‘So what book are you reading?
‘Mad Woman! It’s about Menopause…and ODC! It’s by Bryony Gordon. I read a lot of her books!’
( Nods knowingly)
If the original audio was on this reel, this indeed would be the conversation you’d hear unfolding on this gloriously sunny day in July.
It felt important to point this out, because the theme of this particular book (mindset), is also a subtext to what otherwise, looks like just another bog-standard #poolday post.
Paradoxically, this ‘pool day’ isn’t about the aesthetic.
It’s not about catching rays and whiling away days in swimwear, although this Blake Swimwear creation does deserve a mention.
What it is about instead, is what the ‘pool day’ represents.
What that is… is a tonic!
A sweetener, if you will, and one that has become my ONLY persuasion for getting on a plane this summer!
As someone who’s long grappled with the travel aspect of ‘travel’ (ie. the planes, the taxis, the foreign motorways, the mountain roads… the list goes on) the ‘pool day’ has become my persuasion.
It’s the ‘carrot’, you could say, and logic is the stick, prodding my mind with platitudes of flying-is-the-safest-mode-of-travel, each and every time ‘the fear’ creeps in.
This kind of positive visualisation - picturing myself at an idyllic poolside, amid rolling hills and surrounded by family - is one that I’ve learned as a way of detouring my catastrophic brain, AWAY from the narrative of worst case scenarios.
The Unlikely Paradox of Being a Travel Blogger, Who Fears Travel
One thing I have come to realise, is that in the realms of Travel and Lifestyle blogging, Aerophobia and catastrophic thinking are as much a problem…as they are a writing niche!
They’re a problem, because in the past they’ve led me to turn down what were - retrospectively - wonderful travel opportunities, on the basis of a too-long, too-potentially-treacherous airport-to-resort transfer!
However, the fact that this is less likely to happen now, is an indication that as far as mindset ‘tools’ go, this one might just be helping, on some level.
‘Guided Visualisation’… debunked!
As for the mechanism for this effect, well, I’m certainly no Psychotherapist, so can only go by what I’ve learned though experience, which is that it’s about harnessing the power of the minds-eye, to ‘flip the script’.
It’s about employing the infinite potential of the imagination, to make flesh of particular ‘fears’ (ie. to give it features, form and substance ) and to play out a scenario whereby they are eliminated, minimised or overcome.
As an example, the fear of flying might be represented by a wall, to which the creative faculties might then respond… with a ladder!
Ironically, the ‘happy ending’ to my particular imaginary triumph over adversity, is not dissimilar to where I found myself on location for this photoshoot, even down to the Baywatch-come-Barbie swimming costume (Creative Therapy is nothing…without nuance!!)
Some would call this Confirmation Bias - rather than ‘a sign’ or a curious coincidence.
Either way, the parallel is nothing if not a fitting nod to the utopia of a far-flung, fearless summer - a concept that I’m forever pushing to the forefront of my mind, and which I now, thankfully, find myself with a tentative toe in the waters of!
Sponsored by Blake Swimwear
About Blake
Blake swimwear is a sustainable brand, whose costumes are made from luxurious and sustainable towelling italian fabric, with medium compression, meaning they offer the ultimate in poolside comfort and style.
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