5 tips for a retreat at home

We all feel guilty about this to some extent. After a long workday, it's super easy to flop on the couch and turn on the TV. An easy series that you can follow while scrolling through your social media...

You probably think this is relaxation, but in reality, you're receiving just as many stimuli as during your work. Maybe even more. The fact that you find it hard to put your phone down is a sign that you are developing a (slight) phone addiction. It's so important to occasionally dial back to real relaxation, for your relationship with yourself and your mental health. Only sometimes you just don't know where to look for that. These tips work really well for me, it can't hurt to try them out anyway.,

1. Put your phone away and set a timer for one hour. One that doesn't show the time, but only shows the remaining minutes. This This tip works really well for me. Make a deal with yourself that you can only check your phone again once the hour is up. I notice that even after that hour, I still don't feel the need for my phone.

2. Read a book. There are so many beautiful, nice, and exciting books available (this I'm currently reading). If you're not an avid reader yet, start slowly by reading in bed at night. You fall into sleep mode faster by reading than when you're watching TV, and with the reduced stimuli, you also sleep a lot more peacefully.

3. I always find meditating a bit difficult because as soon as the intention is to think of nothing, my mind goes into overdrive. Before you know it, you're suddenly feeling ashamed of something you said when you were six years old. It's easier to make yourself aware of everything around you. So sit by the window and name what you see. The leaves on the trees, the people cycling by (and simultaneously wondering where they are all going), the neighborhood cat sneaking over the fence... In short: everything that isn't worth taking a photo of and sending to your most active WhatsApp group.

4. An old-fashioned wellness day in your own bathroom. Cozy candles lit, relaxing music, and now use those products you've been saving for a moment when you would have the peace to try them.

5. Go for a walk without your phone and earbuds. Without company. Just listen to the sounds of your surroundings. Walk to a nice coffee shop and enjoy a cappuccino by yourself. I usually hear very funny, strange, or beautiful conversations when I'm somewhere alone. It's nice to realize that you're not the only one whose life takes strange turns from time to time.

Image: instagram @haileybieber