Home retreat

Feeling overworked or overwhelmed?

Whether it’s the dark evenings, the pressure of a fast approaching Christmas or the worrisome news we are bombarded with daily, all can be contributing to a sense of overload and heightened sensitivity to negativity. “Stop the world I want to get off.” How can we turn this around, make a space to regroup, calm down and breathe?

Making our homes a retreat or sanctuary can bring a welcome, helpful counter balance to our daily experience. The Danish experience of ‘hugge’ invites us to be cosy, to consider swapping the tv or internet for a book, a conversation or even just a quiet five minutes. Maybe eating an evening meal by candle light could create a softer, calmer environment for just a short while, noticing how our eyes enjoy the rest away from computer and tv screens.

Making time to prepare our food and eat regularly gives us the fuel to face the challenges of each day. Ensuring we get enough rest and relaxation enables us to maintain our sense of wellbeing and usually our sense of humour. Drinking enough water helps us to remain hydrated, grounded and flushes out any toxins produced by a body under stress.

Is it possible to put in our schedules a time for 10 or 15 minutes yoga or mindfulness maybe at the start or end of our day? What about scheduling free time or even play time each day? We have to become really creative in our ideas for creating these precious moments for us. Taking time for us and creating the best retreat or sanctuary we can not only helps us, it helps those we live with and ultimately work with. We can be the change in an increasingly stressful world, one book and candlelit evening meal at a time.