In my latest blog post, I shared my recent Cyprus trip and how my feelings about solo travel changed.
I’ll be honest and say that it won’t be easy for me to write the rest of the Cyprus stories. They require me to be vulnerable and share sad incidents from that trip.
That’s why I’ll start today with a light story about what happened in the last town I visited in Cyprus.
When I booked the hotel in Pissouri Bay, I didn’t check the location except that it mentioned Limassol on their website.
I knew that Limassol was a significant and popular town in Cyprus. I didn’t give the hotel location much attention.
Pissouri Bay Cyprus
Although Limassol is a busy, cosmopolitan city, I never made it there! The hotel turned out to be located in an area called Pissouri Bay, which is around 37 kilometres from Limassol. Taking the cab from Nicosia to Pissouri Bay meant passing by Limassol, and I saw I had a good idea about how far that city was from where I was staying.
Because I was feeling depleted after twenty days of exploration in both Larnaca and Nicosia, so I didn’t mind relaxing and recharging in my last hotel before returning to Dubai.
What happened in the last ten days when I stayed in Pissouri Bay was unexpected and powerful.
In the first two or three days, I managed to find some places where I could have a light lunch that were within walking distance from the hotel.
Then, where I was going to eat and the owners (a couple) were friendly closed. They were leaving the country and closing the cafe for eight days.
I used to visit their cafe for a nice warm cup of coffee and Baileys in the afternoon, right before sunset. They would serve a yummy Lotus biscuit with the drink, which is related to what I’ll share next.
What Happens when we Don’t Feel our Feelings
Because I grew up in a home where emotions and feelings were unheard of, I learned to suppress my emotions from a young age. Plus, when you grow up with trauma, you’re forced to avoid feeling pain and negative emotions to survive.
Being a real foodie, I would find comfort in eating, which also meant an overeating problem. I wanted to avoid feeling my negative feelings.
So when I found myself in Pissouri Bay in the middle of winter and all the restaurants were closed for the season, I was finally forced to feel all of my feelings, including the ugly ones. And it was for the first time.
We resort to distractions when we don’t want to feel sadness or pain. These distractions can range from overeating, alcohol, social media, or anything we tend to do excessively.
Not only did all the restaurants close for the season, but I also got sick with a cold, and the hotel was a family-style one where I felt not good as a solo traveler (many incidents that I can share in future posts).
Being Mindful of My Feelings
What’s interesting is that the distractions were removed gradually. This helped me truly feel my feelings and be mindful of them).
First, all the restaurants were closed for the season. Of course, there were ones open in the village, but I didn’t want to take a cab and go outside the hotel because I was already down with a cold by then.
So my options for where to have a meal after breakfast were seriously limited. I ended up just having a big breakfast for a couple of days. But there were days when I ate at the cafe with friendly owners, at a horrible pizza spot, ordering room service or having sandwiches from the mini-mart (in the last two days).
Coffee is another thing that I used to cover up how I felt. In the previous two towns, I loved having a second cup of coffee in the morning and sometimes a third one in the afternoon. I only had coffee this time in the hotel’s breakfast restaurant and later in the room. It wasn’t bad, but it was still less than I used to.
I know from doing the deep energy healing work at Osho Miasto that sugar should be avoided when doing any deep healing work.
So I did not have the chocolate they gave me when turning down the bed at night in the hotel room.
Of course, there was no more Lotus biscuit because that’s sugar and that cafe closed. So no Baileys and coffee either!
At some point, the WiFi stopped working in the hotel’s breakfast restaurant. So another distraction was eliminated.
What I learned in the Last Ten Days of my Trip
Apart from the solo travel breakthrough, I learned that to manifest a healthy and loving relationship, I must practice feeling all of my feelings, including the negative ones.
Because who wants to be with someone who can’t feel sad or hurt? It’s unhealthy to suppress negative emotions and cover them up with distractions.
Was it easy to feel all my feelings? No, it wasn’t, but it was worth the intention and effort.
After my Pissouri Bay experience, I feel like I can allow myself to be sad, angry or down at any moment in my day.
I don’t need to pretend to be happy or positive (trauma coping mechanisms). That was the old me, and that version of me is dead.
The new me feels all her range of emotions, allows herself to be sad or unhappy and to express these emotions too.
I no longer hide my sadness or loneliness. It is felt in its entirety. I also don’t try to distract myself with food, alcohol or coffee. My overeating problem is gone.
Those last ten days in Pissouri Bay were the most crucial part of my Cyprus trip. I had no idea that this healing was coming.
As Andreas (the driver who took me to Larnaca airport at the end of my stay) said: “You found yourself.”
Sending you all the healing and love vibes to help you on your spiritual growth and healing journey.
Love,
Leela
How to heal an overeating problem
