Calling a retreat!

I'm taking the opportunity to head off for a bit of a retreat in October to cultivate a better way to manage my emotions (instead of eating and shopping). I have done pretty well in the last few years, but coming back to my hometown, stepping back into life near my parents, single-parenting issues and the impending divorce, as well as the mid-life struggles of health and identity...well, it feels like my life is falling through my fingers like sand right now. I need some help.

I got an email from The Institute for Health Solutions, which has developed The Solution Method for learning to manage stress and emotions in a healthy way. They're hosting a weekend retreat at June Lake, CA later in October, with workshops and classes on their method. Here's what they have to say about it.

Come join us for a weekend Solution Method Retreat at the beautiful Double Eagle Resort in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Solution Trainers, Judy Zehr and Connie Henderson, will be hosting this three-day intensive experience designed to deepen your skills and nourish your spirit. Our experience has been that those attending retreats do deep important work in a warm, supportive environment. We’ll provide delicious 1-2-3 meals, opportunities for body work, Solution groups, workshops and more! A Wired for Joy intensive track will be offered for new participants and interested others. For more information or to enroll email: judy@solutionmethod.org or conniehendersonlcsw@yahoo.com.

Doesn't that sound great? I'm looking forward to going, because I really need it right now. My energy levels are so low, as is my creativity, so I can hardly come up with my own solutions to life at the moment. By October, I hope I'll be feeling well enough to really participate and gain a lot of new skills at the retreat. I find that short retreats on an annual basis really help me gain focus for the next year. It's been almost a year since my last trip, and that was a highly productive experience complete with new friendships that I've maintained and an excellent support system.

In the meantime, I started a new class, "Living With Hypothyroidism", "The Thyroid Diet" and a collection of Proust to keep me busy, as well as my kids and parents. I'm in the middle of planning my parents 50th anniversary party. I've already set the menu (Greek-Lebanese fusion), bought ingredients and started cooking some things ahead of time. The invitations are ready to send - its just a small gathering of close family and friends, less than 20. I told my doctor the other day that my blood pressure was high because I was stressing over the details of this party, trying to strike a balance between perfection and just enough going wrong for my parents to complain about afterwards. Little did I know that 48 hours later my mother would insist that I cancel the whole thing because she wants to go on a diet...and that's why my blood pressure is really an issue!