There will be much more to come… but I wanted to make this quick comment.
I know that I’ve said before that my anxiety exacerbates if I have less sleep. That seems like a no brainer… but I realized something on my travels that has been true for years, only just now coming into my awareness though. While in Hawaii I got up between 5 and 6 am pretty much every day so that I could be out in the water snorkeling/free diving/whatever while the waves were still calm. And I wasn’t anxious. That includes the day right after I arrived. That includes the morning before I flew back across the Earth.
So… I guess you could say it was the adrenaline rush that made me forget I was getting less sleep… maybe I did end up going to bed a little earlier (around 11 ish instead of well past midnight). But… there seems to be something important there to digest.
Sleep is a necessity. It’s important. But also, the ocean, or things that you love, can be nourishing too. My therapist said before I go: when you’re in the ocean, you won’t be thinking about your body image or how you look in a swim suit.
She’s right. I wasn’t. And the ocean doesn’t care either way.
The ocean doesn’t care.
The ocean doesn’t care.
The ocean doesn’t care.
And that’s absolutely correct. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Travel helps me and I always come back better. The ocean helps me and I always come back better, inspired, and more grounded. After this trip I truly feel like a different person, and I have so many amazing seascape photos to share as well as photos and videos of sea critters.
I’ll try to keep in mind to continue nourishing myself with activities I love when the semester starts, as that seems to be really important along with adequate sleep. My days were so full in Hawaii, and I really feel like I made the most of them. I would love to continue to try to do that in my “normal” life.
I don’t like the idea of “back to reality” though… because Hawaii is reality. It exists. I was in it. I touched it and it touched me, so we’re both changed. There’s nothing more “real” than that.
I’m exhausted, but plan to post every day in August as per my tradition and make at least a few youtube videos before the start of the semester.
Much Love
Natalie
Eternal Ocean of Words 