Vacations are awesome. I have a long weekend planned in March with my husband. But as wonderful as these special trips are, they don’t replace my monthly PRD. What makes a Personal Retreat Day different from a plain ol’ self-care day or a day off from work?
I’ve been reading a lot about what makes our goals stick around long enough to become habits. One tip is to write your goals down (on paper is better than electronically) and read them every day. Another ingredient for success is to celebrate small wins regularly and reward your efforts with some kind of treat.
There exists a time-honored folk story of a young woodsman and a seasoned lumberjack. The robust young woodsman energetically attacked the towering oaks chopping and chopping all day long, never stopping to rest. The grizzled
Most of us go throughout our days in auto-pilot. Eat, sleep, work, repeat has become a mantra for the frenetic pace of the daily grind. That’s why taking regular Personal Retreat Days is so important – it interrupts the habitual flow of mindlessly moving from one day into the next and gives you a blessed opportunity to simply THINK and BE.
How do you make sense of all your daily events and happenings? The short answer: by journaling! I’m a huge believer in the power of journaling. It’s something I do every morning without fail. If the thought of keeping a journal makes you shudder, have no fear! There are many ways to journal, and I promise at least one of them will resonate with you.
I firmly believe that examining your past helps you create a better future. During your Personal Retreat Day, spend time looking back at the previous month.
Of all the valuable tasks that I perform every day, reading is way up there on the list of my most essential activities. Reading educates, informs, and expands one’s worldview. I try to start my day with a mug of coffee and about 20 minutes of non-fiction reading.
By far, the most effective way I’ve found to begin my own Personal Retreat Day is with moderate exercise. The best kind of exercise to get you in the right frame of mind for the rest of your PRD involves motion that leaves you feeling energized, not exhausted.
Now that you’ve learned the benefits as well as the challenges of starting and maintaining a Personal Retreat Day habit, it’s time to answer the Big Question you’ve been waiting for: HOW do you do