At Home Self Care Retreat
For Nervous System Regulation
A lot of factors can lead to disfunction within your body and mind. Life can be chaos. From feeling overworked and tired to stressed and running on empty — we’re often in need of a space to heal, rest, and recover from the daily turmoil. Constant stress and busyness take a detrimental toll on the body – depleting our energy and sending our nervous system into deregulation. Running for too long in this state can cause the body to enter protection mode and we go through life in a constant state of fight or flight. This not only affects our health, but it fuels our actions and behaviours, too — creating a disconnect between each other and ourselves. The ability to down-regulate our nervous system and come back to a place of safety and presence is a powerful practice to adopt. We can shift our body out of fight or flight and into rest and digest mode through so many different ways.
A great way to take a step back and enter recovery mode is to block out a full day, without distractions, to give your body and mind the retreat it’s craving. You don’t have to spend money, time, or resources on an extensive wellness retreat or relaxation class — you can create the experience for yourself. There are many practices to
help regulate our nervous system to find deep relaxation, safety, and stability within. And they can be practised in the comfort of your own space, tailor-made specifically to what you want, need, and crave. A solo at-home retreat is a perfect way to slow-down and come back to a place of safety within your body.
“There are many practices to help regulate our nervous system to find deep relaxation, safety, and stability within.”
Retreat guidelines:
- Unplug completely. Use this time to detox from the digital world and block out the noise that comes with it.
- Shop in advance for healthy, nourishing goodness for the day.
- Gather those books you’ve been wanting to read.
- Make sure you have your journal ready.
- Put together the self care tools you’d like to pamper yourself with (face masks, bath salts, candles, sage sticks, crystals, oils etc.)
- Turn off your alarm
- Remember to be patient, kind, and nurturing to yourself — this time is about switching off, taking a pause from the pressure of reality, and filling your cup with an abundance of whatever it’s calling out for
Schedule:
1. Book it in
Grab your calendar, circle a day and make any arrangements you need to make sure you won’t be interrupted or have any obligations to anyone else on that day. This day will be solely devoted to you.
2. Clear Your Space
Clean and declutter the space you’ll spending your retreat in. Put on your comfiest clothes, sage the air and light some candles. Gather some pillows and blankets on the floor and surround yourself with things that bring you happiness.
3. Drink a big glass of water and move your body
Try some restorative yoga, or movement practice that you prefer. You may want to do some kundalini exercises, mindful movements or visual meditations. Wake your body up slowly with movement and flow.
4. Make a digestive pre-breakfast infusion
Try some hot water with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, a lemon slice and a dash of cinnamon to revitalise your digestive system.
5. Meditative intention setting
Meditate on your intention for the retreat and sit in stillness for a moment.
6. Cook a healthy breakfast
Here’s a list of options you can try. Spend time eating your breakfast mindfully, focusing completely on the present moment while doing so.
7. Inner Work Exercises
After finishing breakfast grab a notebook and pen and get ready to dive into some deep inner work on overcoming the limiting beliefs and negative emotions that have been weighing on your mind. Now is the time to release the tension that’s been building up and taking its toll on your nervous system. Whether through embodiment practices, guided meditation, self-awareness exercises, or energetic skill building, there are so many different ways we can regulate our nervous system to come back to a place of relaxation. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Stream of consciousness writing
- Guided Mantra Meditation
- Breathwork
- Parts work
- Forgiveness practice
- Energetic Boundary Setting
- ANT ridding exercises
- Inner stability practice
- Clear your backlog
- Intention setting
- Felt-sense exercises
- Practice self-awareness
Use this time to clarify your values, vision, and action plan. Sit with your thoughts and feelings and allow yourself to feel them without judgement and with acceptance. Take responsibility for your thoughts and acknowledge that they are a part of your existence in this moment, but they do not define who you are. Let them pass. Listen to what your body is telling you. Try to shift your awareness to your core so that you are truly present in this moment. Hold yourself with love, patience, and acceptance.
8. Reading
Going inwards can take a lot of your energy — now is a good time to take a moment to relax and rest your thoughts. Grab an inspirational book you’ve been wanting to read and dedicate this time to reading it.
9. Nature time
Give your soul a hug. Go for a walk, hike or jog outside. Sunlight increases serotonin, a mood-boosting hormone — so it is always a good idea to soak up the rays. Breathe in the fresh air and feel the light taking over your body, bringing you into a state of calm presence.
10. Experiment with a new lunch recipe
You could try a simple tofu stir fry or a quinoa salad. Decide what your body is craving and make exactly that.
11. Journal
Journal, write or engage in a creative hobby of yours. You may want to paint, draw or make something.
12. Reading
Now’s a good time to pick that book back up and read through a few more pages or you may want to pick up a different one this time.
13. Stretching
Do some light stretches or yoga to reset your body.
14. Dinner
Time to cook up another new meal. You could try a new salad or soup recipe.
15. Bath (or shower)
Enjoy a hot bath or take a hot shower. Make a glass of cucumber water to enjoy while you’re sitting in the bath.
16. Pamper, pamper, pamper
Spend some time pampering yourself and relaxing after your bath. Put on your bathrobe, a face mask and give yourself a light neck massage. You could also steam your face over a bowl of hot water and essential oils. Self-massage is a perfect way to invite safety into your body and reduce any tension in your muscles.
17. Meditation
Sit in silent meditation and focus on what you are grateful for. You may want to finish with some gratitude journaling.
18. Enjoy a restful night of sleep
Nestle into the comfort of your warm haven and let your consciousness drift away. Go to sleep feeling proud of yourself for taking the time to put your well-being at the centre of your priorities.
The best thing about an at-home self-care retreat is that it can be completely tailor-made to fit exactly what you crave in the moment. Play around a little with different rituals and routines and find the perfect balance of restoration and retreat for you. Enjoy the moment of pause in your life and relish in the space for reflection and transformation. Create a practice you can come back to whenever you need.
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