Retreat

A week ago I attended a retreat.  Merriam-Webster defines a retreat as:

1:a (1) : an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable (2) : the process of receding from a position or state attained <the retreat of a glacier> b (1) : the usually forced withdrawal of troops from an enemy or from an advanced position (2) : a signal for retreating c (1) : a signal given by bugle at the beginning of a military flag-lowering ceremony (2) : a military flag-lowering ceremony

2: a place of privacy or safety : refuge

3: a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director

     This retreat was with a group of women, many of whom I had never met.  I knew that I was going for a time with the third definition,  a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director, but I felt like I was needing to take time to withdraw from the chaos of life.  In reality, it was a time of all three definitions.  We went out of town.  We secluded ourselves in a self-contained center - sleeping, meals, meetings, chapel.  We took time to listen to others talk, we shared, prayed, sang, laughed, cried and encouraged each other in our lives.

     We took time to step back from our lives, re-evaluate and refocus on the most critical aspect of ourselves: our spiritual lives and our connection with God.  While my personal beliefs may not be the same as yours, the key point here is to take time to refocus your life to the most important driving force in your life.  Quiet yourself.  Slow down.  What is needed in your life so that you may not feel so frazzled, tired, exhausted?

     I've been trying to do some focused reading since I came home.  We were given a book at the end of the retreat called Coming Down the Mountain: How to Turn Your Retreat Into Everyday Living by Thomas Hart.  This book is helping to remind me of critical issues in my life:  interpersonal interactions, my prayer life, my connection with my Creator.  In short, it's giving me a chance to slow down the pace and re-focus on that spiritual/emotional aspect of who I am. 

     As a human being and as a physician, I truly believe that the only way that I can be of the most benefit to help others is when I am most healthy.  Being healthy is not just a state of no illness or pain, but a state of physical, emotional and inner wellness.  We all may have pains or illnesses that distract us from life, but I believe that our emotional and inner wellness are key in how we face the world around us.

     Even if you cannot get away on an official "retreat," try to take some time to retreat from the world around you and quiet yourself for a while today.  Not only will your inner self thank you, but your physical body will too.

A Time to Quiet Oneself

Our lives are crazy.  We practically spin from one activity to another, rushing from the time we awaken till we flop in exhaustion at night.  How often have you been absolutely wiped out, only to find that you cannot sleep because your brain and emotions won't slow down?  (hmmm, do I sound like I'm speaking from experience here?)

We can't keep up this pace.  It will kill us, slowly, but it will kill us, eventually.  We internalize that stress to the point that it takes it's toll not only on our emotions, but also on our physical bodies (stress -> elevated hormones and chemicals that eventually "wear out" and run low -> inflammation and depletion of other important chemicals -> depression, anxiety, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc, etc, etc) and our spiritual selves.  We MUST make the choice to slow down or face the consequences.

Any of you who have come through WSHC have heard me encourage you (at least on your first visit) to take at least 20 minutes a day for some quite time.  Take some time to quiet your mind, emotions, body and spirit.  Easy to say, I know, but this part of your life is critical.  It's just as critical as eating good food and drinking enough pure water so that you have the right nutrients for cells to function properly, aerobic exercise for your heart and lungs, strength training and stretching for musculoskeletal health and keeping good positive company for emotional health. 

Find a way to take some time every day to get away from the distractions of your life.