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OH, anxiety!!! Such nasty stuff. I'm feeling for you and wishing you deep, calming breaths. If you don't really want to do this, then DON'T. Doesn't matter who you have told, sometimes plans change. That being said, I'm in my late fifties and did part of the Camino last June. I, too, worried about knee injuries, if I could keep up with my much taller husband, and what that might do to our relationship. What I found when I actually walked was that:I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
Dear MrsBath. What you're feeling is totally natural. But go! Trust me. No matter what happens... you won't regret it. I promise. Wether you finish or not isn't important. It will be an amazing adventure! And you'll be so glad you did it. Because at the end of our lives, it's never the things we did do that we regret...it's ALWAYS the things we didn't do that will haunt us the most.
On a personal note, four months ago I lost my brother. He died suddenly & without warning from a brain aneurysm. He was young & fit and had many dreams. He was in the process of making a career change that he was very excited about. Now he's gone & I am trying to make sense of it all.
Even tho we went on many adventures together, there were still so many things I wanted to do & share with him. And it hurts.
A few months before he died, I told him of my plans to quit my job & travel the world. I told him I wanted to kick off my new found freedom with an epic walk. Either the Appalachian trail, or the Camino de Santiago. He was very supportive & even helped me design the logo for my travel blog "Hike Tall" .
I quit my job and will start traveling this summer.
I hope you overcome your fears and go. Life is short, so hike tall! I wish you a bien Camino.
Dear MrsBath. What you're feeling is totally natural. But go! Trust me. No matter what happens... you won't regret it. I promise. Wether you finish or not isn't important. It will be an amazing adventure! And you'll be so glad you did it. Because at the end of our lives, it's never the things we did do that we regret...it's ALWAYS the things we didn't do that will haunt us the most.
On a personal note, four months ago I lost my brother. He died suddenly & without warning from a brain aneurysm. He was young & fit and had many dreams. He was in the process of making a career change that he was very excited about. Now he's gone & I am trying to make sense of it all.
Even tho we went on many adventures together, there were still so many things I wanted to do & share with him. And it hurts.
A few months before he died, I told him of my plans to quit my job & travel the world. I told him I wanted to kick off my new found freedom with an epic walk. Either the Appalachian trail, or the Camino de Santiago. He was very supportive & even helped me design the logo for my travel blog "Hike Tall" .
I quit my job and will start traveling this summer.
I hope you overcome your fears and go. Life is short, so hike tall! I wish you a bien Camino.
Hello dear one,
In 2015 I walked the Camino Frances from SJPP to Santiago. It took me 54 days. Yep.
I was the slowest walker on the Way. I did half stages, and 6 times I got a hotel room with (sigh) my own bathroom, because sometimes you just need your own bathroom. Slow and steady meant I never made what you call a "Camino Family", but this can be a good thing.
1. I only know 2 jokes, and I had a fresh audience every night.
2. I slept in a different bed every night, which made me more aware of my surroundings (think 2am pee call in the dark)
3. I took lots of photos. I listened to lots of stories. I smelled the roses.
4. I got to know ME. All that silence brings up things in your head that you thought you'd dealt with and deleted. It's like junk mail in your brain that you re-read and it finally makes sense.
5. I was in shock, carrying my little sister's ashes, so I didn't know I *couldn't* do it. Then it was done and I was like "Wow, you just walked over 500 miles girl. You deserve chocolate."
On day 11 I seriously thought about quitting. I had a brief flash of sanity that agreed with my boys when they said I was crazy. Then I woke up the next morning and remembered the grandkids, who thought I was cool, and called me Adventure Nana, and I knew I just had to do one more day. Then one more. Then one more.
Everyone does it their own way. I heard some pilgrims making fun of "tour-a-grenos", people who just do the last 100k and don't carry packs. But if I could have persuaded my little sister to do just that part I'm sure she would have received an inner blessing just as important as the ones who backpacked from Switzerland and slept in the fields. Do it your way.
Anxiety? Sure. You'll have that.
And Jubilation. And Pride. And blisters. And a closer understanding of who you are and why you are here.
Was that what called you to do your Camino in the first place?
Rejen I am sooo sorry! The usual effect I have on people is laughter, like when they see me in my flannel pajamas in the morning with that crazy bedhead hair coming out of the communal bathroom wondering "what is that smell?"This made me tear up.
I don't think any of us can really advise you if you should go or not. But I do think this: If you don't go, don't do a Camino tour. It will either a) ring hollow and be a waste b) ring true and make you wish you'd actually done it. Take a Spanish vacation, maybe visit Santiago, but don't follow the route on a tour. It is likely to backfire.Thank you everyone for your kind replies! I feel a little better just saying it out loud, and I emailed a friend, too.
I think the reality is sinking in, and I'm not so sure of my motivations. I need to think, but productively, not this anxious ruminating.
It doesn't help that this has been the rainiest winter in history where I live, and training in the rain is bumming me out, a lot. And that's one walk at a time, coming home to my own shower and bed.
I have some time, I"m not going to rush my decision, but I'm having serious doubts about the whole idea. I'm also looking into tours, in case I decide to still go, but in a smaller way.
I told a friend how I was feeling and all she said was. 'Go and if it's not for you, you just come back home..simple' and so I'm going...
MrsBath, Winston Churchill said 'never, never, never give in' and I would like to second it (kindly). I am 78 and did much of the CF and the CP in the past. I am going to do about 100km this year (with my daughter). I think that once you have done a couple of days, you will get your 'hiking legs' and surprise yourself. It is sometimes hard overcoming one's fears, but I say 'go for it'. Good luck and Buen Camino.I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
We definitely do Robo.. It's good to talk to good listeners who think outside the box for us when we need answers.What a dear and sensible friend you have!
We tend to 'over think' things at times don't we?
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
So much kindness!! I am brought to tears, but in a sweet way
I don't fear regrets. I've never regretted any difficult decision I've made, probably because I agonize about it so much!
If the state of my back allows, and the torrential rains let up, I will train tomorrow. I really do (when healthy) feel good walking, and it's great for thinking. The thing about my particular back injury is that if it doesn't calm right back down, an international plane ride is not in the cards. And I don't really enjoy "relaxing" vacations, lol, that's something that drew me to the Camino!
I'll grieve a bit if I don't go, but I won't have regrets. This just might not be the right time.
I really am on my own camino already, aren't I?Face to face with my limitations and deciding how I want to respond to them.
Thank you everyone for your kind replies! I feel a little better just saying it out loud, and I emailed a friend, too.
I think the reality is sinking in, and I'm not so sure of my motivations. I need to think, but productively, not this anxious ruminating.
It doesn't help that this has been the rainiest winter in history where I live, and training in the rain is bumming me out, a lot. And that's one walk at a time, coming home to my own shower and bed.
I have some time, I"m not going to rush my decision, but I'm having serious doubts about the whole idea. I'm also looking into tours, in case I decide to still go, but in a smaller way.
I"m so sorry for you loss, Hike Tall. I wish you a blessed Camino.
I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
I really am on my own camino already, aren't I?Face to face with my limitations and deciding how I want to respond to them.
It's not 500 miles, it's simply one step at a time. That's how I'm viewing it for my first trip on 1st May, all the best.I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do."
Yes this conversation goes around and around and around in your head doesn't it ??
Ive been there done that. Actually my mind takes me on this now fascinating process every time i start planning an adventure .... It lasts until I get to the airport then the mind says ... " well she is bloody going ahead anyway and I can't stop her " ... then I don't have those thoughts anymore and go on to have a great adventure.... as I have already said before I have been through this every year for 12 years .. embarrassing But who cares I don't let it beat me .... Now when the mind starts I think " oh NOT you again "
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
Overthinking!! you obviously do want to do it otherwise you would not be agonising over it .
(I know I don't want to swim with crocodiles so I don't have to agonise over that one)
You don't have to know the reason .... the Camino knows the reason and will reveal it to you ...
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
hahah are you kidding ?? Might not relate ?? I would say MOST if not all have had some reservations first time out and those who were "confident" probably got their butt whipped in some way or any other . I met someone on the train station at Bayonne who was there second time round and said " just when you get to the end you are ready to start " and that is SO true...
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
I didn't train at all and kept thinking that was a reason not to go .... but then decided I would just rock up and see what happens . And I walked the whole way ... adjusted as I went .... had less problems than a lot of others ... I am NOT recommending not training just saying that I didn't let it stop me and just rocked up went slow and learnt as I went ... you can go home if you want ... Most evenings I thought whats am I doing this for ? and after many KMs I thought thats enough ... BUT then the next morning I always woke up and couldn't wait to b
get back on the track ...Go Figure ! ..... people say "oh but you will be disappointed if you go home ".... none has to feel disappointment unless they chose to ! I knew I would NOT be disappointed UNLESS I didn't go at all !!!
Ultreia
Onwards and Upwards
Thank you MrsBath. I'm taking it day by day. When I eventually go, I know I will have a blessed Camino.
I just reread what you wrote in your original post however, and it made me think. How you didn't know how you felt about going now. - That's okay.
I just wanted to let you know that I related to that. You see, I was all gung ho & excited about traveling 6 months ago. Really jazzed. And I still am. But now I'm wrestling with some emotions, & feeling a bit guilty about being excited because my brother isn't here to share it with me. I know he would want me to go. And I will. I guess it's all part of the grieving process. I've got time until the summer to sort my feelings.
So when I told you enthusiastically to just GO! Please know that only you can decide wether you are ready or not. Or if the desire is even there. I think if someone was pressuring you to go that'd be different. Then don't go. But from what you wrote, it sounds like you've been thinking about it for awhile. Researching, shopping, preparing. To me, that sounds like the desire is definitely there! Nobody puts that much thought & action into something they don't really want to do. So that is why I enthusiastically wrote you should go! And I still feel that way.
It's natural to get nervous right before a big decision. It wouldn't be an adventure if you didn't! We can talk ourselves out of anything if we think too much.
But all of my best memories are when I've broken out of my comfort zone and followed my heart & gone on an adventure. It never turns out exactly the way You plan. Just like life. So don't get so caught up in finding meaning now. If the desire & curiosity is there, and you think you're ready, then that is enough. The meaning of the journey will reveal itself to you along the way once you walk into the unknown.
Think it over by all means. But get excited too. Weigh the pros & cons. Which feels better? Do the "rocking chair" test. Close your eyes. Imagine yourself years into the future when you're sitting in your rocking chair looking back on your long life. All the things you've done & seen. First imagine that you DID walk the Camino. Imagine all the things you saw & experienced while walking. All the people you met, the food you ate. Really FEEL it.
Now open your eyes.
Do the same thing, but this time imagine you did not go. How does that feel? Don't base it on fear. Just on how you'd feel if you didn't go.
Compare your feelings. You'll find your answer.
Bien Camino! (Whatever road you choose!) - Regan
So much kindness!! I am brought to tears, but in a sweet way
I don't fear regrets. I've never regretted any difficult decision I've made, probably because I agonize about it so much!
If the state of my back allows, and the torrential rains let up, I will train tomorrow. I really do (when healthy) feel good walking, and it's great for thinking. The thing about my particular back injury is that if it doesn't calm right back down, an international plane ride is not in the cards. And I don't really enjoy "relaxing" vacations, lol, that's something that drew me to the Camino!
I'll grieve a bit if I don't go, but I won't have regrets. This just might not be the right time.
I really am on my own camino already, aren't I?Face to face with my limitations and deciding how I want to respond to them.
MrsBath, yes...your journey has begun--this is what the Camino does. And in the end we come through into the clear light of day.
Too much thinking is definitely poison--you will know in your gut what you should do, whether it be go or stay. Either way you'll have to deal with life. Either way. But if you go, you'll have a foundation of confidence that comes from the walking--and through it all, that will be a refuge that you would otherwise not have.
I don't know if you're into poetry, but this may resonate:
The Journey
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice—
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world
determined to do
the only thing you could do
determined to save
the only life you could save.
—Mary Oliver
I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
Oh, @HikeTall!
This might be off-topic for a Camino board, but I am struggling with some family-of-origin issues. I think I thought I could keep coasting along, year after year, just avoiding the giant elephant in the room of how messed up certain dynamics are within my family, which includes a brother who died young, unexpectedly, and estranged from all of us. This was several years ago, and it was a complicated story, so I wouldn't say it's a causal factor of my anxiety now, but the unspoken rules in my family are still working the same way, you know? And it's not working for me anymore.
Certain things that happened over the summer, and at Christmas, and then just last weekend, are flashing huge neon NOT OK signs at me. It's dawning on me that I may have, at least in part, chosen this year for the Camino in the hope that it would give me an excuse to opt out of family expectations without incurring displeasure. But last weekend it became even more clear that there's nothing I can do to avoid incurring family displeasure (because my family is messed up!), and Camino or no Camino, I will have to take steps to change how I respond to it. This will "rock the boat", if you will, which is terrifying.
.
Dear Mrs. Bath,
I am leaving in 10 days to walk my first camino at age 64. This thread has been wonderful to read. I've been daydreaming of canceling, too, possibly hiding in my apartment for 5 weeks and telling everyone I did go.
Besides the anxiety issue, you have physical ones as well. Have you talked to a doctor you respect or a physical therapist who knows your condition? Advice from a couple of professionals might help you make up your mind and/or alleviate any guilt if they say postpone.
Anne
PS I particularly like seeing that all of the replies have a "like" from you.
Did you hear about that artist that faked going travelling with Photoshop?possibly hiding in my apartment for 5 weeks and telling everyone I did go
....... an international plane ride is not in the cards.
I'll grieve a bit if I don't go, but I won't have regrets. This just might not be the right time.
I really am on my own camino already, aren't I?Face to face with my limitations and deciding how I want to respond to them.
Don't not go. I am a Camino virgin and scared witless with 4 weeks to go.I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
Oh, @HikeTall! You are speaking my language. I am so mixed up right now.
This might be off-topic for a Camino board, but I am struggling with some family-of-origin issues. I think I thought I could keep coasting along, year after year, just avoiding the giant elephant in the room of how messed up certain dynamics are within my family, which includes a brother who died young, unexpectedly, and estranged from all of us. This was several years ago, and it was a complicated story, so I wouldn't say it's a causal factor of my anxiety now, but the unspoken rules in my family are still working the same way, you know? And it's not working for me anymore.
Certain things that happened over the summer, and at Christmas, and then just last weekend, are flashing huge neon NOT OK signs at me. It's dawning on me that I may have, at least in part, chosen this year for the Camino in the hope that it would give me an excuse to opt out of family expectations without incurring displeasure. But last weekend it became even more clear that there's nothing I can do to avoid incurring family displeasure (because my family is messed up!), and Camino or no Camino, I will have to take steps to change how I respond to it. This will "rock the boat", if you will, which is terrifying.
My back problems, and other stress-exacerbated problems do exist, and I'm (hopefully) not exaggerating them or minimizing them, but really, 2 months out it's too early to tell if they really will keep me from the Camino.
I've scheduled medical and shrink appointments for next week, and I feel good about that. This crisis has me shook!
I feel Camino-blessed already, no matter what happens next.
What you do is, just go. None of us had the experience we envisioned having.....I just don't know what to do.
HiI am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
What date are you starting in SJPP?We definitely do Robo.. It's good to talk to good listeners who think outside the box for us when we need answers.
Very trueHi
I felt exactly the same and I found that I was actually doing too much prep, reading too much, hearing others' stories etc, so I decided to call the preparation a halt and just trust myself to make the Camino my own experience and journey. I kept telling myself I was scared and anxious and a dear friend gave me a new mantra - "I am quietly cautious, but incredibly optimistic." That seemed to help me. Also, we can overplan, so I decided to just plan how to get there, my first 2 days and when I needed to finish. Then I took each day as it came. Also, I was never alone as I made the most fantastic friends who all helped each other. Go for it! You won't regret it.
......
I'll grieve a bit if I don't go, but I won't have regrets. This just might not be the right time.
I really am on my own camino already, aren't I?Face to face with my limitations and deciding how I want to respond to them.
Hey there don't give up. At least make the effort to try and see this adventure through.I also had a back injury and only once did I have problems but was able to get medical help and only lost one day which was a great rest day.My knees are not the best but I manage with natural meds. Go through with it give it a chance , if by chance you cannot go through with it it's not a problem. When I did my first Camino I had to quit after two weeks because of bronchitis. I went back the next year and now I'm doing my 10th. Camino. Rest days are important on a Camino it's not a race but an adventure of a life time. The best to you.I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
A few days after leaving my little sister's ashes at Cruz de Ferro I was ready to give up. She was the reason I was walking, and she was no longer with me.I just wanted to let you know that I related to that. You see, I was all gung ho & excited about traveling 6 months ago. Really jazzed. And I still am. But now I'm wrestling with some emotions, & feeling a bit guilty about being excited because my brother isn't here to share it with me. I know he would want me to go. And I will. I guess it's all part of the grieving process. I've got time until the summer to sort my feelings
Well, I have heard if you die on the Camino you go straight to Heaven.I have had two back operations in the last three weeks and I will be attempting the Camino de Santiago, I died on the operating table and if I die on the Camino......so what nothing ventured nothing gain hasta la vista baby
I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
A few days after leaving my little sister's ashes at Cruz de Ferro I was ready to give up. She was the reason I was walking, and she was no longer with me.
A little old retired priest in the back of the church listened to me talk about Fay and why I thought my Camino was accomplished.
"You walk for yourself", he told me. "In her honor, in your grief, but you always walk for yourself. You are still walking because you are not done yet."
So this time when I go back I am walking (again) for me. She'll be there, in the beautiful vistas and the friendly cats she loved, and in everyone else's smile, as will your brother.
We all just have to figure out why we are walking, and the Camino will do the rest.
I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
Hi. I arrive at SJPDP on the 11th April and will stay the night there just to gather my thoughts, eat and sleep then will start the next morning on the 12th. How about you?What date are you starting in SJPP?
I am two months from my planned departure, and my anxiety is mounting and mounting. I think I've known all along that I might not be capable physically or mentally but I was able to stave off my feelings by obsessively shopping and planning. Now I've got my gear pretty well sorted, I've made my plans for getting there and back, and I even started telling people I was going, but I'm feeling worse and worse, can't sleep, anxiousness is bleeding over into my work and family life....I just don't know what to do.
It's embarrassing to have told people, but that's not a good enough reason to try to walk 500 miles!
Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Most of all, I don't know why I'm doing this, and I don't think I really want to do it. I have definitely been romanticizing and fantasizing but glossing over the downsides. There's a part of myself that thinks I should like this kind of an adventure, but I don't think I will.
I know this forum is full of kind, successful, Camino-lovers who might not relate, but i don't have anyone else to talk to about it, at least not yet.
Has anyone else felt this? What did you do?
It's called an excuse, and you know it.Physically, I've been training, and so far I'm okay, but I don't think my back and feet can actually take this type of journey. In fact, a back injury is kind of what got me going on this plan - I figured I better try before I get any older and more broken, but I don't think my back is really healed enough at this point.
Magic post, Jim. The truth of The Camino explained.Mrs. Bath,
Welcome to the Camino Forum.
When I walked the Camino Frances a year ago, I became ill, badly enough that the doctors in Carion de las Condes had me transported to the hospital in Palencia. I was in a very dark state of mind, thinking that my Camino was over, I was going home, and I had failed. When I asked the admitting doctor if there was an airport close to start my journey home, she replied, "Aren't you walking the Camino de Santiago?" to which I replied, "Yes, but I'm ill and cannot continue." She then told me, "Your Camino is important. We are going to get you well so you can continue your Camino. When you walk into the cathedral in Santiago, you will understand." They did get me well and I started walking again two days later. I walked into the cathedral in Santiago and it was magnificent.
Mrs. Bath, your Camino is important. Whatever got you to plan and prepare and contemplate is an important journey. Your Camino, in whatever form it manifests is important, be it walking the whole way from Saint Jean Pied de port to Santiago or a one week, or two week stage. The anxiety before I started and what you are confronting is real, and for me was a part of the journey. As Sir Edmond Hillary has been quoted as saying, "You do not conquer the mountain, you conquer yourself."
I wish you a Buen Camino!
--jim--
It's dawning on me that I may have, at least in part, chosen this year for the Camino in the hope that it would give me an excuse to opt out of family expectations without incurring displeasure. But last weekend it became even more clear that there's nothing I can do to avoid incurring family displeasure (because my family is messed up!), and Camino or no Camino, I will have to take steps to change how I respond to it. This will "rock the boat", if you will, which is terrifying.
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