Why sometimes simple is best...

This weekend I had plans to go away on a trip which originally involved flying out from one airport, flying back to a different airport and travelling from one city to another half way through the stay. As much as I was initially looking forward to it, as the trip drew closer, I began to feel the weight of anxiety bearing down on me with alarming intensity. I was so caught up in wanting this trip to be perfect and I was growing increasingly stressed with regard to arranging every little detail in time. On the eve of departure, I ended up asking myself ‘why am I even going on this elaborate trip, when it is causing me so much unhappiness before I have even gone anywhere?’ It just did not feel right, so at the very last minute I decided spontaneously to change the plans completely and in doing so I felt that a huge weight had been lifted from me. Instead of the original, complicated trip which was booked, I made a reservation for the weekend at a cottage in Wales where we stayed last September.

I have travelled so much for work lately anyway, so I felt that a low-key weekend in Wales was exactly what my soul needed. All of this is leading me somewhat laboriously, to the point that sometimes keeping it simple is the very best thing that we can do for ourselves.
Instead of long and complicated travel plans involving planes, cars and trains, we were able to hop in our own car and drive directly to the cottage, with the car loaded with everything we would need for the weekend including a few treats.

The best part was that I felt all the anxiety I had been carrying around for weeks regarding the other trip vanish in a moment and with it came the realisation that we all need to slow down occasionally.
I feel that the nature of life in general has become so fast-paced nowadays and most of us spend our days rushing around, breathlessly hurrying to make sure that we reach meetings on time or in order to finish work by a certain deadline. This is all well and good, but balancing a busy lifestyle coupled with the incessant pressure to check and update social media can make modern life very draining -especially if you work in the creative sphere, when having a strong digital presence is vital to your very livelihood.

With all the demands we have placed on us, and indeed those which we place upon ourselves, it can sometimes feel as if there is no time left over to truly appreciate life. Watching birds take flight from the beach, observing a sailing boat gently swaying from side to side on the emerald waters of the estuary, feeling the kiss of salty sea air on my skin and curling up by the fire with a glass of wine - all of the tiny pleasures I experienced this weekend reminded me of what is truly important in life. We get so caught up in thinking what happened before or what is about to happen next, that the moment we are actually in often gets lost. I needed to slow the whirlwind down, to step away from it however briefly so that I could come back and face the new week with renewed vigour and determination.

At times, the most satisfying act of self-care can be to step back from everything for a couple of days and it can be especially helpful if you are feeling overwhelmed or if you are questioning what to do about something. All in all, the weekend was exactly what I needed and it was very simple which made it so special to me. We walked on the beach, went out for a meal, stopped at a few quiet pubs and absorbed each precious moment spent doing nothing in particular.

What do you all think, do you ever feel the need to step away from the whirlwind of life and what do you like to do to relax when you need to take some time out from everything? I hope you do not mind this introspective post, in fact I hope you will find something to take from it and that it will encourage you to make time for yourself. After all, we give so much of ourselves to others in this fleeting life that we must remember also to give something back to ourselves.

Until next time,

Camille 

xo