Where on earth did you get the idea it is over? Sounds like you are just getting started
That's just what I was thinking too
The act of walking is just the beginning. I think that walking gives you the chance to open your mind and body to change, but it isn't the change itself. Its an opportunity to remove yourself from the noise of day-to-day life so that you can think and feel the way you need to. The changes come when you return to your life and incorporate part of the Camino into your life.
Mary, you said:
One of my problems is that I have too much empathy and do not look after my own well being. I think this is why I have felt so bereft having finished, because I have, of course, slipped back into my old ways after having taken a breath of my own.
You've identified the issue - that's half the battle. Now you just need to work on NOT slipping back into your old ways. You said you are a people pleaser, which leads me to believe that you are probably someone who says "yes" to any and all requests for your time. If that is the case - stop it
A request for your time is just a request - not an obligation. Be mindful about how you decide to spend your time. Time is a finite resource - there is only so much of it and once you spend it, that time is gone forever. So, figure out what activities in your life are critical and then which activities are most valuable to you - which activities bring richness and fulfillment to your life and your family - and focus on those things. Do the things you MUST do (obviously) and then do the things that fulfill you and your family. Then just forget the rest.
The holidays make a good micro-example of this - there are a bzillion things to do around Christmas - an absolute ton and it can be overwhelming, so much so that many people don't even enjoy Christmas because of the stress and the work. So...take a step back and decide what you are going to do. You have to do some stuff - go to work, buy groceries, pay bills, etc. - that's a given. But the other stuff is optional - sending out Christmas cards, baking cookies for the kids' bake sale, making crafts for the kids' holiday gift fair, making costumes for the kids' holiday pageant, buying presents for everyone, running a holiday food drive, volunteering at church, getting the Christmas tree, decorating the tree, decorating the house, going to a Christmas festival, going to the company holiday party, going to the spouse's holiday office party, going to so-and-so's Christmas party... On and on and on and on until you are dead on your feet. So you look at the list and decide what is most important - what do YOU love about the holidays and what are the most important things for your family?
Maybe there are 5 things you could do with your kids' school around Christmas - talk to the kids and pick the 2 most important things - maybe the kids don't really mind if you don't send cookies for the bake sale, but being in the pageant is really important to them, so make the costumes and forget about the cookies. Maybe your very most favorite thing about Christmas is getting the tree and decorating it, but sending out Christmas cards is a chore that you dread and decorating the outside of the house always turns into a hassle. Dump the cards (or maybe just send out a few to key people), forget about decorating the outside of the house, and instead make a family event out of getting the tree and decorating it. You've decreased your to-do list by eliminating some optional things you don't really want to do anyway and now you have time to focus on the things that are really important and meaningful.
You can extend the same thinking to all kinds of aspects of your life and work.