SELF CARE
Serving on a Journey Team is EXHAUSTING! It's not only physically exhausting, but it can also be emotionally exhausting.
- Take care of yourself leading up to the weekend. Going into a weekend as intense as a Journey weekend can create extra stress. This added stress can make you feel like things are going wrong. Sometimes, things might actually go wrong. It is imperative that you eat right, rest well, maintain your regular spiritual practices, and incorporate stress relievers that work well for you. And if you find yourself over-committed, it is always ok to ask for help!
- Get PLENTY of sleep during the weekend. The team will work hard for the 72 hours of the Journey. There is a tendency for many (especially the extroverts) to want to spend time in the evening socializing with other team members. We consider this evening gathering time to be an imperative part of the team dynamic. So, by all means, feel free to join the team in the "Gathering Cabin" immediately following our team meeting each evening. Once everyone has arrived, the Spiritual Leader will "Call the Hour" - this means that in one hour everyone will be asked to be nearly silent so those who need rest can sleep. And everyone is encouraged to retire to their cabins to rest after one hour.
- Practice Mindfulness. There is a great deal of planning that goes into a Journey weekend. And planning often means looking ahead. But the point of our team meetings is to get the planning done ahead of time in the hope that team members can practice mindfulness as much as possible on the weekend and be fully present to God, the pilgrims, and each other. If at all possible, take the Monday off after the weekend. While not everyone has this luxury, you might consider either taking the day off entirely, or scheduling a lighter day than usual, if at all possible. The team will spend the weekend serving the pilgrims and taking some time for yourself on Monday can be helpful.