Imagine an opportunity to get away from the stresses of school. Imagine days filled with nothing but peace and tranquility. Imagine a perfect way to recharge your battery and refresh yourself for whatever new challenges may come your way. Where can you find something like this, you ask? A retreat, of course! This past weekend, I attended a retreat with the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship group. Instead of delving into the religious aspect of this particular retreat, I want to share what I took away from it and why I recommend that students go on some sort of a retreat.
As I mentioned earlier, a retreat is the perfect way to escape from all of the hassles and worries of college. As the famous Scottish poet George MacDonald put it, “Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness”. The week leading up to my retreat was very stressful and jam-packed with assignments, exams, and meetings, so it was such a relief to leave campus, arrive at the retreat, and just breathe. I had no assignments to submit, no deadlines to meet. All I had to do was refresh myself and let the stressful energy flow out of me.
The scenic landscape of Lancaster, Pennsylvania: the perfect location for a retreat
When I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and attend the retreat, I ended up learning a lot about myself. During my normal day-to-day life, I’m often so preoccupied with other matters that I don’t always have time to reflect on things or meditate on how my life is. On my retreat, I was able to have the necessary quiet time to ponder things that I hadn’t had time to, including minor things such as when was I going to find time to write this blog post, and major things, like what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Attending the retreat allowed me to question things that I had subconsciously ignored and also reflect on my life’s choices and decisions.
Now that I’ve hopefully convinced you that retreats are wonderful and beneficial to your mental wellbeing, you might be wondering how you can attend one. One solution is that you could find one through one of the many religious groups on campus, as I have done with both Intervarsity and the Catholic Campus Ministry. However, if religion isn’t your cup of tea, you could always make your own retreat.
Just north of Laird campus is a wonderful area known as White Clay Creek. You could easily pick a date, trek on up, and bask in the ambiance of relaxation. Don’t bring homework or phones, and do
n’t consider the retreat to be just another thing you need to cross off on your to-do list. Just bring yourself, let you mind reflect on life, and consider the retreat to be an opportunity to learn more about yourself.
