I had just arrived at my hotel for the night and was dragging my suitcase up the stairs because the rest of the aircrew was already crowding the elevator line. I had been awake for Share this: Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

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I had just arrived at my hotel for the night and was dragging my suitcase up the stairs because the rest of the aircrew was already crowding the elevator line. I had been awake for almost 26 hours straight at this point. Saying that I was tired would be an understatement. Not only was I physically exhausted, but I was also mentally drained from being in customer service mode for most of the day. At this moment, I just wanted a hot shower and a comfy bed with clean sheets. After all, I would only have a total of 15 hours to sleep and sight see before I had to be dressed and ready to go for my flight the following day.

Flight Attendant Life

The length of time I’m at each destination on my work trips is not always this short. This just happened to be one of those unlucky occasions. And what made it even more unlucky is that I was in a location that I had never been and would have enjoyed seeing more of if given more time. I was in Cyprus, an island country southeast of Greece.

It is a priority of mine to indulge in a little of the culture in each new place that I visit. I don’t want to take my travel experiences for granted. Thus, I told myself, “I’m going to go to bed with my alarm set for early morning. This way I can go eat a local breakfast and then walk along the beach for a bit.” I love trying new foods and going to the beach has always been one of my favorite activities. With my plans mapped out and the will to keep my eyes open slowly fading, I drifted off to sleep.

Wake Up Call

That next morning the aggressive vibration of my phone on the night stand from my alarm going off startled me out of sleep, and I’m surprised I didn’t throw my phone across the room. I don’t know who I was kidding. There was no way I was getting out of bed to go eat breakfast with a bunch of strangers right now. I was still way too tired. Forcing myself to be flexible, I thought “I’ll just skip breakfast and go to the beach when I wake up” and rolled back over. Besides, I always keep granola bars in my bag just in case.

A couple hours later I woke up still kind of tired from the previous day, but this was a more functional tired. Realizing that I only had five hours before I needed to be downstairs waiting on airport transportation, I decided to get out of bed. I started my day by going to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. In the process, I could hear loud voices and doors slamming from people going in and out of their rooms.

The hotel was a lot busier than I had thought when I checked in last night, but to be fair, I had arrived late in the evening. This morning, I was hoping to not pass anyone on my way out of the hotel and to sneak out of my room quietly to avoid elevator small talk and any equivalents. From the sound of it, that was not going to happen.

After drying off my face, I headed back to the main area of my room. It was still dark from the heavy-duty blackout curtains, so I walked over to let in some light. The curtains opened to a small patio, and I immediately saw the glistening Mediterranean Sea. It was beautiful. However, right in front of it was something not so beautiful. It was a small sandy area over crowded with people. So much for a quiet walk on the beach.

Light Bulb Moment

Now let’s take everything into consideration here. I already have an introvert hangover from yesterday’s over stimulation/extended work load. My body is internally throwing a temper tantrum with every step I take because I’m not still in bed. I am slightly hangry from skipping breakfast. The hotel is way too “peopley,” and now the beach front is just as packed. The chances of me leaving my hotel room are slim to none.

Considering that I only had a few more hours to myself, I needed a way to recover and prepare myself for another full day of socializing. Then the light bulb in my mind went off. I had not given myself time to recharge. The most common definition of an introvert is someone who recharges when they are alone unlike extroverts who recharge when they are with other people. Why was I trying to force myself to do something that both my mind and body were fighting? Was it only because I was in another country? If I had been this drained while at home, I would without a doubt stay in the house.

Not to mention, I am a flight attendant. Traveling is my job. Though, I don’t want to take my experiences for granted, stressing myself out is not the alternative. I’m away from home more than I am at home. It is about finding a healthy balance. As an introvert, I need to find time to cater to my natural needs or my mental and spiritual health will suffer.

With new clarity in mind, I opened the patio door, to see how it felt outside. The warm air swiftly kissed my skin and that was the answer I needed. I walked back inside and dialed room service. Brunch on the balcony overlooking the crystal blue waters sounded like the perfect way to recharge.

After placing my order, I grabbed my cell phone and went back to the balcony to wait for my food. In the meantime, I took a selfie to capture the moment. How cool is it that I’m recharging on a beach front hotel in Cyprus?

What areas in your life do you need to fall back in? Are you listening to your internal needs?

Side Note: I eventually flew back to Cyprus and got to see more of it :-).

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