’s Fabulous Benefits:

  • It lets you reclaim your brain, by actually addressing the thoughts and feelings that take up your energy when they’re constantly on repeat in the background of your life.
  • It pulls you out of your head so you can focus on action – which is where the living happens!
  • It’s a perfectly legitimate excuse to stay in your PJ’s all day, or have breakfast food for every meal.
  • It puts you back on your priority list, so you have energy to offer people around you instead of radiating how you feel drained and worried. That switch of mindset might as well be a superpower.

Feeling convinced? Enough to tweet about it even? Then let’s talk scheduling!

Craft an at home personal retreat

How to Craft Your Own Personal Retreat

A personal retreat can be as elaborate or simple as you want it to be. At its core, it’s simply time intentionally set aside for taking care of yourself and getting centered again. Simple? Sure. But it has a big impact.

Choose an amount of time that feels right to you

Your perfect retreat might be two hours in your bedroom, a lazy morning with your journal followed by an inspiration gathering afternoon at the library, or a weekend dedicated to reflection, journaling, champagne and spa treatments.

Chances are you know exactly what you’re craving and what would feel great now, so use that as a jumping off point! There’s no wrong way to do this, just make sure you set the time aside in your calendar.

 

Brainstorm ideas for comfort

Comfort is anything that feels soothing, or like you’re pampering yourself. Comfort can set the mood for your retreat and help you feel like you’re enjoying a rare treat.

Ways to add comfort into your retreat:

  • Wake up without an alarm
  • Take a bubble bath before breakfast
  • Take an afternoon nap
  • Get a massage
  • Treat yourself to your favourite meal

 

Brainstorm ideas for self care

Where comfort is lovely, it’s a temporary treat. Self care is something that helps you on a level that chocolate can’t (scandalous, I know!) and will help you recharge in a lasting, meaningful way.

Ways to add self care into your retreat:

  • Practice yoga, meditation or prayer
  • Try taking an unplugged day, or turning off all your smartphone notifications
  • Do a “brain dump” where you list out all the things that have been on your mind & that you’ve tried to remember
  • Set up a call with a friend who can help you talk through something that’s tripping you up
  • Journal about anything that’s been upsetting or worrying you
  • Write out your current challenges, successes & what you’re craving. Ask yourself how you can make for more of what you’re craving to the coming week and month.
  • Do a calendar audit to make sure your schedule matches your priorities

Write down how you feel when you start and when you finish

Make a quick scale from 1 to 10, and make note of how you felt at the start versus how you felt at the end of your time. Rating your time might seem silly, but it can give you a really helpful tool beyond your memory of how the retreat felt.

Especially if you’re going to be working through some harder stuff, the day might not feel like you’re frolicking through a meadow when you remember it, but you could come away feeling a hundred times better than when you started. It’s that lasting effect, not just your experience of the day, that holds the value so measuring it is important.

 

What would you do on your ideal retreat day? Would you ever try making your own? Why or why not?