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Discovering Myself During A Solo Detox Retreat
Unlearning self-made myths and misconceptions requires silence
When I first planned a weeklong solo trip to Phuket, I wondered if I was making a mistake. During the pandemic I took a two-day solo staycation in Singapore, but it was a way for me to take some time to focus on writing my memoir. There was a definite goal and I was able to make rapid progress once I checked in and focused on the task at hand.
This time I was planning for a totally different type of solo travel. I was excited but also a bit concerned. After all, a week is a long time to be by yourself. I’m OK with sleeping alone in unfamiliar hotel rooms, but what about all the waking hours? My holidays are typically planned with either family or friends. Each of these holidays has a different cadence and allows me to enjoy the ambience of a new place with people I love.
Yet, a long solo retreat was what called to me at this time. I felt an insistent pull to take a break not only from the monotony of weekdays and weekends but also from the demands of family life — from planning menus and outings, to showing up at parties and gatherings, to simply making sure everything was organised and functioning well, it all seemed to have accumulated to breaking point.
