My Personal Reset

Yes, that’s the view from the 24th Floor balcony in the header image savouring the sunset at Scarborough Beach, WA. Approximately every 12 weeks (between University Trimesters) I like to go and stay a hotel for a night or two as a mini-break and reward for the hard work and long hours in running Herbosophy and studying my degree. I love hotels, always have, somehow when I walk into that room and close the door, a new consciousness takes over. Whatever my concerns before entering that room, ceases to exist. Different decor in the living space (new home), room service (no housework), beachfront view from the balcony. I try as much as possible to do nothing I  do at home: like electronics, multi-tasking, planning, managing, etc. No phone, no computer. I tell you honestly, I sleep better than ever and usually a lot. I think it’s because I know by being there, by default, there’ll be no interruptions or visitors or chores or the multitude of possible things that will grab my attention just because I’m home (and when at home they always need to be done).

So, this time, I stayed two nights at the Rendezvous Hotel in Scarborough as it’s one of my favourite places. It’s not the hotel itself per se; it’s more so the beach front location and the view that attracts me. Anyway, I don’t want this to be a hotel review so I’ll move on. This is about the benefit of occasional, short, vacationary solitude…and it’s not for the reasons you think.

Yes, you do need and get a break from the stressful noise and constant ‘on’ in your life, but I feel the best thing is the ‘segregation’ from your regular identity and most of all if you do it right…you’ll get to be bored! Bored, I hear you say? Yes, bored. Boredom has the immediate effect of making you automatically wanting to escape it by making you sleep. And then sleep some more. You’ll find, however, this sleep is what your over-stimulated nervous system has been craving for a long time, but it doesn’t get it because we’re filling every free second with the phone or the net. What happens, however, after your body has had enough catch-up boredom sleep, you wake up more relaxed, focused and fresh. You actually won’t ‘need’ to check your phone. In fact, the thought of it may even be annoying. You will rather feel more organic. I, for instance, felt like eating, slowly. Looking at the ocean and the passers-by for hours. Going for a roll by the beach. Thinking, daydreaming, talking, eating and sleeping some more. When I wasn’t in a wheelchair, long ago I’d love to lie on the carpet and read comics, books, draw, write: as I did as a kid. For me, as you can gather by now, the hotel getaway wasn’t the conventional type. It’s truly another world altogether, one forgotten from youth, but recaptured with no announcement or apology.

Now, having Motor Neuron Disease means I need my best friend and assistant with me (luckily she’s awesome), but when I was healthy I would go and do this 3 – 4 times a year alone and without anyone knowing. There was a lot of power, magic and satisfaction in having a place I could and would escape to without anyone’s knowledge, and reset. Everyone has their thing; some go fishing or some other activity. For me, the power was in being in that safe, serviced, quiet, panoramic room. Being bored is becoming a forgotten skill. If you stop yourself from alleviating boredom with the quickest thing, you’ll find that your brain starts to find deeper resources you weren’t aware you possessed anymore, like imagination, innovation or revelation and in this day and age that’s a good thing.

Jorge Tendeiro