A few years back, I began scheduling an annual 48-hour solo retreat—an extended time to step back from daily responsibilities in order to refresh, reflect, and tend to my soul. My husband and I started this practice when we had our third child and his career shifted into a more demanding phase. As a stay-at-home parent whose work bleeds into all minutes of the day and doesn't include much built-in alone time, my annual solo retreat has become precious to me. No matter your age and vocation, quiet time away from it all is something everyone needs.

I take my solo retreat in the springtime, as this is when I most crave it. Some years, I stay at my house and my husband takes the kids camping (alone time in my home is sublime). Other years, I go away somewhere special. One year I took my retreat with a friend (we had a mixture of alone time and together time); other years I've been by myself. The rhythm of taking an annual solo retreat has been immensely life-giving for me; I wonder if this is something you would benefit from as well?