Self Care Retreat Days

Leona has developed and offers beautiful Self Care Retreat Days to both individuals and organisations. These days are combined of a mix of Mindfulness theory and practice and deeply relaxing Meditation practice.

What is Self Care?

” Self Care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it’s a simple concept in theory, it’s something we very often overlook. Good self care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety”.

(Source: www.psychologytoday.com › blog › self-care-101)

Why is Self Care So Important?

”Self Care is important to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself as it produces positive feelings and boosts your confidence and self-esteem. Also, Self Care is necessary to remind yourself and others that you and your needs are important too. … ensures that you stay sharp, motivated and healthy”.

(Source: www.forbes.com › sites › payout › 2017/09/19 › practicing-self-care)

Benefits of Self Care

In her Self Care Retreat Days, Leona teaches her attendees how to be kind, caring, compassionate, understanding and non-judgemental towards themselves for optimum mental, emotional and physical health and a better quality of daily life.

Leona empowers her attendees with the knowledge that we must be ‘our own best friend’, that we must treat ourselves ‘like we would a very special friend’. In order for our mind, body and emotions to work collectively in a positive manner, we must nurture, care for and encourage ourselves daily, on a mind, body and soul level.

Just like if we plant a seed in pot. We must choose to water this seed frequently, to place it in the correct amount of light/sun-light, we ensure it has the correct amount of compost and good quality soil. We choose to nurture, care for and encourage this seed if we want it to blossom and grow. As this seed does start to grow, we then must adapt it’s environment (it’s pot, light position etc) in order to facilitate and encourage further growth and blossom. This analogy applies to every part of us as human beings. If we choose not to nurture and care for that little seed, what chance would it have at growing? If we choose not to nurture and care for ourselves, how are we to achieve and maintain calmness, peace, happiness and balance in our daily lives?

Some of the benefits of adopting a self care routine into your daily life are:

Better productivity. When you learn how to say “no” to things that over-extend you and start making time for things that matter more, you slow life down in a wonderful way. This brings your goals into sharper focus and helps you to concentrate on what you’re doing
Improved resistance to disease. There is evidence that most self-care activities activate your para-sympathetic nervous system (PNS). What this means is that your body goes into a restful, rejuvenating mode, helping it to fortify its immune system
Better physical health. Similarly to the previous point, with better self-care often comes fewer colds, cases of flu and upset stomachs. Less stress and a better immune system can surely help you feel more physically able and strong inside and out
Enhanced self-esteem. When you regularly carve out time that’s only about being good to yourself and meeting your own needs, you send a positive message to your subconscious. Specifically, you treat yourself like you matter and have intrinsic value. This can go a long way toward discouraging negative self-talk and your critical inner voice
Increased self-knowledge. Practicing self-care requires thinking about what you really love to do. The exercise of figuring out what makes you feel passionate and inspired can help you understand yourself a lot better. Sometimes, this can even spark a change in career or a reprioritisation of previously abandoned hobbies
More to give. When you’re good to yourself, you might think you’re being selfish. In truth, self-care gives you the resources you need to be compassionate to others as well. Giving compassion is a bit like filling a bucket; you can’t fill someone else’s if you don’t have enough of your own!

(Source: https://www.thelawofattraction.com/self-care-tips)

Types of Self Care

1. Sensory

Sensory self-care is all about helping to calm your mind. When you are able to tune into the details of the sensations all around you, it’s easier to live in the present moment. Some examples include taking a hot shower or bath, sitting or lying in the hot sun, walking barefoot on the grass, curling up under a warm cosy blanket

2. Emotional

When it comes to your emotional health, one of the best self-care tips is to make sure you fully engage with your emotions. When you face them head-on, this actually helps with stress. Some examples include keeping a daily journal, let yourself cry when you need to, see a therapist

3. Spiritual

Spiritual self-care is about getting in touch with your values and what really matters to you. An example would be to keep up a daily meditation or mindfulness practice, go for a walk in nature and notice all the beauty around you

4. Physical

The importance of self-care definitely extends to purely physical aspects of your health. Physical activity is vital not only for your bodily well-being but also for helping you let off steam. Some examples may include dancing to your favourite song, do yoga, running, cycling, walking, swimming etc

5. Social

Social self care isn’t about just doing things with others for the sake of it, but about choosing to do things with people who really make you feel good. It might look different depending on whether you’re an introvert or extrovert. However, connecting with other people is necessary for happiness for a large diversity of people.It helps you to understand that you’re not alone. Plus, it can also give us a sense of being fully “seen” by others. This can, in particular, help us combat loneliness and isolation.

(Source: https://www.thelawofattraction.com/self-care-tips/)

If you would like to attend one of Leona’s Self Care Retreat Days or if you would like Leona to bring a Self Care Retreat Day to your community or workplace, please contact Leona via the contact form below. Please also see the Events section for details of any up-coming Self Care Retreat Days.