Is intensive work right for me?
Doing intensive work on my health, is it for me?
I am so excited to be able to tell you about the retreat I am doing in partnership with
Jude Willson from Ishi Holistic Therapies, we have taken the plunge and decided to embark on a new venture. Something I have dreamed of doing for over a decade is putting together a retreat programme and giving people the chance to come together and have an opportunity to experience rapid change over a couple of days in a nice environment. The benefit of doing therapy together as a group is vast, we won’t be expecting people to share anything either and yet still folks will get what we call ‘borrowed benefits’. When I went through my own health problems at the end of November 2019, I really for the first time understood how the skills I have and the work that I do for others would help me. I wasn’t average in the way I dealt with it, there were times I think I cried like anyone would, but my initial reaction on the very day I received the diagnosis of stage 2, grade 3 oestrogen positive breast cancer was, “maybe this is a sign/ opportunity to slow down, maybe I need to think more about what I want out of life, how I can balance things better” I even wondered out loud to a close friend, this might end up being the best thing that ever happened to me. I made a decision then to do whatever I could to get through treatment, to enjoy my time off and to ensure that I did not go back to working 60 hour weeks.
The impact that stress has on the body is vast, it can effect brain development, the immune system and our hormone systems. Now I am not saying that I got breast cancer because I was stressed, because I was doing too much or because I wasn’t practicing what I preached, I am saying I believe it was one of the factors.
Now I practice what I preach, my top tips to staying emotionally well and managing stress are
Find a place for structure and routine
Activity, get up, get out and do stuff!
Mindfulness, check out my video on this on my you tube channel (Kate Chartres) or my Instagram (katejchartres)
Limit your news consumption…STAY AWAY!
Be creative, I took up painting while I was off, turns out its good enough to be on the wall!
Cooking, nothing better than home cooked, even the chopping of vegetables and stirring can be so therapeutic, it’s good for the soul.
Alcohol- LIMIT simples
Connecting, with your neighbours, online, or better still pick up the phone!
Laughter, I cannot tell you the tonic laughter had for me during chemo, my sister and I laughed through all 6 of them, in person for the first 3 and on face time, once they stopped me having people with me.
Sleep- the human brain is actually in need of one long sleep and one short sleep a day, napping is scientifically proven to be good for you!
We know that for some people difficult events in childhood, a car accident/ being bullied/ losing a parent for example can effect health, studies show that if people are exposed to 4 or more traumatic events in childhood that their lifetime risk of cancer/ lung disease/ other long term conditions and depression is 3-4 times higher. It’s a scary thought but you can do something about it, you may have always been happy, but struggle to switch off your internal chat, those negative beliefs that prevent us from living our best life. Spending time on yourself and taking time out for you could be great, we are running a retreat in November 17th-19th check it out here, on this retreat you can work on yourself in wonderful surroundings with specialist help and guidance, 2 days can and will make a huge difference.
https://www.katechartres.com/workshops-and-events/take-control-health-wellness-retreat-slayley-hall
What?
You will be welcomed on the evening of the 17th November with a private dining experience with myself, Jude and the others on the retreat. Then we have two full days of sessions, designed for you to take control of your health and emerge happier.
What you can expect?
Enter into 2022 as a new stronger calmer person
Manage the many tasks in life with ease, once you know how!
Leave the programme with a suite of tools to manage whatever life throws at you.
Working in an intimate group, enjoy the group benefits without having to share your private thoughts.
Free welcome pack with lots of lovely tools to use going forward
Introduction to mindfulness and making it fit into your life
Introduction to EFT and sessions on this to manage anxiety and build confidence and use in areas to better manage your symptoms whatever they are.
Getting moving and finding the joy of exercise/ moving because it feels good with a yoga session from our instructor Katie Watson, focussing on breath work and synergy between mind and body. This one hour session at the end of day one will focus on cultivating an understanding of the relationship between yoga and wellbeing. You will develop skills to help regulate your nervous system, immune system and heart health through flow.
Introduction to EMDR using group protocols, including flash technique and 3 full sessions (the magic number in the research).
Being present in an outdoor walk, using your new mindfulness skills (weather dependent)
Powerful hypnotic techniques to release blocks and ensure you all move forward.
