We read it in every second article, are bombarded with it on social media and emails from the talent / HR-department are emphasizing on the same things: It is crucial to prioritize your mental health. Go build your resilience muscle. Take care of your well-being. Improve your selfleadership. That’s quite a full plate, don’t you think so? What if there was one effective strategy to achieve this balance, applied by true healthy high performers? The answer is YES! I call it “90-day-retreats”. With the next vacation season approaching, I want to introduce you in this article to the benefits and why it is even a better version of vacation!
The concept of 90-day retreats means you intentionally take time for rejuvenation. You recharge your mind, foster self-awareness, and cultivate a resilient mindset. All this leading to a positive impact on your mental health and well-being.
Unplugging to Reconnect
Taking a 90-day-retreat involves temporarily disconnecting from the demands of everyday life, both personally and professionally. If you unplug from work, your digital devices and daily routines, you create space to reconnect with yourself on a deeper level. This uninterrupted time allows us to reflect, introspect, and gain clarity about our goals, values, and priorities. Through this process, we can cultivate self-awareness and enhance our ability to improve selfleadership.
Nurturing Mental Health
The endless demands of everyday life at work and at home can take a toll on our mental health. Chronic stress, anxiety, imposter syndrome and burnout seem to be omnipresent. Engaging in a 90-day-retreat means removing yourself from the constant hustle and bustle. You can reduce stress, relax, and truly engage in activities that feed your mindfulness muscle. Doing a short meditation, script a few lines in your journal, go for a long walk outside, spend an hour sitting at the pond in the park watching the birds. Any of these practices help to alleviate stress, improve mood, and foster a sense of inner calm and balance.
Developing Self-Leadership
Self-leadership is the ability to take charge of your own life, make conscious choices, and take responsibility for your actions. During your 90-day-retreat, you have the opportunity to cultivate self-leadership skills: set clear intentions. Define personal and professional goals. Reflect on your values and purpose. All this will enable you to make informed decisions, align your actions with your values, and lead yourself with clarity and purpose.
Building Resilience
Resilience is the ability to bounce back from challenges, adapt to change, and maintain a positive outlook. Taking regular 90-day-retreats contributes to building resilience by allowing you to recharge and build your emotional reserves. By engaging in activities that you enjoy – whether this is beach volleyball with friends, cooking with your partner or having a fence-chat with your (hopefully) lovely neighbour – you can literally strengthen your resilience. This empowers you to navigate setbacks, overcome obstacles, and embrace change with a much better, more positive mindset.
It would be a bit exaggerated to say that 90-day-retreats are better than vacation ;-), but done in the true 90 days interval they can be at least as effective as a two week vacation. If you intentionally carve out time for rejuvenation, for yourself, for your mental health, you empower yourself to navigate life’s challenges with a clear mind and a strong sense of purpose. So, take out your calendar NOW and mark the days when you are going off for your next 90-day-retreat. And once you are enjoying this next retreat, make it a habit and schedule the next 90-day-retreat to follow. By doing this, you will avoid to run out of rejuvenation-time and you prioritise YOUR mental health and well-being.
