Taking It Slow

A reintroduction to Plein-Air

It is sticky and hot. In the Northern Hemisphere, we are in the mid-swing of summer. The photo above is from the Truso Gorge in Georgia, where I spent ten days hiking, eating, drinking, being sluiced in a Tbilisi bathhouse, and sleeping all night. Pictures do not do the wonders of Georgia justice.

A quick reintroduction:

I’m Amber, an organisational psychologist, writer, and digital strategist. Originally from Aotearoa, New Zealand, I lived in London for a decade and now live in Monaco, Côte d'Azur.

I write about creativity, curiosity, living and working better.

So, what about the radio silence?

Despite being deeply interested in personal well-being and work-life balance, I am not immune to fatigue and the feeling of being the dead wick of a candle.

I returned to full-time work, studied French, and applied for multiple visas to stay in Europe.

I took a week-long social media and newsletter break in February.

Which turned into weeks. Months.

Épuisé. Exhausted.

How did I pull myself out of it?

The salve of travel.

In February, in what I might call a fugue state, I spontaneously booked two solo trips: the first to Romania and Moldova and the second to Georgia (the country), to be taken in May/June.

While diet, pacing, and exercise helped me, the long tradition of human exploration testifies to the motivating force of novelty to evolve. Travel kicked me back into the taste, textures and joys of life.

While I appreciate that not everyone can afford to drop the cash or take the time to travel (I am very lucky), exploration can be as simple as a new fancy drink, a lane you’ve never turned down before.

A change of scene, change of pace, change of outlook.

What else?

I finally have my carte de séjour, which provided instant relief; I’ve found balance (and hacks) to juggle work and other commitments. I discovered magnesium bisglycinate pills at bedtime, and I am attempting to stop overthinking. I decided to stop caring about what people think of my French accent — an accent is a sign of learning.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Ann Handley, who says:

The most important part of the newsletter is the letter, not the news.

I hope to write more letters soon,

Amber