In October 2021, I co-facilitated a writing for self-care retreat with my colleague and friend, Jane Willis. Together with a small group of arts, health and wellbeing practitioners we gathered in a beautiful farmhouse in a secluded valley to rest, reflect and restore ourselves through writing and connection with each other and with the beautiful natural environment of Wales.
It felt particularly important given the tumult of the times the world is going through, to acknowledge the impact on those who work in caring professions. The retreat was carefully curated to provide a safe space in which people could explore how work and caring roles impact on wellbeing, how boundaries and values play into this and how we might care for ourselves in a meaningful way when we are at our busiest or most depleted.
During the day, participants were led through a range of creative and playful exercises designed to support exploration through writing. Meals were vegetarian and delicious. Wales laid on some beautiful weather for us and the celebration around the fire pit on the last night together was something magical.
“Thank you so much for an oasis of calm, for carving out time to reflect and restore in such a beautiful environment. For holding a safe space.”
We plan to run more creative self-care retreats in 2022. To pre-register your interest in taking part in future retreats or workshops, please email me on keylifetherapy@gmail.com
Rachel Hawkins-Crockford 