I’m back from a fabulous trip across Australia on an outback adventure with my wife, and also to attend the Women in Sport Summit on the Gold Coast. It was a great way to combine business and leisure, and get some sun at the same time. Such a vast country and such extremes in the desert, it really was a change of scenery and an adventure.
It was on this recent holiday I also got sick; it’s often the case when we stop and rest, especially in winter with so many bugs around. This coincided with the retreat part of my holiday at one of Australia’s leading wellness spas. It was one of the worst flus I can remember having, and really knocked me over. I was gutted not to be able to join in and enjoy all of what the retreat had to offer, barely leaving the room, but it certainly made me rest.
It's one of Australia’s leading lifestyle and wellness destinations and a place I’d been wanting to return to since before covid, and yet this visit didn’t turn out how I’d planned.
Usually I’d have been up at sunrise to do the qi gong class, going on the pre breakfast bushwalk and then trying to fit in a swim or gym before my scheduled massage. As an over-achiever, I treat retreat schedules a bit like to do lists – I’m sure this resonates with some of you too! Being sick forced me to slow down. It made me rest because I couldn’t do anything else.
I was able to sit on the deck and watch the kangaroos bounce around the lawn. I was able to feel the sun on my face and I was also able to listen to the amazing sounds of the dawn chorus, complete with a cacophony of kookaburras. It turns out this is what I needed. Not the classes and gym time or treatments and dinners. Sometimes sickness is our body’s way of getting what it needs by making us unable to do anything else – despite our best efforts and disappointment!
It reminded me of a past participant on one of my retreats who was really frustrated with herself because she fell asleep on the Saturday afternoon and missed the workshop which - in her words - was the reason she came. My response was ‘good, you obviously, needed the sleep more’. Sometimes our bodies have a way of making us listen and forcing us to rest when we haven’t been hearing the more subtle signs prior. I’m also reminded of the mantra: we may not get what we want, but sometimes we get what we need instead.
As I recover, I’m reflecting on my lessons learned and that sometimes if we don’t rest, we’re forced to, and we can either choose to rest our own way, or be made to rest when we get sick. It costs us time either way.
I’m also mindful that even for those of us with good balance, sometimes our standard wellness plans and general sustainability acts – like sleep, food, exercise, meditation and yoga etc are all good, but can mask some of the underlaying overwork symptoms and times we might need more deeper rest. I’m good at looking after myself and managing my energy, but I do find (especially in winter) that my usual wellness plan isn’t always enough. It’s like we need periods of deep rest amid all the fast charge equivalent actions we take to keep ourselves sustainable.
It's made me pause to find some more deep rest time in the remainder of this year, and consider what additional sustainability measures I might need to take, and hopefully it can be a good reminder for you too.
It's why I love retreats, and we’ll be running my popular rest and recharge weekend retreat in Nelson again in April next year. This usually sells out so if you’re keen to join us and make space for some deep rest, the early bird sale is on now for a limited time. With guests often returning and already booking their rooms for 2025, get your spot before places sell out.