As a child, I loved going back to school in September: new books, new pens, new things to learn… Today, when I come back from holidays, I feel the same excitement and anticipation about working on new projects, but I also now realise this is a time where I feel frantic energy bubbling up and adrenalin rushing back.  I am likely to plunge head on in my work, without counting hours, recharged by holiday energy.

This may come as a surprise to you.  I am a sophrologist after all.  Am I not supposed to live “the Zen life” constantly?  Let’s debunk a myth here: a sophrologist is still a human being!  And don’t they say that you teach best what you need most? 

Having said that, after 30 years of sophrology, I am indeed more aware of how I truly feel and I listen to my body telling me I am entering the danger zone.

It is not wonder if I burnt out aged 23, I easily work too much, plan too much, go too deep down rabbit holes when I am passionate about something.  But it is impossible to have energy for everything all the time and I reach my limits quicker than I would wish.

If you too feel that these past few weeks have been a bit crazy or with levels of stress piling up as high as before the summer, you may find here some ideas to help.  How do I do this?

I take time to sit and plan, look at the bigger picture, check where I want to put my energy and organise my schedule accordingly.  I check I have not planned too much, I reflow some work to a later time (not everything has to be done today!).

I recall in the body how the calm and joy of holidays felt, the free and peaceful mindset.  For this, you could:

• Reconnect to how well you felt during the holidays and make sure you stay with that every so often.

• Keep one or two simple habits that you enjoyed during the holidays (maybe taking more time for breakfast everyday or creating peaceful moments during the day).

I take breaks, do some things more slowly, truly enjoy good moments, take walks.  I also plan real days off regularly.

I practice sophrology, breathing, some meditation everyday.

In a few words, the secret may be to start from inside to decide how you would like to be, feel and what you can put in place for this rather than simply reacting constantly to what is happening from the outside world.  Be intentional, take back control of your life, release the pressure and make your own choices.