I flew all the way to Greece to learn things about myself.

1. I will eat Tzatziki with anything, even breakfast (dip your croissants in it and thank me later)

2. My self-care was not as good as I thought I was before I left

3. I need to find a better work-life balance

4. The sound of gentle waves on the beach is one of the most relaxing sounds in the world

5. Being the parent of a teenager can be lonely

6. Eating 8 meals a day is only acceptable on holiday

7. I am too old for clubbing

8. As much as I enjoyed my holiday it was nice to be back home, I love routine

This was my first holiday abroad in almost 12 years and I was anxious, I was anxious about flying, I was anxious about being the only adult on holiday as it felt like a lot of responsibility, I was anxious about all the possibilities of terrible things that could happen as I am awfully good at catastrophising. And you know what? That’s all ok. Anxiety is a natural response to the unknown, I planned for as many {feasible} eventualities as possible without looking like I was planning for an apocalypse, I used grounding techniques, I used mindfulness, and I used music to help control my anxiety. Oddly, the calm meditative music I planned to use on the flight wasn’t cutting it so I leaned into the anxiety instead and swapped it for something high-tempo and fun and the anxiety felt more like excitement.

The point I’m trying to make is that some anxiety is normal, in situations where we feel out of control there are techniques we can use to help prevent that anxiety from becoming overwhelming, there isn’t one way of doing this and it’s ok to change your tactics to suit in any given situation.

I had a wonderful time away despite my teenager sleeping until noon every day and spending the rest of the day in the pool pretending he wasn’t with me, I used the time to read books (I read 4!), to lay in the sun with factor 50 and a big hat on, to walk along the beach every morning and start each day out with my toes in the sand drinking coffee and listening to the waves. I even got up super early to catch a sunrise. In short, I flew thousands of miles to find peace and tranquility (and tzatziki), and I want more of that even when I’m at home in not-so-sunny Leeds in the UK.

I love routine, I have put together a new routine that incorporates swimming 3 times a week, mostly because I remembered on holiday how much I enjoy swimming and also because lots of extra holiday meals require some exercise to counteract! I have decided on a strict no-work-weekend routine so I am making the most of my downtime. I have planned in time with friends so I have social events to look forward to and I am keeping up my love of reading, making time each day to read instead of scrolling. Not much I can do about the lack of sunshine though, sadly.

I feel grateful that I was able to go abroad this year and for the time I did get to spend reconnecting with my teenager, I learned a lot about myself and I had some much-needed rest and relaxation.

If you are struggling with anxiety, work-life balance, reconnecting with family then try some small adjustments to your home and work life to see if you can redress the balance to ward off burnout. And try traditional Greek tzatziki, it is amazing!

I am back from my summer vacation rested, relaxed, with better self-care in place and having learned things about myself that only downtime could have shown me. I am ready to be the best version of myself for me, my family and my clients.

If you would like support to heal from trauma and abuse then get in touch using the contact form or email lisa@brighterbeginningstherapy.co.uk, I have a few spaces available for new clients starting in September.

~ Lisa