Why a Retreat Might Help

Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about:

• Why doing writing and other kinds of retreats are part of the hidden curriculum
• How taking time for self-care is crucial to doing well at work and at school
• What a retreat is
• How to do a retreat at home
• Ways retreating helps you think and feel better, and the science that proves it

Today’s book is: DIY Solo Retreats: A Handbook for Creating Your Space, Setting an Intention and Getting the Self-Care You Deserve, by S. A. Snyder. Whether you need time to decompress, listen for answers to nagging questions, read, write, or recharge your life, a personal retreat might be what you need. But when going away on a retreat is too expensive or just not possible, this handbook helps you create your own retreat. Whether you want to find time to journal, meditate, or tackle that writing assignment, this how-to guide for retreating may just be the book you're looking for.

Our guest is: S.A. Snyder, who has been a professional writer for more than 30 years. She has worn hats as a newspaper columnist and reporter, writing instructor, communications manager and consultant, blogger, and book author. With humor and insight, she inspires others through the telling of her own experiences to examine what it means to live a meaningful life. She currently blogs about self-care and random commentary on contemporary life. She is the author of DIY Solo Retreats: A Handbook for Creating Your Space, Setting an Intention and Getting the Self-Care You Deserve.

Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, the co-creator and co-producer of the Academic Life. She is a historian of women and gender.

Listeners to this episode might also be interested in:

• Atomic Habits, by James Clear
• Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott
• It’s a Wonderful Life, by Frank Martel
• Make Your Art No Matter What, by Beth Pickens
• From To-Do to Done, by Maura Thomas
• This episode on guided meditation
• This episode on finishing your book when things are going wrong https://newbooksnetwork.com/finishing-your-book-when-life-is-a-disaster
• This episode on writing a book proposal https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-book-proposal-book
• Sarah’s website on DIY retreats

You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island and neither are we. We reach across our mentor network to bring you experts about everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring on an expert about something? DM us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.