Healing Rest

As therapist, I am reminded of the healing benefits of a restful vacation this summer. After years under lockdown, you are probably venturing back into the great outdoors to enjoy the mostly fresh air. High heat and humidity often exacerbates allergies and asthma, so leaving the city to rest is a healthy solution.

August is traditionally the vacation month in Ontario. The lakes have warmed enough for pleasant swimming and the weather is mainly sunny and hot! There are so many lakes, rivers, creeks, and bends for you to enjoy safely and freely. Campsites are also scattered across provincial and federal parks as well.

Most smaller towns offer affordable stays and the booming cottage rental options provide safe family fun as well. Deciding to stay closer to home for vacation this summer is an excellent idea from an economic and social perspective. Regaining your bearings in the familiar will increase your confidence to travel farther away next summer.

A gentle return to your life post-Covid is sensible and wise. There is no rush to resume the mad-dash, intense traffic, and long days of your former ways. Like no other time in recent history, are you offered a chance to reflect on what you want, need, and deserve on a daily basis.

Many families suffered in the recent past where men and women spent more time with colleagues than with spouses and children. The collateral damage caused by workplace harassment, sexual infidelity, and neglect is far too large to measure and perhaps best understood anecdotally.

You all witnessed the “me too” movement and corporations continue to problem solve their roles in mediating human sexuality in the workplace. Most young people who do decide to marry today seem to prefer a civil union – even those children from previously religious homes. The view of marriage as sacrament has in part been eroded by the poor examples of our generation. Younger adults appear to be calling us on the obvious hypocrisy of monogamy and commitment.

There are probably many more reasons why young people are moving away from marriage as sacred and bonded by God, which will slowly reveal over the next few decades. The issue of being viewed as “too-judgey” on these sorts of matters makes me chuckle. Learning to make healthy decisions for yourself and family requires a thoughtful and intelligent mode of discernment. It is important to make judgements about the world, and yes at times about people as well.

The explosion of hook-up apps has also transformed the dating scene and traditional rituals around sex and sexuality. It is truly a confusing new world where views related to chastity, intimacy, friendship and respect seem foreign. Many people are deciding to opt out and wonder how to meet likeminded people without techno-mediation.

The view that “we are no longer in Kansas” is a real one. There are people who do not hold the same value system as you do and as such you need to decide whether you “are in or out” when it comes to certain activities that run contrary to your personal beliefs.

I think adolescents confuse “being judgey” with “gossip”. The youthful mind fails to see that you may discern that something is not right for you and hold this privately and without disdain for another person’s position or behaviour. Adults who remain confused about this difference worry me as I wonder about their lack of maturity in understanding the role of healthy judgement in their own life.

People have a right to personal values and actually require the freedom to live their best life without prejudice or threat to wellbeing. Individuals made to live or work in environments that run contrary to personal values may result in mental anguish and breakdown due to conditions of prolonged stress created by unnecessary harm caused by an imposition of civil standards that excludes or oppresses individuals based on creed or religious beliefs.

Going to the waters has greatly revived my spirits after months of restricted living. The healing powers of nature reminds humanity of our interconnectedness with Mother Earth and the essence of freedom. i wish that you have an opportunity to rest this summer. Allowing your mind to float to what you need, want and deserve will foster a clarity and confidence required to get back into the “rat-race” of life.

Enjoy! I will be back in my office next week!!!

Lisa Romano-Dwyer PhD, Owner