The Love Work 2.0
June 29 - August 3, 2021
Surviving women whose loss occurred more than 3 years ago are invited to "The Love Work" virtual Women's Empowerment (WE) retreat.
Love changes everything - and so does loss. As we grieve and as we start to heal, sometimes we realize that broken hearts may need extra care and attention. It can feel both overwhelming and comforting to start to think about how to care for our hearts - we may be both startled and comforted by what has changed and what feels familiar.
Brightening up the heart space is an undertaking that requires courageous reflection and radical self-compassion. It’s also an ongoing process - a way to continue improving our lives better by looking more deeply into how we can ask and answer, strengthen and soften.
The Love Work 2.0 is a revamped presentation of some of the original The Love Work material - with some added bonuses. There will be more interaction, less “homework,” and an increased emphasis on practicing and sharing coping skills. We meet Tuesdays at 6 p.m. Eastern to encourage, inspire, and support each other. The Love Work Summer Cohort is open to all surviving women who are 3+ years from loss, as well as anyone who has joined us before for all or part of the workshop series.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
The Love Work is a virtual Women's Empowerment retreat - we offer the camaraderie and curriculum of a retreat, but broken up into a series of workshops that allows you to practice integrating self-care and self-discovery into your everyday life. We love this model because it helps us learn to prioritize our own "work" even among the competing demands we manage every day.
- Group Zoom Session: Each meeting will be about 90 minutes in duration. We will utilize both breakout rooms (small groups) and the larger group for these sessions. We will expect to see your lovely face at all of these every Tuesday at 6 p.m. Eastern.
- Weekly Content: Each week, you'll receive specific journal prompts and mindfulness activities that are tailored to what's expressed in our large group sessions.
- Peer Connections: We'll be using both a large group format and small breakout sessions to make sure that everyone feels comfortable either standing out or blending in. You'll have time to talk with each other, tell stories, and share what love looks like in your own life. We know that our best sources of inspiration are often each other, so we'll listen to each other with open minds and open hearts.
- Facebook Group: Participants will be invited into a private Facebook group for the duration of the experience. Participation is not mandatory; rather, we encourage you to use this platform as another way to share, connect, and process.
- Guided Journal: Much of what we'll focus on during our time together is part of The Love Work Empowerment Workbook, a printable guide that we use for the duration of our time together. We provide you with a variety of self-guided and group sessions - but think option, not obligation. Your choices of self-reflection, movement, creation, and "love work" projects and activities will open your heart and engage your brain.
SCHEDULE
All times listed below are in the Eastern time zone.
- Week 1: Welcome & Overview
June 29, 2021 - 6:00 p.m. - Week 2: What Is Love
July 6, 2021 - 6:00 p.m. - Week 3: Seeing Love All Around Us
July 13, 2021 - 6:00 p.m. - Week 4: Love, Worth, & Self-Compassion
July 20, 2021 - 6:00 p.m. - Week 5: Love Under Construction
July 27, 2021 - 6:00 p.m. - Week 6: The [Heart] Beat Goes On
August 3, 2021 - 6:00 p.m.
EXPECTATIONS AND TIME COMMITMENT
The bonus of hosting a retreat online is we can create an extended event that ensures no one misses any of the magic; the requirement of a retreat online is your focused presence - again, so no one misses any of the magic.
We recommend blocking a full 2 hours for our Tuesday sessions. We’d like you to get settled and grounded before the session starts; we also encourage you to spend some easy time with yourself after we conclude each 90-minute zoom session. A variety of self-guided and group sessions will also be available.
Outside of our Tuesday group sessions, we ask that you set aside 1 to 3 hours each week for self-reflection, movement, creation, and "love work" projects.
ELIGIBILITY AND FEES
This retreat is open to women who are now more than three years out from their loss. If your loss occurred within the last three years, please let us help you choose alternate programming. There are many options and we want you to be a part of our community.
No Cost, Great Benefit: Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we are able to offer this experience to you at no cost.
HOW TO JOIN
Registration is open from June 4 to June 29, 2021 (look for the blue button at the top of this page at that time).
If you have any questions, please email empowerment@taps.org or call 800-959-TAPS (8277).