What are you looking forward to? Consider the opportunity to 'get away from it all', and what's going to be cool about that. *
Trying a new thing can be a prospect which causes us some anxiety. We're very, very proud of you for taking this leap. Tell us: what concern(s) are coming up for you? *
When you leave at the end of your stay, what are you hoping will have changed for you? Think of three specific things which you might describe as 'Tasks' of your stay (things you want to change). Make these tasks about yourself. *
Getting away from it all: During their stay, sometimes people find it hard to focus fully on their own needs, and even feel guilt about those they have 'left behind'. This time is going to be an investment in YOU; and the more you can disconnect from other worries (as if you were on a desert island!), the more you may benefit from truly de-stressing. One way of achieving this is to plan to be 'offline'. Many Guests have experienced a wonderful sense of liberation by leaving the online jungle behind for a few days and really de-stressing. They tend to sleep better and rest more effectively as a result. Could you do it? It would simply be a case of letting a couple of people know the Retreat landline number (06 2150993) and to ring anything urgent comes up - or if there are little ones to chat to - and letting others know that you'll be disappearing off the map for a little while, back in X number of days. What are your feelings about getting offline and being fully present? *
Challenges you're facing at the moment: We're on this road together because you've faced, and are facing, some pretty chunky challenges in your life. We recognise the adversity that you're living through, and count it a privilege that you've shared some of your story with us. Let's give some thought to how we can best help change to happen. When you're facing the tough stuff, what helps to make things better? *
Still thinking about when things are tough for you - are there things which you've tried which DON'T work, or cycles that you can get stuck in? (We all have them!!) What hasn't worked or has made things worse in the past? *
Moods come and go like the weather. Some of us are moodier than others, or pick up someone else’s mood like a cold. Others still are pretty stable through emotional events. These next few questions will be about your mood. First, does anything make you feel anxious? *
Is your mood like a rollercoaster, or is it pretty steady? Or is it somewhere in between? *
What brings you down or makes you feel blue? *
What’s guaranteed to make you feel better - how do you get yourself out of a bad mood? *
Overall, how would you describe your mood? *
Imagine a future in which you are thriving. What key things would need to be different from how they are currently in order to make you feel happier and better? If we can find ways to make the problem better, perhaps we can find steps towards that change, or figure out some tools to help you be better equipped... *
Thinking about your answer to the question above, what might be preventing that happier future from happening? Perhaps something keeps happening to knock you back; perhaps there are things that people keep doing which you dislike (if so, what do you wish they would change?); maybe there's baggage or hurts that you carry from the past; maybe there's wrongs that have been done to you that continue to hurt you; maybe there's changes that someone could make that would really make you happy. What do you think? *
Continuing on this topic, how do you typically handle irritations, aggravations and frustrations? Do you get angry easily? Or do you maybe bottle stuff up? *
Do you have any questions about your stay at the Retreat?
Do you have any worries, however silly they may sound (we won't think they are, we've probably felt the same way!), that we could help address?
Keeping us all safe: You know, by now, that Taranaki Retreat is a drug and alcohol-free environment. This (obviously) includes cannabis. The reason we raise this again is so there's no misunderstanding over the fact that we take an absolute zero-tolerance approach to substance use at the Retreat. This is to keep our community safe; there are children who live here, and people staying or visiting who are working their guts out to get clean because it's a safe space in which to do that. Anyone bringing anything which breaks this rule into the Retreat environment, or having someone else bring it in, or having it in their vehicle, disrespects the aroha and hospitality and will be asked to leave. We've planned hard together to get to this point, so we ask that you indicate here that you'll be fully on-board with this. If this is going to be challenging for you, please talk it over honestly with us, so that you're not setting yourself up to fall down - we really don't want that! Please choose the honest answer here: * Select option ALL GOODS. This won't be a problem - I will respect the rule. I respect the rule, but this is going to be tricky. Let's talk.
What do you most enjoy doing to relax? You'll have much more time on your hands than usual, and many of us are so used to being busy-busy-busy. Think of something you'd like to do with the gift of that time - maybe bringing along a couple of books, or planning to do some art, or figuring out some chords on the guitar... *
And lastly, your contact number: *
