Spring is now well under way and as the UK mornings grow steadily a little lighter and the brighter evenings grow a tad longer - it's left me thinking about how we cure those blues that evolve during our winter solstice and from living our insular Great British lives.
Since 2008 and before 2015, the UK Government intends to improve access to counselling and therapy at our local GP Surgeries, by placing thousand of Counsellors/Therapists into the NHS, Thus assisting patients with stress, anxiety and depression related concerns,(mainly using CBT - but don't get me started on that!) I would like to ask as a Writer, one with a huge penchant for travel, and a background in Professional Counselling.
"Is this the best thing for those living within our society or could there be something more?"
In 2007, after a huge martial breakdown and an unexpected re-kindling of our relationship. I left the UK with my husband and children, with the intention of rebuilding our family, taking some much needed time out of our serious lives we had built in society, in order to heal and have fun. Yes I could have sat down with a therapist, not uprooted our kids out of school and away from their peers, and talked my way through it but at the time and still, I believed the best thing for us and them was to get out into the world and experience what we had only ever read about or seen on TV, scrunch our toes in different soil, laugh and enjoy life.
Fun - that little three letter word and the one key element that can be left out of our lives in a moments notice, as we attempt to keep a roof over our head, pay for our children's education, deal with our relationships problems and recover from the requirements of what is always touted, as living in a fast paced society.
In my experience both professional and personal, travel provides freedom and allows an individual to breathe deeply, take a little time out and do something they want, either alone or with those they love and enjoy spending time with the most.
Taking a little time, doing what you'd love most to do as an individual, is as important as keeping yourself and your family taken care of in society. On my journey I've developed an interest in scuba diving and and good quality, great tasting street food.
Seeing new places, seeking out new cultures, trying out new experiences, like Body Surfing in Australia or even just staying somewhere new with its different smells, can provide a person with a fresh burst of energy, not readily provided by a hamster's wheel commute or seeing the same world weary faces everyday.
Extended travel offers so much more. So I'd say the next time you're considering applying for a loan, to place an extension on your house or even building up into the loft. I'd ask you to consider spending a little of that cash on doing the things that you've always wanted to do but never thought you could achieve.
Which kind of therapy seems preferable to you?