Post Retreat Stress Disorder...do you suffer?

PRSD Post Retreat Stress Disorder

Do you know or suffer from post retreat stress disorder? Not sure, if you can answer yes to any of the following, you need to keep reading.

· Do you get home on a Sunday night after retreat and feel the buzz of creativity still running through your veins?
· Do you hyperventilate at the thought of returning back home to hubby and kids?
· Do you know that getting home means a stop to the creative splurges at any moment, only to have to wait ‘til the kids are napping or the dishes are done, or 'til 5pm hits and you can go home from work?
· Do you get home from retreat and want to turn around and drive right back?

It’s the crashing feeling of coming home from retreat that ultimately breaks some creativity inspired moments of scrapbooking and quilting. While some may be able to deal with the stresses of returning back their normal lives with ease, they can be turned bitter by the monotonous and often rigorous life that follows the days in between retreats.

Post Retreat Stress Disorder can affect individuals on varying degrees but overall the feeling is the same. The responsibility of real life comes crashing down like a cartoon inspired bomb after experiencing the good times. Quite often in order to go to retreat, crafters must take mundane jobs in unattractive fields that can afford to see their “employees” go away for weekends at a time. These may include but are not limited to working in a kitchen, laundry room, child’s homework, hard labor, mother duties, wife duties, or (and dare I say it) real jobs in real life positions.

Funny, I know, but the reality is that a lot of you suffer from this little setback. You get on the road after a great weekend of creativity with your girlfriends, sisters, moms, etc and all you can think of is the next page or block, the next card or album, the next quilt configuration, the next creative step. Your car ride home (or in most cases a large vehicle filled to the brim) is spent talking up great ideas with your co-riders. So then what do you do when you get home?
You need to find a support system (husband, friend, sister) that will infuse, encourage and accommodate your retreating lifestyle which is so essential to your personal well-being and rejuvenation regime.

Securing your money situation before heading out will allow you to enjoy retreat and go without the stress of worrying where your next retreat will come from. In the months leading up to retreat, try putting at least some money away each week into a special piggy bank or secret stash area.

Another common cause of PRSD is unreasonable expectations. Do you want to relax and rejuvenate with friends, do you want to finish an entire album or quilt, do you want to get the kids Halloween favors made, do you want to make a card for a dear friend, these are the expectations you need to set out for yourself before you arrive. Know what you want and set the target to be achieved. By knowing what you want to complete and setting yourself up to achieve that will make the weekend and your return home much more pleasant.

It’s very easy to register for a retreat, but even harder to go home. While it’s very true that every retreat must come to an end, it doesn’t mean that you have to stop your experience. Take some of the tips and tricks and great friendships that you’ve made at retreat and capitalize on them. Have some gals over on a Saturday afternoon, or a Tuesday night for a “tips and tricks” night, or a swap or fabric challenge.

No matter what, enjoy your retreat, enjoy the new friendships and better yet, book for your next retreat early so you can enjoy more, more, and more!

Cheers

Quilt -a-Long and Scrap-a-longs ??

For my quiltly friends, I am sure you've all heard of Quilt a longs, they are amazing little tidbits and quilting instructions that you share with people from all over the world. One fabulous designer dreams up a great design, shares the skills and know-how with the world and viola, along a 8-12 week progress through a blog or email subscription everyone makes a new and different quilt. I love these "mini" challenges. They peak my interest because of the ability for each and every person involved to learn something from someone along the road. Seeing all the different patterns, fabric lines and "tweeks" that almost always happen make the quilt-a-longs a great surprise in the end. Most quilt-a-longs have a flickr site as well, this helps everyone to be able to see what their new quilty friends around the world are doing, what colours and textures others are using and to get bragging rights and the almight "oh yes" confirmation from their cyberspace peers. I have met alot of fabulous quilty friends through these adventures and have a host of quilts that i may not have ever tried otherwise. Thanks to all those great designers....without you we'd be.....well no where! This summer I joined the Summer Star Sampler with QuiltyGirl Bradie Sparrow and this fall I have joined two more...see the side panel for the ones I am doing this fall.

Now for my Scrapbooking friends. Wouldn't this be great for a album...if someone put up instructions for a page layout weekly or biweekly so that in a matter of a few weeks you'd have a album done. I am thinking of hosting one for a 8x8 album or smaller....let's get this great adventure started!

what do you tell people who ask you if you sleep?

I was asked, and get asked, on a regular basis "Do you ever sleep?"...My usual reaction has been "i'll sleep when i am dead"...THEN someone said, really truely how many hours do you get a day, you're always sooo busy?

Well i tracked it...Saturday Night I got 6.5hrs, Sunday was 5.5hrs, Monday was 7 hours, Tuesday was 8 hours....so I guess i do sleep, but I just get so excited about the things I am working on that my adrenaline kicks in and viola, next thing I know it's late, I'm in my studio and everybody in my house has gone to bed...and I have to work in the morning.

I work full time, then run the retreat business on the side, so (part-time hours), and i quilt for others, do scrapbooking for others, and do all the same for my family and me (4 kids and sweet husband) and you know what....I wouldn't change it for the world. I love my busy life, I love my job(s), I love my volunteer duties, I love going to Guild meetings, I love going to crops with friends, I love doing things with my kids, I love bowling league night with my hubby, sister and brother inlaws, and all the many little things i do....

I will not regret NOT doing anything, my house is LIVED in, my meals aren't always gourmet but I refuse to feel a smiggin' of guilt. If I wasn't busy I don't know what i would do...how about YOU.?