All of us yearn to improve ourselves and be better at what we do. The Personal Retreat is the best device that is available to us that enables us to coordinate and order our lives. It is the best strategy that we can adopt to keep us fresh and moving forward.

If you take a few steps to incorporate Personal Retreats into your lifestyle, I promise you that you will soon make incredible advances in every area of your life.

What A Personal Retreat Is Not

A Personal Retreat is not a holiday or a vacation. It is not taking a break to run personal errands, to pay your bills or run to the bank or colour your hair. It is certainly not a break for retail therapy or visiting your parents or loved ones. All these are important functions of life for which we must apportion our time.

But, Retreat time is not spent on such activities. It is not ideal to couple your Retreat with your morning exercise jog or your commute to and from work. If you really are tight for time, perhaps such times of solitude in a crowded atmosphere may be your only opportunity to Retreat.

What Is A Personal Retreat?

A Personal Retreat happens when you go away by yourself to spend some quality time with yourself.

A Personal Retreat breaks the routine of your work life. It provides you with an outlet to slow down, meditate, and recharge yourself. It will help you to come apart and rest. It will enable you to renew yourself. It enables you to refocus.

A retreat gives you control of your life. It is your own time, and you can plan to do what you wish, without being directed by your work or family mandates. This is not a Retreat organised by another group or organisation. This is your own time to cater to your own needs and life situation.

Since you are in charge of the Retreat, you can decide to make it fit your budget. Most Personal Retreats will cost you nothing financially.

The frequency of your retreat must be predicated by the frequency you feel you need a regular break. The retreat can minimally be at least a few hours in length or up to half a day to a full day or a couple of days. Those who have the luxury of leave can have longer retreats.

How Should You Plan Your Personal Retreat?

1. Pick the spot

A healthy personal retreat will be enhanced by your choice of place. You may wish to select a place where the environment enables you to be calm, and if possible quiet. Greenery and scenery boost the flow of good hormones into your system. The seaside or riverside, a park, or a field are good choices.

You may wish to also go to your place of comfort or a safe place. Some people like to hide in a cosy booth of a coffee shop. Some people do well with music in the background. Remember, the choice of spot and the ambience will have a significant impact on the outcome of your Retreat.

2. Dress Appropriately

Unless you plan to get back to work or another function, it is best to wear clothes that you can relax in. You may wish to dress down, depending on the place you pick. The name of the game is to dress comfortably. If you really have to go someplace else after the retreat, pack a change.

3. Plan Ahead

In most cases, taking a Personal Retreat must be planned ahead. The dedicated time-off must be in your calendar and people who know you and people who need you must be informed about your whereabouts. It is best if all of them respect your time-off, and refrain from disturbing you unless it is an absolute emergency.

4. Try Not To Be Dependent On Your Devices

As long as the mobile device you carry is an aid in achieving your objectives, you are on helpful terrain. The moment you default to checking your emails and attending to your routine, daily work, or chores, you would lose the effectiveness of your Personal Retreat.

5. Be Clear About Your Objective

If you do not know why you are taking a Personal Retreat, and simply go away for a time by yourself, it is still worth the effort. But for super results, you must decide your primary objective.

How Do You Pick The Objective Of Your Retreat?

It is critical to select an objective for each Personal Retreat you have. What do you wish to achieve or be, at the end of this dedicated time? The key to picking an objective is to assess your needs. Do not follow somebody else’s formula. You may wish to take the following as a guideline. You can have more than one objective at a time, if necessary.

Rest: If you have been extremely busy, burning the candle from both ends, you may wish to slow down the clock and take a good rest, enjoy a peaceful meal, and even sleep. Some end up having a good cry. Some would take a long slow swim, sunbathe or go for a nature walk where you actually stop to admire the flora and fauna.

Since we spend most of our day in highly charged situations, and rather loud environments, your Personal Retreat may be the ideal occasion to listen to the sound of silence and to listen to your heart and pause to gather your thoughts.

Recharge: If you are feeling drained and devoid of ideas, if your creative juices have stopped flowing, you may wish to spend time recharging yourself. You may have to plug yourself into things that make you come alive like reading, listening to music, watching your favourite movie, or calling your mentor.

Some would go out and do art therapy or pottery, paint, write poetry or jam on your guitar. Some would watch motivational videos. The aim is to come alive.

Renew: If you have been giving to others without having the opportunity to adequately receive, you may wish to spend time renewing your mind and your emotions. Mentally and emotionally drained people drain those who they interact with. So, your objective would be to do things that enable you to renew your mind.

Deep breathing, journaling, taking a long hard look at your actions and thought processes, forgiving those who have wronged you, deciding to mend relationships that have been broken, identifying people with whom you need to journey more closely will be paramount.

Listening to your favourite speaker or reading a book by your favourite author and pausing to review what you have gained will help you rejuvenate.

What Can You Expect At The End Of Your Retreat?

At the end of your Personal Retreat, you will have a transformed mind filled with new thoughts, creative ideas and a fresh impetus to touch and bless other people. You would have seen your life, your challenges, and your opportunities, from a new angle. You would have hopefully entered into a new zone!

Capturing the essence of the Personal Retreat is almost instantaneous. It is simple and anyone can achieve it. Be honest with yourself and enter with an expectant heart.

The power of Personal Retreats does not last forever. They support and buffet us for a time. The energy you receive from it will die down eventually and especially if the demands placed on you are acute. So, decide to calibrate your life with regular Personal Retreats so that you will advance with incredible aplomb and passion.

By Ramylal Fernando.

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