Wherever you are, whomever you are, we are not the superheroes that we want to be. Whether you are a student in stuffy classrooms or an accomplished go-getter in building-society behemoths, everyone needs a break.
In present society, our hearts lunge at the opportunity to bake our feet on a Hawaiian beach or chill our cheeks on the peaks of the Orient, but our thoughts, stuck on autopilot, will stunt us and go, “Hang on! You have no time for that!”
Groan.
In fact, your thoughts are the key to going on holiday. Wherever you are, take a moment to sigh, sit back and go back to a favourite moment in your life. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, revel in the things that made you happy in that time and place. Better still, imagine the times that you may one day get to enjoy.
Your brain is the best computer in the world. In the digital age, it has the memory capacity of an estimated 2.5 petabytes – a million gigabytes! Imagine the amount of music you could store! Digression aside, the brain stores memories – your memories, which you can select at will and utilise in seconds.
The technique is known as O2, which is used in therapy for conditions such as post-traumatic stress.
Sit back and open your mind, show yourself what you are truly thinking and feeling. This is the start of taking control of both and direct it however you wish.
It won’t be a miracle cure – you might feel better, though you might feel even worse. Instead of plodding on and ignoring stress, you’re acknowledging it, naked as you please. Don’t let this worry you – this means that you’re switched on – your brain is working with you now.
It’s your conduit: the train station, the plane, the ship that’s carrying you towards your destination. With your brain switched on, you can journey away from the stress, picking out your favourite memories from your extensive brain-library. Create a few minutes that are just for you – listen to the sounds around you, breathe deeply – in, out – as many times as you wish. Maybe wriggle your toes out of cold slumber. Whatever you choose to do, remember that in your mind, also choose where you want to be.
Reality is always important – it’s that loud noise that tells you to look back down at your paper, that phone call that won’t stop buzzing or the excited squeal of your kids – but just remember that escapism is important to. You’re all you have.
Go on – relax. It’ll be your little secret.
After all (let’s face it) you’re pretty amazing.