Peace of Mind - Post Camino

[Craig Oliver]

As a Canadian on my first Camino (October 2016), I was planning to work in November and meet up with family and friends in Europe. Can anyone share their peace of mind after a month on the Camino how they adjusted to returning to work/business and family/friends. Was there a period of ajustment. How did your new reality affect you?

Thank-you,

 

[Kanga]

Craig, I still haven't adjusted and I'm 16 years on! But I prefer it this way.

 

[jdpiguet]

Adjusted?!
But adjusted to what?
9 years, 2 Camino and I'm still on the forum...
As @Kanga said, I prefer it like that.

Buen Camino, Jacques-D.

 

[NualaOC]

Hi Craig, I think this is different for everyone. I sometimes find it difficult to get back into 'work-mode' after a Camino - although most of us haven't much of a choice in that regard; we just have to go back to work shortly after returning home.

I was very unsettled after my first Camino, but less so in subsequent years. This is much less of an issue for my husband - he manages to readjust a lot faster. He also doesn't feel any 'post Camino blues' (if you use the search facility you'll find lots of posts on that topic!). I suppose what I am saying is that this is a difficult thing to predict. If you can, it might be a good idea to have some 'buffer time' between the end of your Camino and your return to work, to allow you some space to process the experience.

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

Before Camino:
chop wood, carry water
After Camino:
chop wood, carry water

On a more serious and less esoteric note...
I used to go through a dreadful time adjusting to my 'old life' after returning from one of my long trekking adventures. Many reasons - for those left at home, life went on as 'normal' and my return was a serious disruption in their space-time continuum and they really DIDN'T want to hear ALL about the amazing experiences that I'd had It took a few outings before I came to the realisation that I could just carry my experiences forward into my whole life and that my treks, my work, my family were all part of my present broader life.

Yes, you may change and gain a deeper awareness but it's the same reality. You have had the luxury of time and space to ponder your life and perhaps return with a different viewpoint.

And the post Camino blues... well, there's only one cure - plan your next Camino and spend your days on this wonderful forum with like minded souls (Camino addicts)

 

[AdronWell]

I would recommend late September, early October, assuming that you are an experienced hiker and can deal with mountain weather in the Pyrenees. August is the top vacation month in Europe and there will be throngs everywhere..

 

[Cayou]

Funny, I only walked from Villafranca del Birezo for 8 days, and when we stayed in Santiago my wife and her friend wanted to see Cathedral, Museums, etc .... I took off the next day on the Camino for 3 hours West and 'regresso' back, I didnt want the Camino to end just yet. Would have kept going, but we had a flight out the next day! So, this August we're returning for another 150k from St. Jean, and planning 1/2 Le Puy for 2017 if health permits.

Does that give you some idea?

 

[MaryLynn]

...share their peace of mind after a month on the Camino how they adjusted to returning to work/business and family/friends. Was there a period of adjustment.
I walked for the month of May in 2011 with a friend from Leon to Santiago. My friend went on further and faster after a few days and I walked with a few different wonderful people, and had enough time to also walk from Logrono to Burgos. When I got home I not only had the Camino Blues bigtime, but I realized I was actually experiencing grief - for the loss of walking, the landscape, and my Camino friends and community. Ever since I was ten years old, I have traveled a lot by car and by bike in North America and in Europe, but my month on the Camino was like no other trip in my life. After a few weeks of strange, unexpected bouts of tears and flashbacks of special moments and the faces of new friends, I realized that I could go back! I returned to the Camino a few months later in October 2011 and walked the parts I had missed in May. The landscape and the friends I made this time were as wonderful as on my first trip. Then I realized I needed to walk the Camino Frances from St. Jean to Santiago in one uninterrupted walk...and it was again an amazing trip. Fortunately, I am retired so I can just keep going back again...and again...and again.

How did your new reality affect you?
Each walk has been wonderful in its own way, with special memories of landscapes and experiences, and special people becoming part of my life each time. I don't grieve any more because I know I will return each year, as long as I am able, and I keep in touch with special Camino friends--and have reconnected with several in their country or mine. At home, I have a growing community of friends who have walked the Camino and we get together often; and it has been fun helping new friends plan their first Camino. To me, the joy of the Camino is the ability to connect - to the land, to new friends, and to myself - and to keep those connections alive at home. The Camino has changed my life in terms of how I spend my time, but it has also enriched my life. The Camino Blues are real. You may or may not experience it, but be aware that you may feel unsettled and out-of-sorts upon your return. If you can find ways to keep important Camino connections alive, then the return to your everyday life will be easier. The best plan is to just join the crowd--keep reading the Forum and keep going back! Good luck!

 

[Dutchwalk53]

I tried my very best to accept that my Camino was over and tried to embrace all great memories........I failed ha ha (the fact that is was over) . After 2 months I gave up and started planning my next one which will be in 6 weeks And now I am way more relaxed simply because I know this won't be my last time either !

 

[NualaOC]

...share their peace of mind after a month on the Camino how they adjusted to returning to work/business and family/friends. Was there a period of adjustment.
I walked for the month of May in 2011 with a friend from Leon to Santiago. My friend went on further and faster after a few days and I walked with a few different wonderful people, and had enough time to also walk from Logrono to Burgos. When I got home I not only had the Camino Blues bigtime, but I realized I was actually experiencing grief - for the loss of walking, the landscape, and my Camino friends and community. Ever since I was ten years old, I have traveled a lot by car and by bike in North America and in Europe, but my month on the Camino was like no other trip in my life. After a few weeks of strange, unexpected bouts of tears and flashbacks of special moments and the faces of new friends, I realized that I could go back! I returned to the Camino a few months later in October 2011 and walked the parts I had missed in May. The landscape and the friends I made this time were as wonderful as on my first trip. Then I realized I needed to walk the Camino Frances from St. Jean to Santiago in one uninterrupted walk...and it was again an amazing trip. Fortunately, I am retired so I can just keep going back again...and again...and again.

How did your new reality affect you?
Each walk has been wonderful in its own way, with special memories of landscapes and experiences, and special people becoming part of my life each time. I don't grieve any more because I know I will return each year, as long as I am able, and I keep in touch with special Camino friends--and have reconnected with several in their country or mine. At home, I have a growing community of friends who have walked the Camino and we get together often; and it has been fun helping new friends plan their first Camino. To me, the joy of the Camino is the ability to connect - to the land, to new friends, and to myself - and to keep those connections alive at home. The Camino has changed my life in terms of how I spend my time, but it has also enriched my life. The Camino Blues are real. You may or may not experience it, but be aware that you may feel unsettled and out-of-sorts upon your return. If you can find ways to keep important Camino connections alive, then the return to your everyday life will be easier. The best plan is to just join the crowd--keep reading the Forum and keep going back! Good luck!

What a perfect post @marylynn - I wish I wrote that!

 

[Annette london]

As a Canadian on my first Camino (October 2016), I was planning to work in November and meet up with family and friends in Europe. Can anyone share their peace of mind after a month on the Camino how they adjusted to returning to work/business and family/friends. Was there a period of ajustment. How did your new reality affect you?

Thank-you,

Hi Craig, I really hope you enjoy your camino this year. I guess the experience will be different for everyone. As you can see, we have walked a few caminos on and off for 11 years but for some reason, and I don't know why, it is only with the Camino Frances that I get the Camino blues on returning home and find it so hard to settle down again! I go around the house nailing all my newly acquired trinkets to a spare wall and half of the street have now got Camino key rings! I really do feel that as soon as I get in the door, I could cheerfully walk out again and off on the Camino. I dream about it, think about it continually for some time and have a dreadful "longing" for it with an "ache" in my heart . My husband just settles right back in and I suppose that in itself is a good thing. I guess so many of us are on this form because we just "can't let go" of the Camino. And would not want to anyway! We are off to walk from Lucca to Rome in 2 weeks time so that should suffice for a little while!! Best wishes Annette

 

[Maryimelda]

Many people arrive in SDC and fly out the next day. IMHO it is better to stay a few days in SDC to allow yourself to "come down" from the whole wonderful experience. This is a great help, but of course nothing will stop the yearning to go back and do it again. So as someone has said before me the best treatment for "post Camino blues" is to start planning your next Camino and spend a good amount of time on this forum.
Buen Camino. Vaya con Dios!

 

[Albertagirl]

Can anyone share their peace of mind after a month on the Camino how they adjusted to returning

I think you have seen from the above postings that peace of mind is not necessarily the primary emotion in pilgrims finishing our camino and heading for home and daily life. Be warned; you may come to feel a "divine restlessness" that is a sign of things (or caminos) to come. I think that it takes time for many of us to absorb the feelings and experiences of the camino. You may be a little introverted when you get home, or you may be one of those who cannot talk about anything else for months. Are you a different person as you return from who you were when you left? Today, while hospital visiting, I saw an elderly women weeping and was longing to console her. I think I am changing. Part of this was the camino. I am not finished yet, and I am going again this fall. I cannot say how the camino will change you, but if you are open to deep change it may happen. It may not make much sense to those at home, or to you. It's a risk.

 

[David Duncan]

As a Canadian on my first Camino (October 2016), I was planning to work in November and meet up with family and friends in Europe. Can anyone share their peace of mind after a month on the Camino how they adjusted to returning to work/business and family/friends. Was there a period of ajustment. How did your new reality affect you?

Thank-you,

Hi Craig, I'm a fellow Canuck. Did my first in Sept 2015. Great question and I had it on my mind before I left . I knew I'd be in some sort of 'state' so prepared my return by planning my return to work carefully to avoid certain types of meetings and activities. Most importantly, I planned to check in with 4-5 key people who would 'get it' . One does annual retreats, ones been on the Camino, others were chosen for other key skills or experience. My idea was to creat a soft 're-entry' into Earth's atmosphere. Best thing I ever did.

Still thinking all the time about it and trying to ensure I keep Camino lessons in my mind and in my daily routines. So maybe I'm still adjusting! I made sure to keep in touch with the special people I met and that way the Camino continues in a different way.

Hope it helps. Everyone's different but it's good to plan your return , not just the trip.

Buen Camino!!!

 

[Craig Oliver]

Hi Craig, I'm a fellow Canuck. Did my first in Sept 2015. Great question and I had it on my mind before I left . I knew I'd be in some sort of 'state' so prepared my return by planning my return to work carefully to avoid certain types of meetings and activities. Most importantly, I planned to check in with 4-5 key people who would 'get it' . One does annual retreats, ones been on the Camino, others were chosen for other key skills or experience. My idea was to creat a soft 're-entry' into Earth's atmosphere. Best thing I ever did.

Still thinking all the time about it and trying to ensure I keep Camino lessons in my mind and in my daily routines. So maybe I'm still adjusting! I made sure to keep in touch with the special people I met and that way the Camino continues in a different way.

Hope it helps. Everyone's different but it's good to plan your return , not just the trip.

Buen Camino!!!

Thanks David. As someone about to embark on this great adventure for the first time, I appreciate your feedback. I plan to work after the Camino in Europe for a few weeks. If I can only figure out where to leave my laptop and work attire while I'm on the Camino?

 

[David Duncan]

Thanks David. As someone about to embark on this great adventure for the first time, I appreciate your feedback. I plan to work after the Camino in Europe for a few weeks. If I can only figure out where to leave my laptop and work attire while I'm on the Camino?

I'll ask a friend who went to school in Santiago (if you're ending there) if she has ideas for secure storage. Mailing it to yourself comes to mind as the post office will hold packages for a little while

 

[David Duncan]

I'll ask a friend who went to school in Santiago (if you're ending there) if she has ideas for secure storage. Mailing it to yourself comes to mind as the post office will hold packages for a little while

Ps I see Ivar is advertising luggage storage for up to 60 days in the ads around this thread so I'd definitely check that out. Good man, that Ivar

 

[SYates]

Thanks David. As someone about to embark on this great adventure for the first time, I appreciate your feedback. I plan to work after the Camino in Europe for a few weeks. If I can only figure out where to leave my laptop and work attire while I'm on the Camino?

Send them to @ivar ;-) see http://www.casaivar.com/luggage-storage-in-santiago-de-compostela/
Buen Camino, SY

 

[SYates]

... Mailing it to yourself comes to mind as the post office will hold packages for a little while

Normally only for 15 days SY

 

[mspath]

Normally only for 15 days SY

However if you use their new system they will keep it for additional days at 1 euro per day. See their web for more info.

 

[ratherbefollowingflechas]

This is a very interesting question and one that I think we all worry about in various degrees.

I have decided that the trick is not "how do I fit into my post-Camino world?", but "how does my world fit into the post-Camino me?" I look around and do my darnedest to see and appreciate the little things that people do for me. Even if they don't realize the positive effect they have had on me. Thanks for not slamming the door in my face. Thanks for smiling at me. Thanks for not closing the gap in traffic so that I can get around that slow driver...

This is how I adjust to getting back to the real world. That, and my third Camino, to commence in 3 weeks.