3 months on a Greek Island - sounds paradisiacal, right?!

So, yes, I was what many said: “you are so lucky” to spend 3 months on a Greek Island, however, is it luck when you work extra shifts on your side job for over 6 months, save every penny you have, juggling energy levels and business commitments to live out there on a strict budget…?!
I wouldn’t say that was luck, I would say that was a choice that I made and I executed it, was it worth it? Yes! Do I recommend it? Yes!
Getting out of your comfort zone, trying something new, walking into your fears and dealing with your traumas is not easy or comfortable, but 100% WORTH IT! 🔥

I know… one could argue I am fortunate enough to have done it, yes, probably… But, I do live a very unconventional life; I am single, without children, currently live in my parents annex (have done since Covid; end of an unhealthy relationship and major disruption to my beauty therapy business, ending one dark chapter of my life - total self-rejection - and starting a new one… not easy, not comfortable, but totally worth it!), not living in my own home - yet. And, WOW! The toxic shame I have had to work through on the above has been intense to say the least… We are, or at least I have been heavily conditioned with the idea that to be accepted and not judged, one must live like everyone else, but, I am not like everyone else, and more importantly, we’re NOT meant to be like each other; we are all supposed to be completely DIFFERENT and UNIQUE.
There is no normal… or maybe one day normal can be re-branded as “being yourself, is normal”, or least the normal thing to do, living life with the Human Giver Syndrome (recently read this term in a book called Burnout by the Nagoski sisters - highly recommend) is not normal, it’s an unhealthy way in which the majority live which needs to change. We need to stop living life to keep others happy and meet external expectations. Right, better stop there as that’s becoming another blog! 😂

So back to Greece!
Going to Greece (I had never been) was an idea I had with my good friend Jane (who I co-host the High Sensory People Podcast with) had one day. We were fantasizing about spending our winters, not in the UK, and I had said one of my life goals IS to spend the winter (ideally all of January and February) not in the UK - as I find those months SO depressing and draining, talk about hard work getting through them. I have now come to realise we genuinely don’t have enough light in those months, because having had more sunshine and brighter days in Greece, my mood and energy levels were much better than UK winters.

So, it became a goal for both of us, Jane had been many times before, but for me it was a new venture. I had, maybe still do a bit, but, I knew I had trauma to heal around travelling abroad, sadly 3 of my most traumatic life-experiences (brother’s suicide, mum got sectioned and worked for a Narcissist) were all connected with travel, so there was that pesky fear that something bad might happen… again…
And suffice to say, I have been back for nearly 3 months and all is well! No crazy deaths, gas-lighting or hospitals… Phew! But, man, did I have to work through some serious dark nights of the soul while I was in Greece… Jeez! As they say: “you have to feel it, to heal it”… and wow… did I feel it for sure. Many sleepless nights, flashbacks, anxiety, emotions, feelings connected to the previous traumas and just general rough shit, I hope I have now purged out of my system, or at the very least, taught my mind that not all bad things happen when I travel and sometimes it’s not always sunshine and roses. And from discomfort comes courage, strength, hope, faith and belief in yourself that you can achieve more than your mind realises. All it wants to do is to keep you safe, which yes, is helpful - sometimes.

I got “a piece” while I was out there that I knew I needed, but didn’t know what it looked like or would feel like, but I got it. I came back feeling more at peace with myself, more self-love and self-compassion, I feel like my soul energy had really integrated itself into my physical body more (that was a super cool experience! It was so visceral and as tangible as the wind brushing past your face). I felt more connected with myself, more confident and stronger; I know, it all sounds really cliche, but this is what travel and getting out of your comfort zone does to you, you learn more about yourself, you meet and discover more of yourself, you open up areas of yourself that you didn’t know were there, made friends with parts of you that need befriending and loving back in.

Don’t get me wrong, I really loved working part time online, researching, studying and every 2-3 days going for long walks around the island and taking a swim in the Mediterranean Sea; that was amazing because where I am currently living it is an estuary so the sea is very muddy!
I still had to do normal life stuff, like keep the apartment clean, buy food, cook, record our podcast etc, so it wasn’t this constant 3 month holiday of fine dining and sailing around the islands - although I wouldn’t say no to that sort of experience!
Getting away and having a lot of solitude really enabled me to work through things, I had to, they have a habit of hitting you like a freight train out of nowhere, a little like grief; so you have to take a moment to really feel into what you’re feeling, what are you needing to accept or change etc.

Oh, and the Greek cats! Oh my days… I still miss them all now. They are fighters, so tenacious (the ones that survive), but also some are SO friendly and all they wanted was food. attention and somewhere to curl up. I met some right characters that’s for sure; it was our undoing by naming them, but we couldn’t keep just describing them as we saw them every day, several times… There was this “watering-hole” they would often hang around at which was right next to one of our apartments, so they soon realised where we lived and would be outside meowing every morning while I was getting my breakfast, so I could hardly ignore them. Amazing how quickly animals get used to a routine where there’s food!
That was a whole interesting experience, in and of itself, this “helper” mode of me just came out in those first few weeks, I felt so bad about the cats, wanting to rescue them, feeling so angry that this is what is, on these Greek Islands; as it’s not like that back home, most cats are domestic, not on the streets starving. After I worked through those triggers I was seeing that some of the locals did feed them and look out for them, so they are not completely neglected. There is also a British lady over there working on a neutering program. This was an interesting experience for me, lot’s of acceptance of what is and surrendering to let it be, it was a lot to work through and work through I did. As time passed I was able to just enjoy these cats, feed them and just have faith that they would be well after I left and that they are not my responsibility, they had survived this long without me, so their fate was in the hands of the Universe… Some of the best memories was of Susan and Charlie following me for what felt like walkies along the Promenade - adorable!

When you go on holiday it’s completely different, you often have all inclusive or if you’re self-catering you’re only doing it for a week or two. It’s fun, it’s an adventure, it’s a change, but when it’s longer, you have more time to think, to miss things, to need things that are back home and not easily available abroad (like ordering an inflatable camping mat from Amazon that never arrived [went to the wrong house] because the beds are so uncomfortable), food is different, toiletries or stationary is different or in my case so expensive on a Greek Island compared to home. So it challenges you differently when you are in holiday-mode vs. living-mode when abroad. I still had to live with myself…

The weather was very much like it is now actually, June 2024 is cold for it’s normal temps, so Greece in Jan, Feb and March is very much like our spring time. Cold nights, cold on cloudy days, but when the sun was out, lovely and warm.

Oh yes, the apartment boilers flooded! That was an experience, they often say that about the soul energy of a person can disrupt water and electricity and I have to agree with some of the experiences I have had over the years and in Greece. The triggers I was working through definitely reflected in the boilers breaking; the first one was the bathroom boiler that leaked into my wardrobe drenching all my clothes and the kitchen one went a few weeks later… it was bonkers.

I love the UK as I love to go and wild camp, walk and explore, as for me it has so much to offer, but when you do live aboard for many weeks or months, it does make you appreciate it even more, at least it did me. I did love Greece but I so dearly love the UK, I feel it has so much to offer, it’s just a shame the climate is a little on the cloudy chilly side. I just love our robins and blackbirds singing, well all the birds, I love the lush greenery, the spring blossoms, the country lanes, our old buildings, just for me there is so much yummy-ness to enjoy on our doorstep.

Nearing 3 months, it did feel like it was time to come home, I felt ready, plus funds were low, knowing that spring was nigh in the UK, feeling excited to get back and for the summer ahead, as I love the British summer - when it behaves! It just felt like a really good amount of time to be away, escape the winter, explore somewhere, get out of your comfort zone, heal some traumas and get a little perspective.

I remember coming back and feeling like I had left this heavy weight back in Greece that I didn’t know I had been carrying, I felt lighter and more energised. So I knew I got what I needed from this experience that I may never have got if I’d stayed at home doing my “normal” life. I had let something go, which is often the trauma that holds us back, to stop us moving forward and trying news things, to become more of ourselves, our real selves.

Perhaps in hindsight a monthly or weekly blog of my time there would have been a good idea, but I was in two minds while I was there, to just soak in the experience and write about it later or perhaps that story: “who wants to read about that..”, that your mind tells you, that someone once said to you; when actually, everyone I know back home wanted to hear all about it! So yes, people DO want to hear about your stories, because they matter, you matter, we are humans and can relate to each others experiences. It makes us feel normal, like what we are feeling is okay, because it is okay - to JUST BE YOU!

So, next time you have an idea, see about exploring it, see if you can execute it too.
Start small, it doesn’t have to be big, baby steps remember, lead to big goals.

Much love

Elisha 💖