Why “sun, sea, and sangria” Don't Fully Repair Your Nervous System

This week let's talk about why the “sun, sea, and sangria” model doesn’t work for nervous system repair. 

You have ticked all the boxes, booked the villa, packed your SPF and logged off for two glorious weeks of sun, sea and sangria. But now you are back and still exhausted.

If you expected your summer holiday to “fix” you, you are not alone. Many professionals rely on seasonal breaks as the antidote to workplace stress or personal burnout. But here’s the uncomfortable truth, a holiday isn’t a cure for nervous system dysregulation.

It is a pause, not a repair.

Image sourced from Pinterest

1. The “Out of Office” Illusion

Taking time off from work is necessary, yes  but if your body is in a chronic state of stress, simply removing external stressors isn’t enough. You may find yourself:

• Struggling to switch off on holiday

• Feeling guilty for resting

• Still waking up tired or anxious

• Dreading the return to daily life

  
  

These are signs that your nervous system needs more than a change of scenery, it needs intentional care and support.

2. Your Nervous System Isn’t Fooled by Sunshine

True recovery requires regulation which involves slowing down your internal responses, not just your schedule. Beaches are beautiful, but they don’t unpack:

• Chronic fight-or-flight cycles

• Burnout caused by emotional labour or poor boundaries

• Trauma patterns or people-pleasing tendencies

  
  

To repair the nervous system, we must learn how to feel safe in stillness, safe in our bodies and safe saying “no.” That’s inner work and mental health support that holidays usually distract from it rather than support it.

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3. Holidays are Escapes. Retreats Are Transformations.

There’s a key difference between escaping life and changing it. At Stone in My Boot retreats, we guide you through gentle, therapeutic and informed experiences that:

• Reconnect you to your body

• Help you notice and respond to stress cues

• Encourage genuine rest, not performance relaxation

• Create space for reflection, not just distraction

  
  

Intentional walking therapy retreats designed to address underlying mental health struggles that may not be resolved by a couple of days or weeks of Eurosummer. These walking therapy retreats are not your average self-help sessions or de-stressing weekends. They are grounded, slow, nourishing and built specifically for people who have realised that one more break won’t be enough.

Alongside our retreats, we offer one-to-one therapeutic counselling on trail for those who want to dive deeper. Whether you are struggling with workplace stress, boundary issues or the feeling that something just feels "off," therapy can:

• Help you recognise root causes of exhaustion

• Rewire the stories and patterns that are keeping you stuck

• Offer tools that support long-term nervous system health

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The Bottom Line: It’s Not You, It is the Way You’ve Been Taught to Rest

We live in a culture that confuses stillness with laziness and escape with healing. But at Stone in My Boot, we know real repair takes time, space and safety. Whether you are struggling with chronic stress, anxiety, burnout, depression or simply need time away to reset from root, our retreats can help you. They are also set in a more social manner that you will be able to connect with like-minded individuals in a non judgmental and supportive environment, adding nature to that backdrop will help soothe your nervous system more.

If you have returned from holiday still feeling frayed at the edges, you haven’t failed, you have simply outgrown superficial solutions. Let us help you try something deeper.

Explore our walking therapy retreats or one-to-one online counselling sessions to support your nervous system, your wellbeing and your next chapter, not just your next break.