Traveling with a conscience

Sophia Cheng / 3 min read / Uncategorised
4 July 2018
Interview with Simply EcoNomads
Today has not been a good day. It’s 10 past 5 so it could potentially still take a turn for the better but with darkness already setting into the valley I am not feeling optimistic.

WWBD? (What would
Brené do?)

I am attempting to employ some critical awareness and trying to separate out my thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Here’s what I have come up with:

– I was not immune to bad days back home
– therefore just because you are somewhere different you are still not immune to mood lows

– a bad day here does not mean it’s been a bad decision

– it’s quite plausible that considering what you are doing the highs are higher but the lows are lower too, you do know this

– it’s getting dark seriously early in London too, you didn’t leave the northern hemisphere darling!

– the holiday glow is ebbing as it really sets in you don’t have a real ‘home’, perhaps there is an insecurity attached to this?

– when you are feeling low, there are less distractions to avoid addressing the feeling, therefore you feel more acutely

– the old cliché, you can’t run away from your problems, may well be ringing true

– you can’t immerse yourself in Brené’s world without it taking its toll on you. She suggests leaning into the discomfort and perhaps that is what is surfacing now?

– unshackling from a life long relationship with guilt as your companion does not happen overnight

– are you exercising self-compassion? Or kicking yourself while you are down? exacerbating your fragility with a barrage of internal abuse to keep you about 2 inches tall

– don’t forget those hormones like to wreak havoc with you on a monthly basis, don’t let them beat you

– work is very stressful at the moment – fact

– everyone has bad days, tomorrow is not unsurmountable

Practising gratitude

– I am grateful for my hour in the sunshine, warmth and vitamin D on my skin

– for the white space I created for myself

– for it being a beautiful day, even if I didn’t take full advantage of it

– for the comfort I find in old songs

– for an old colleague expressing gratitude

– for bringing my hot water bottle with me all the way from London

– that I have this opportunity to try something different, even if not every day is stunning/amazing/breathtaking
– great material for a ‘not-everything-is-awesome’ blog post!

Short-term action

– hobnob (I am grateful I brought these over too) and a cup of yorkshire gold (yes brought those too!)

– rest and get an early night

– start again tomorrow


Avatar photo Sophia Cheng With a decade of communications experience across the for profit and nonprofit sectors, agency and in-house, Sophia has made a habit of making ‘the hard stuff’ more accessible. Since 2018, she has reorientated her life around the climate crisis. She has forged her decade of communications experience into offering workshops, mentoring, blogging, and more, on the biggest issues of our time. View all posts
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