Recharging in the Trees
I took last week off. Properly off.
No emails, no notifications, no endless scroll. Just me, my husband, and Freya the Doberman in Bridgetown — surrounded by trees, misty mornings, and the kind of quiet that gently untangles your brain.
My goal was simple: rest, reset, recharge.
I managed the first two — recharging is ongoing.
The Art of Taking a Real Break
It’s funny how slowing down feels harder than speeding up.
The first few days away, my brain still buzzed with to-do lists, emails, and half-finished projects. But nature has a way of softening the noise.
Long walks under towering trees, quiet afternoons reading, and Freya’s uncontainable joy at being off-lead and in a 100% dog-friendly home away from home reminded me that stillness isn’t laziness — it’s recovery.
When you finally pause, you notice how much tension you’ve been holding. It sits in your shoulders, your sleep, your thoughts. Sometimes, it takes a week in the forest to realise how overdue rest really was.
Rediscovering Joy in the Everyday
As the days went on, I started to notice little things again — the sound of kookaburras, cockatoos and magpies, sunlight through the leaves, the simple pleasure of cooking dinner without rushing.
Being away reminded me that joy doesn’t have to be big or loud. It can be as small as Freya’s muddy paws after a walk, or the calm that comes from breathing air that smells like rain and eucalyptus.
Now that I’m home, I’ve started my mornings with a short stretch and a few minutes of journaling — not as a productivity tool, but as a grounding one.
I work from home, and it’s easy to get stuck in my head or slip back into 12-hour days. Journaling helps me pause, set intentions, and check in with myself before the day runs away.
And because ADHD brains love novelty, I’ve mixed it up a bit — using prompts and even ChatGPT as an accountability buddy to keep things interesting. (So far, it’s working!)
The Reality of Coming Back
Re-entry is always strange, isn’t it? You return home a little clearer, but the world hasn’t slowed down with you.
I’ve realised that recharging isn’t something you tick off a list — it’s something you build into life. It’s in the morning rituals, the breaks between meetings, the slow walks after work.
So, I’m trying to bring a little of Bridgetown home with me — more fresh air, more pauses, more presence.
Rest as Resistance
This year has been heavy for so many of us. The noise, the constant change, the world feeling too much — it all adds up. Taking a break from the digital noise and the daily grind isn’t indulgent; it’s essential.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is rest.
Step back.
Let yourself breathe.
Because when you return, you come back with more clarity, more compassion, and a little more space to be yourself.
So here’s your reminder — it’s okay to step away.
The world will wait.
