Do You Need a Retreat?
Last month I facilitated Cone Health’s annual Well-Being Retreat for Coaches in the Well-Being Coaching Initiative. This is a day I get to provide the space and structure for them to focus on their own well-being. We all need support to do this, even as Coaches.
Every retreat has a unique theme and this one focused on letting go, a simple but not easy practice. The Coaches chose one thing they could let go of that was not serving them in order to embrace something they craved.
They let go of worry, guilt, and a sense of urgency to respond to email and text messages—all noise that takes up so much space and energy in our minds and lives. One of the activities to support letting go was 2 hours of silence in the park, which was initially terrifying and ultimately powerful. Ram Dass said, the quieter you become, the more you can hear.
When you hear more, you gain the perspective to prioritize what really matters because you are more calm, clear, and connected. This is what a few of the Coaches “heard” from their experience:
- If I want to be able to pour into others, be the best wife, mother, and nurse manager, I must first take care of me. It seems so simple yet it’s so difficult to put into practice, and I’m eternally grateful and forever changed by my experience today.
- Wow! Being quiet for 2 hours was perhaps the most difficult and most rewarding. I was able to witness and experience my 5 senses with the warm sun on my skin and cool breeze on my body, the birds chirping, and the smell of freshly cut grass.
- Taking time to recharge allows me to show up healthier, more present, and more purposeful for the people I serve and care about each day. I will remember this feeling in reflection of today and use it to guide my ongoing commitment to myself and others through this journey!
- With the stresses of work and my personal life, I was in need of a day to reconnect with myself and my intentions. During our silent walk, I passed a bench that read “calm winds and following seas” and was reminded to bring calm to my life, not make my seas more rough.
- The well-being retreat is a day I look forward to with excitement and anticipation because being mindful, reflective, and quiet leaves me re-energized, nourished, and inspired to take care of myself and others.
- I have an overwhelming appreciation and peace because I allowed myself to reflect, have intentional prayer and simply care for me. My soul is truly refreshed today.
Do you need a retreat?
Yes! This is especially true if you say or even think, “I am too busy”, “It’s not a good time”, or “It’s not that important”. You need a retreat for a day, a morning, or even an hour to rest, renew, and recover before you are completely depleted and disenchanted with your life and yourself.