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Every ordinary day is filled with work and family responsibilities. In the daily rush, we have little time for self-reflection and listening to ourselves. Certain working hours and extracurricular activities, the reception of children from kindergarten — all this creates the framework in which we function. Then it is easier to push problems away from each other, to drown out emotions and not to allow unpleasant information about our life, relationship, work and about ourselves.
The holidays take us out of the routine. Suddenly we have to create the framework of the day all over again. Freedom from everyday duties also means the need to make decisions. What are we gonna do? With whom? Am I sure I will make a good choice? There are so many holiday attractions within easy reach, but you can't take advantage of them all! For some, the mere need to answer these questions causes anxiety. It happens that during the holiday panic attacks may occur not related to any specific event: getting out of the daily routine and “too much time to think” make the hitherto repressed negative emotions and repressed fears “take over”.
Don't drown out your inner voice!
Running away into action is one form of cutting yourself off from your own emotions, desires, and self-awareness. However, this is a self-destructive method! Sooner or later, the repressed thoughts, emotions, fears and problems will hit even harder. Worse, it often finds its reflection in psychosomatic illnesses. Cutting yourself off from yourself makes you not the director of your own life. You let others guide you. You are not able to plan wisely your own goals and how to achieve them, because you do not even know what you really want.
Vacation is the perfect time to think about how you want to plan the next year
What are you going to change, what to experience, what to learn? Often, clients come to me for career coaching sessions who, during their vacation, realized how unhappy they are at work and do not want to return to it. It happens that when during the holidays, the pain, stomach ailments that bother them every day disappear, allergies, it comes to them that their source is a toxic situation in the company, mobbing, overwork, professional burnout or simply the mismatch of the current job with their current needs or psychophysical capabilities.
Write down your emotions and thoughts
An effective method recommended in coaching and psychotherapy is to put your feelings and thoughts on paper. The need to dress them in words makes them easier to put together, “tame” and understand, as well as look at them from a distance. Psychologically, it is best if you do it by hand. If you don't have this option, save it on your phone or send emails to yourself. You can go back to these notes and use them to further work on yourself or destroy immediately after writing. The very act of writing (verbalizing one's thoughts) is crucial.
Open up for feedback
When spending all the time with loved ones, it is easier to notice when someone has a problem. Especially with addictions. There are no more excuses that “I have to be online all the time because my job requires it”. It is more noticeable that the partner abuses alcohol or spends hours walking around online stores. Depression, panic attacks or emotional turmoil are harder to hide. If your partner says they see a problem with you, instead of reacting with outrage, listen carefully to what they have to say and think about it. The sooner you realize the problem, the greater the chances that you will make an effective attempt to get out of it.
Take a test
Lying on the beach, do you constantly look at your phone? Instead of enjoying the beauty of your surroundings, you only think about putting another post on social media and anxiously counting “likes”? Do you check work emails a few times a day? Or do you drip alcohol on every meal? Do you eat more than you should every day and then feel unwell? Addictions can concern both substances (e.g. drugs) and activities called behavioral addictions e.g. shopaholism, compulsive overeating, workaholism, networkholism (internet addiction). Check during your vacation whether you can refrain from these activities for even 1 — 2 days.
If you are unable or it requires a lot of effort from you and makes you nervous, obsessively thinking about the activity, or worse, absent-mindedness (“withdrawal”) symptoms appear on a physical (e.g. insomnia, headaches) or psychological (e.g. irritability, increased anxiety, shame) level, then it is probably addictive/ Necessarily after returning make an appointment with a specialist from addictions (e.g. psychotherapists or psychiatrists).
If you do not cope with emotions, for example, on vacation you still feel unjustified anxiety, sadness, social phobia, talk frankly with your partner or use a consultation with a psychologist or crisis coach. Instead of plunging into self-destruction, look for support! If you feel that a problem is overtaking you, do not hesitate to seek the help of a psychotherapist, coach or other specialist.
