All too often we run ourselves ragged. We get up early, sometimes before the sun is even up....like, why is our culture the way it is, amirite? We chug coffee all day long while either at work or in class and any sort of "down time" is usually spent doing something involving a screen.
Sound familiar?
American society and work culture has dictated this "never stop working" mentality that, frankly, is so incredibly unhealthy; we don't know when/how to take a purposeful break without some sort of guilt of "I should be doing 'xyz thing'". So how do we combat the never ending exhaustion, stress and overall unrested state of being?
Well, there are many ways. I think, however, one of the best ways is to go on a retreat.
For most of us, we're either working, studying or doing both Monday-Friday (at least) full time. Those hallowed Saturdays and Sundays never seem to arrive soon enough. Why do we crave these days? Because we know those days allow us to reset and recharge our fume-filled batteries.
Sometimes, just "having the day off" isn't enough. Sometimes we need to physically remove ourselves from our day-to=day environment. This can be a "leave town and go to the lake" kind of thing or simply finding a nice table at a restaurant/coffee shop or a chill place to hammock for the day. Check out of your norm and whatever sounds relaxing to you, do it!
Now, some of you reading this might be thinking, "I have soooo many things to do this weekend there's no way I can just step away from it all!" Thats totally a legitimate thought. What I would say to that is try to find a way to incorporate rest/recharging with what needs to get done. If you need to do homework/study for an exam, bring your stuff with you! Something about going elsewhere to do my work always helps me feel less stressed about it; perhaps because it reminds me the world is much bigger than this one assignment/test/project/chore.
Secondly, unplug from social medias. Turn your phone off, or at least the data/wifi elements. Getting to really soak in your new surroundings helps you stay in that recharge mode. The urge to check your texts or Snapchat will be strong but, as the hours fly by, you'll find the urge lessen and the stress, strangely enough, follow suit. Something about always needing to know what's going in our worlds adds loads and loads of stress to our daily lives. Removing that for a while will do wonders.
I just went on a weekend retreat a couple hours away from home with a MoState organization (CRU) and while I helped in the kitchen and got way too little sleep, I found the change of scenery (which was absolutely beautiful, by the way) and the company of old/new friends to be exactly what I needed to recharge. Though I'm still a little tired, the beauty and importance of life/relationships were reemphasized this weekend.
Retreats can come in all shapes, sizes, time commitments and costs. This weekend, grab a friend or do it up solo and find the one that's right for you!
You know as well as I that you need it.
Cheers,
ZER
