By someone tired but trying their best
Okay, so let me just say this: I did not think I’d be the kind of person who goes to a wellness resort. I’m not exactly a green juice-before-sunrise type. I like Netflix, snacks with ingredients I can’t pronounce, and ignoring most emails until the red notification bubble gives me anxiety. But here we are—me, writing a blog about de-stressing after spending a week at BodyHoliday in St. Lucia, Conde Nast’s 2024 World’s Best Destination Spa. And honestly? It kinda changed me. Or at least cracked the door open to a less fried version of myself.
I booked it on a whim. My nervous system had been in a full sprint for what felt like three years straight. You know that feeling when your brain just won’t shut up? Like, even in silence, is it loud? That was me. Burned out, caffeinated, and googling things like “what is joy” at 2am. A friend had mentioned BodyHoliday after her own “I need to disappear for a while” moment. Next thing I know, I’m on a plane, vaguely hoping I’d find something that resembles peace—or at least eight uninterrupted hours of sleep.
Yoga, But Make It Not Intimidating
Let’s start with the yoga. I’m not flexible. I’ve never touched my toes without bending my knees and making a weird noise. But somehow, practicing yoga on a platform overlooking the Caribbean Sea made me forget all that. I wasn’t trying to nail the perfect pose for Instagram (I don’t think I posted anything until day 4). It wasn’t about being “good” at it. It was… breathing. Stretching. Letting my body remember that it’s not a productivity machine.
The instructors weren’t preachy or performative. They were just real people who seemed to genuinely care that you were being gentle with yourself. I think one of them, Claire, said something during savasana like, “Let the ground hold you.”And I don’t know, I almost cried? That’s the kind of thing that would’ve made me roll my eyes back home. But when you’re lying in stillness with the ocean breeze brushing your face, and your phone is nowhere in sight? It lands differently.
Meditation for People With Loud Minds
Now, I’ll admit: I struggle with meditation. I’ve downloaded every app, tried all the breathing hacks, and even bought a crystal at one point (I still don’t know what it does). But at BodyHoliday, I didn’t feel like a failure when my thoughts wandered—which they always did—usually to what I’d eat for lunch or whether I remembered to cancel that random free trial.
The guided meditations here weren’t about “clearing the mind,” but more like making friends with it. Letting the thoughts come and go like clouds. I didn’t transcend or reach nirvana or whatever, but I did feel… softer. Less tangled. It’s weird, but I think learning to sit with myself without fixing anything was one of the most powerful things I’ve done all year.
New Friends, Old Souls
One of the surprising joys of this whole thing? The people. I met a woman named Joyce who was in her sixties and had this “I survived three divorces, and now I ride horses” energy. She gave zero judgment and infinite wisdom. We bonded over lunch one day while debating whether cold plunges are therapeutic or just torture marketed to millennials.
There was a strange and beautiful openness among the guests—people just talked—about life, heartbreak, burnout, and the weird beauty of starting over. No one cared what you did for work. It felt like we were all taking a collective exhale from the chaos. And it reminded me that connection is medicine. Real, raw conversation without the pressure to be impressive. We need more of that.
The Weird Magic of Rest
Okay, so confession: I used to feel guilty for resting. For example, I wasted time if I didn’t do something productive. But here, rest wasn’t just allowed—it was encouraged. Scheduled, even. There was actual space in the day for doing nothing. Reading by the pool, floating in the ocean, napping under a palm tree. And guess what? The world didn’t end.
It’s wild how foreign rest can feel when you’re used to chronic hustle. But slowly, I stopped reaching for my phone. My shoulders were unclenched. I laughed more. I remembered how good it feels to just be—no agenda, just living.
The Little Stuff That Stuck
BodyHoliday wasn’t about some grand transformation. There was no “before and after” version of me. It was more like a slow remembering, like the version of me underneath the stress starting to breathe again.
Things like gratitude journaling started to feel less like a wellness cliché and more like a lifeline. I started noticing little joys—a good coffee, a funny text from a friend, a bird doing something ridiculous. I even started showing myself the kindness I usually reserve for others, which is… new.
Weirdly, people talked a lot about happiness here, but not in a “you should be happy all the time” way. Instead—how do we stay human and grounded in a world that often feels like a constant barrage of bad news and broken systems?
Everyone had their own version of de-stressing. Some people swam laps at sunrise. Others painted seashells or learned to box (!). For me, it was journaling half-asleep in a hammock and not judging the messiness of my thoughts. I think that counts.
So, What Now?
Honestly, I’m still figuring it out. I didn’t return to a completely zen person who wakes up with the sun and drinks lemon water like a religious ritual. I still doomscroll. I still overthink everything. But I came back aware—aware of what stress feels like in my body, aware that I have tools—real, simple ones—I can use when life inevitably gets chaotic again.
That could be the whole point. Life won’t stop being stressful. But we can soften around the edges of it. Find our breath. Take a walk. Say “no” without writing a novel of excuses. Call a friend. Be kind to ourselves, even when we forget how.
I don’t have it all figured out. Some days, I still spiral over dumb things. But I also find myself pausing more, checking in, and asking, “What do I need right now?” And that feels like progress.
So yeah. This may be your sign if you’re reading this while stress-eating Doritos at your desk or contemplating a dramatic life change via Google Flights. Not necessarily to fly to St. Lucia (though, like, highly recommend), but to carve out a little space. A few deep breaths. A gentle reminder that rest is not a luxury. It’s a freaking necessity.
And hey, if all else fails—try lying on the floor and letting the ground hold you. It works better than you think.