Over the years, I’ve taken many trips by myself and I’ve come to really enjoy them. They are my own solo wellness retreats. I look forward to them. It’s something that initially came about out of necessity, really, not choice. When I graduated from high school, a friend and I had plans to backpack around Europe; however, she pulled out and I was left with the choice of either going by myself or staying home.

I decided to go anyway and the rest is history. I’ve been travelling ever since. I subsequently have spent more than two decades travelling to 75 countries. Most of the trips have been for work or by myself.

I’ve always just figured that it was better to just go than stay home. Now, I prefer to go off by myself most of the time.

I will do a separate post on traveling alone, but here I wanted to do a deep dive into having a personal/solo wellness retreat, in case you are interested in doing something similar yourself. It’s something I did in April 2022 in Tunisia. I holed up for 4 days in a lovely guesthouse outside of Tunis. This year I have decided to do it again and am going to Tuscany.

That time spent by myself, in a lovely, peaceful setting, is something I still think about today. It felt so luxurious and expansive. I felt truly relaxed, and I don’t think I’ve felt that relaxed since then. I feel like I really had some personal and professional breakthrough(s) during that week and I’m looking forward to doing it again this year. It may not be exactly the same, but having that downtime to think and reflect on the rest of the year is exciting for me. Plus it won’t hurt that it’s in Chianti and I will have beautiful scenery and the food and wine to match.

Taking time away from your life can be very good for you. It gives you an opportunity to spend some time relaxing. It gives you an opportunity to focus on something else other than what is going on in your everyday life.

I realise that it can seem somewhat strange and uncomfortable to go off on your own if you’ve never done it before, but it’s really important for you to get outside of your comfort zone and take an opportunity to be by yourself on a regular basis. It can be an amazing catalyst for growth, and so this blog post will explain how taking time away from everything can help you grow into the next version of yourself.

What is a personal retreat?

A personal retreat is a time spent in solitude and reflection. It can be as short as one day or as long as several months, but the general idea is that you’re spending time alone with your thoughts and feelings, without distractions from others. It is the epitome of self-care, and it gives you a much needed opportunity to step out of your life to work on your life.

The benefits of personal wellness retreats

• Physical and mental health benefits
• Increased self-awareness
• Personal growth

A personal retreat allows for self-reflection in a way that most people don’t get to experience very often (if ever). While alone, we can examine our innermost thoughts and feelings without judgment or criticism from others. This is a rare opportunity for many people.

Personal retreats are a great way to re-connect with yourself, nature and the world around you. They can be an opportunity to reflect on what’s important in your life, create a sense of purpose and get in touch with your inner self. Maybe it’s just time for some personal reflection on what makes up your life and how the past few years have shaped who you are today. Maybe it will help bring clarity in your mind about what direction you want things headed in next. The possibilities are endless and are completely up to you.

The benefits of personal retreats include:

No distractions

You’ll have time alone with no distractions so you can think about your life. This will help give clarity about where the next step should be in terms of any personal or professional goals. Reflect on whether there are any things that need changing; how relationships should work out etcetera (this list goes on).

Get away from your regular routine

It can be a time to get away from your regular routines and do something different. If you have been feeling down lately, it might be time for some alone time. You will be able to find answers to the questions that have been in the back of your mind since before any other thoughts entered into them. This will help bring clarity into those murky waters and allow yourself not only peace but also strength when facing what comes next in life: whatever may come up next.

You’ll also have more energy because there won’t be anyone else around but yourself (and maybe a cat). Plus if there’s one thing we all need more than anything else these days, it’s solitude—and more often than not this means getting away from everyone else for a while so we can reconnect with ourselves and our feelings better than when surrounded by constant noise every day.

Connect with yourself and your feelings

The importance of being alone is not just for you to think about your life and feelings. It also allows you to focus on and connect with your own thoughts and feelings. This in turn makes it easier for you continue moving forward when faced with challenges.

When we are surrounded by other people, or rushing from one commitment to another, we don’t have time to stop and reflect on what’s important in our lives or how we want them to be different or better than they currently are. We certainly don’t have much time to become aware of how we are feeling and to allow for them and process them.

Slowing down and getting quiet allows us to feel. There will be feelings coming up that we might never have been aware of otherwise. This is important because our feelings drive our actions, which in turn, creates our results. Gaining awareness of how we are feeling can help us to gain awareness, process the emotion and then decide on purpose what emotion we want to feel in order to take the action we want to take in order to create new results – the results we truly want for ourselves.

Grow as a person

Taking time away from everyone else and being by yourself is important in order to grow as a person.

You can take time away from your life to think about your life. You will find answers to the questions that you have in your head. It’s also a chance to connect with yourself and your feelings better than when you are constantly surrounded by other people.

By taking time away from everyone else, you can also come up with new ideas and solutions to problems. You might be able to find a solution for an issue that has been bothering you for a long time. Or you could come up with creative ways to solve problems at work.

It’s easier to think about things that are important to you

When you take time away from your life, it is easier to think about things that are important to you. It’s important because when we are by ourselves, we can focus on what really matters in our lives.

By being alone and focusing on the things that matter most to us, we feel better about ourselves and become more confident about who we are as individuals. This change in attitude leads us towards being happier people overall because being happy gives people energy which then allows them to do things that make them feel good about themselves as well as others around them.

Make better decisions for yourself

Taking time away from your life can help you make better decisions for yourself.

When you are constantly surrounded by others, it’s hard to find the time to think about what is happening in your own life. The answers that come from this process are often profound and meaningful for both the individual and their surroundings. It’s also important for self-reflection because this kind of thinking allows us to connect with our feelings better than when we are constantly surrounded by others who need us or want us around them at all times.

Recharge your mind.

Your brain needs rest. It needs time to just think. It needs a break from all the input from other people, our phones, radio, podcasts and TV. Your brain also requires a break from processing all the information we are bombarded with each day.

The Cleveland Clinic notes “A little downtime is important for your brain health. Research has found that taking breaks can improve your mood, boost your performance and increase your ability to concentrate and pay attention. When you don’t give your mind a chance to pause and refresh, it doesn’t work as efficiently.”

Overall, it can help you make better decisions for yourself and your family, friends, and even business partners.

Focus on important things in your life that are not urgent, such as thinking about your goals and how to achieve them.

When you’re by yourself, it allows you to focus on important things in your life that are not urgent, such as thinking about your goals and how to achieve them. You can also think about your life in general and how it has changed since the last time you were alone with no distractions.

You may also find it helpful to reflect on what’s been going well in the past few weeks or months; this helps me stay focused on what’s working out for me right now instead of getting caught up in all the things I wish would happen but haven’t yet. It’s important not only because these types of reflections help keep us focused but also because they help keep us grounded when times get tough—when everything seems like there is too much pressure or stress around us at once (which happens sometimes!).

It gives you an opportunity to spend some time relaxing and focusing on something else other than what is going on in your everyday life.

It’s important to take time away from your life. This will give you a chance to recharge your batteries and focus on something else other than the stress of being busy all day long.

It’s also good for your mental health. When people are stressed out, they tend not to sleep well at night. They also don’t eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables because they’re too busy thinking about work that needs completing.

So how does it work?

The first step to taking time away from your life is asking yourself what you need right now. If you feel like going somewhere quiet and alone, then go there. You don’t have to leave forever, just for an hour or two. It’s easier to have a retreat and enjoy the process when you are away from home because there is less stress around demands from others, our daily routines and making decisions. Going somewhere where you know you won’t be bothered and can relax, is an important part of this process, but not mandatory.  Checking into a hotel, Airbnb, or a guesthouse, can be a lovely and comfortable change of environment. Finding a place where you can walk or sit outside by a pool or a lake/ocean is always enjoyable.

Regardless, be honest with yourself about what you want, and if there is something that would make your life better. If you feel like you need to go somewhere quiet and be alone, then go there. If you can’t take a couple of days, take a walk. Drive somewhere. Go to the library or a museum or an art gallery. YOu could even just sit in your car for 20 minutes. Take time to think about what it is that you want to explore for yourself.

During the retreat

During the retreat, you’ll have the opportunity to experience the environment and connect with yourself. You can engage in activities such as yoga or meditation, which will help you feel relaxed and rejuvenated.

• Choose a location. Try and get away from home and everyone you know. If you’re staying at home, make sure that you have stocked your favourite food, tea, candles and other supplies.
• Set boundaries. You may want to consider creating some rules for yourself during this time–for example: no technology or social media use; no eating after 7 pm; set hours for meditation practice each day (or week).
• Create a schedule. Decide how much time each day/weekend will be spent doing what activities–meditation? Journaling? Exercise? Reading? Cooking healthy meals? Going outside into nature?

Making the Most of Your Personal Retreat

Include activities such as:

• Journaling:
• Reflecting on your experiences and feelings is an important part of the process. It’s also a great way to get in touch with your inner self. Spend time understanding what you want out of life.
• Set goals for yourself during this time, such as improving your health or learning something new about yourself.
• Pack some books you’ve been meaning to read
• Meditate, practice yoga, EFT tapping
• Taking naps, sleep in and go to bed early
• Watch some documentaries or TED Talks
• Sit in the sun for a few moments
• Watch the sunrise or sunset
• Enjoy your favourite foods

There are no rules, so you can do whatever you want. I do recommend taking it easy and including as much peace and quiet as you can. It might seem unnerving at first, especially if you’re not used to it. Allow yourself time and space to adjust. Focus on the benefits of taking this time for yourself and what’s enjoyable about it.

Reflect

Taking time to think when you in the stillness and quiet can be extremely helpful. This is my favourite part of a retreat.

Whether you journal or reflect to yourself, asking great quality questions can help guide your thoughts. They can take you deeper than you would otherwise.

There are some great journals which contain prompts you can use which available on Amazon that you can purchase. You can also get my free list of journal prompts you can use HERE.

I hope that this has given you some insight into the importance of taking time away from your life.

If you are at all interested in the idea, I urge you to think seriously about doing it. It’s a great way to recharge your mind and get some perspective on what is really important in your life. Each time I’ve done it, I come back with a renewed sense of purpose and energy. Try it out for yourself.

Get my free list of questions to use as journal prompts for your retreat HERE.

To listen to my podcast on solo retreats, click HERE.

The guest house I stayed at in Tunisia is Villa Edo.