Take your DX4 to the Next Level - Plan a Personal Retreat
With the summer having ended, we find ourselves back in our normal routines of work and home life. Many of us have done the initial DX4 and found it really helped to reset and refocus our mindsets, goals, and priorities. But the DX4 isn't meant for just a onetime experience, but for something that can assist us several times a year. One way to take the DX4 to a new level is to plan a personal retreat.
As a certified wellness coach, I have been taking personal retreats since I was in my 20’s from one to four times a year. It was a new idea for me—to go away for a few nights and set aside time to process my life and career in an uninterrupted way. After my first time, I was hooked, and I have made it part of my rhythm during the various seasons each year.
My husband actually introduced me to the concept as he had found a retreat centre in his hometown that was a respite from the big city life. It offered a place that presented a serene, quiet environment plus your own room that was away from the distractions of daily living. Though email didn’t exist at the time, I started taking these retreats as it was a place away from work and normal demands like laundry. And everywhere I have lived since, I have always managed to find a place that I could get away to, even if it was for one night. Some have been free, like a friend’s house who had an extra guest room, some were places like an inexpensive Airbnb with a nice view, while others have been actual retreat centres. I’ve even done a few at home during the day but made sure to create boundaries such as no electronics (phone, social media, TV) and no household chores, but I have to admit that getting away is a lot easier and more enjoyable! The purpose of all of them is to be free of my normal distractions and get out of my environment so I can focus on personal growth and processing.
Forever’s new DX4 system, which aims to help you create a personal reset holistically, is an ideal partner for a personal retreat.
Tips for a personal retreat to help you create a time to ‘reset, rejuvenate and renew’:
- Plan ahead and set dates at key times. Whether it is the beginning of the year in January, the beginning of an academic school year or the end of a long season, try to plan at least two days away even if it's over a weekend. I often find it takes me a day to feel settled, so the longer the better to give yourself the time you need to look at your various aspects of your life. Also, keep in mind that with the DX4, you may want to reduce your physical activity to help keep your energy levels while going through the plan.
- Look at your budget. Can you get away and spend a little extra on accommodation such as an Airbnb or a retreat centre? I actually found retreat centres here in the UK quite inexpensive for a few nights when it wasn’t something like a ‘group yoga retreat’ but more for personal use. Often, they have kitchens, ensuites and also offer peaceful places to sit and write in beautiful surroundings. But if the budget can’t allow it, then look for a friend (or FBO team member) who may have an extra room. My husband actually just returned from a four-day time away on the Isle of Anglesey where a retired couple we know love to host friends for just that purpose. Another option is to get a small group of friends and split the cost of accommodation and make a combination of a team and a personal retreat. The key to all of this is to find a safe space where you aren’t distracted by anything and where you can really take time for yourself.
3) Make a (flexible) plan for the retreat.
The DX4 booklet is one great place to start helping you in all aspects of your life. There is also a score of ideas online on what to do on a personal retreat, which includes everything from dedicated journal prompts to listening to a few podcasts. I plan what I am bringing ahead of time, like notebooks, my diary and also what I am not bringing (or turning off) such as my emails and social media. I also decide if I want to get more sleep (and take long naps) as well as any physical activity such as a hike or if I want to work on my watercolours. And of course, plan with your Forever DX4 system in mind of what you may eat and when. It helps to create a loose schedule for your time away so that you have a little structure and can avoid the ‘aimless feelings’ that might arise.
4) Know that you may feel a little ‘stir crazy’ during some of it, this is normal. One retreat centre I attended had a poem in each of their rooms about the ripples in a pond. It gave the analogy of your mind being like a pond full of ripples due to a busy life. But being in a place that offers a retreat from normal living gives a chance for those ripples to settle. This in turn, brings calm and the chance to see a reflection of the water more clearly. But we often arrive on those retreats with a lot of ripples going on! Personally, I have found that first day and evening are the hardest as it seems I find all those habits like my caffeine intake or reaching for my phone to check emails are challenged, or I keep wondering if I am going to get bored or lonely. From experience, I have realised how normal this is and once I push through that first part, I find that calm and fresh perspective.
5) Pick a theme or several themes for the retreat. Do you need to focus on upgrading your career goals or do you need to take some time and process a few past or upcoming events? Do you want to start something new such as daily journalling or meditating? Maybe incorporate more consistent gratitude into your life? Is this a good time to take an inventory of your habits and see how you want to change or add to them? Do you need more sleep and rest – maybe plan extra downtime during the time away? The ideas are endless but it's good to narrow your themes ahead of time, so you don’t get overwhelmed. I have done everything from a career retreat where it was all future-focused as well as retreats where I needed to take space for processing grief or loss so I could close a certain chapter of my life. I have also had retreats where I scheduled a massage, and take the whole time to just do some extra self-care (and maybe throw in a good self-development book). This is a great way to incorporate some of Forever’s award-winning skin care products such as the Aloe Bio-Cellulose Mask, Smoothing Exfoliator or Hydrating Serum. It really depends on what you need which makes having a quarterly retreat ideal as each time can be different.
6) Go by yourself or take a friend but make sure to have time alone on the retreats. I have had really great retreats with a group of girlfriends, but we discuss beforehand how much time will be spent alone and how much together. It can be a multi-purpose retreat of bonding and sharing, but remember that you are in charge of your own growth, so incorporate large chunks where it's just you alone to process. Solitude can be hard, but it is rewarding when we make time for it.
7) While on the DX4, you may note differences in energy levels or food habits that you may want to continue. As I have chatted with a few people who have done the DX4 while still carrying on with normal life activities, I have noted that many of them have not lagged too much in energy (which is really encouraging!). BUT I have noticed that often they will talk about how much they habitually have reached for snacks or that ‘next cup of coffee during a meeting and the DX4 has highlighted that they don’t need some of these things. Being on a personal retreat does take this to a new level, as it takes it you out of all your routines. But it is also a great chance to do a thorough review and make changes as you go back into normal life.
Whether you have done the DX4 system before or not, a personal retreat is a great addition to helping you make small or large pivots in your personal life and/or career. If you aren’t familiar with the four-day body balancing system, there are a few blog posts that explain how you can rest, renew and rejuvenate with Forever’s DX4 https://www.foreverknowledge.info/blog/reset-renew-rejuvenate-with-forevers-brand-new-dx4/. Forever’s DX4 can help launch you into adopting a more mindful, intentional approach to how you are eating and taking care of yourself holistically. It can also propel you to live a healthier lifestyle but most of all it helps you think through mindsets and habits that you may want to change or upgrade. 
