I’ve been offline for more than a week doing something I haven’t done before.
The night before I left, I was rushing. My to-do list had spawned three new items for every one I crossed off, and I felt tense and agitated. I told myself the same thing I usually do: finish these tasks, then you can rest.
The next day I flew to Budapest and then took a bus to Holloko, to attend the Wellbeing Lab, an Erasmus+ project organised by the wonderful ReCreativity team, for trainers, facilitators, and teachers from European countries (Romania, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Greece, Bulgaria and Slovakia).
When I arrived in Holloko, on the 23rd of June, I wasn’t expecting much beyond a change of scenery.
What I experienced felt like stepping through a time warp.
How it started:
The first thing I noticed was the calmness. I remember thinking, almost involuntarily: this is a welcome change of pace.
I didn’t know yet how right I was.
Over the next 7 full days that calmness of the village helped me slow down and enjoy the mindful activities.
Time went both fast and slow for more than one week.
How it went:
The week was intense in the best way. It felt like I’ve lived an entire month in one week.
It was rich with moments of rest, recharging, discovering things about others and myself, connecting with the participants, using my senses, moving my body with awareness, reflecting, seeing parts of myself in other participants, and learning new mindfulness and wellbeing tools.
The tools I learned or got reminded of, that I like the most and intend to use in facilitation are:
1. Success chart: a journey from results to mistakes.
2. PERMA model activity that touched on: pleasant emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment.
3. The 7 pillars of mindfulness and mindful activities like breathwork, painting, listening to music, movement, body scan.
One evening, some of us told funny stories about making mistakes for “Fuck Up Nights”.
I shared one story from my teenage years and laughed copiously hearing other people’s stories.
All of us went on a hike to a cool spot in Hollókő, with a charming view. We felt our legs burning, while conversations were drifting between laughter and silence.
I created and delivered a workshop called “Strengths through Connection” with 4 of the participants.
We called ourselves “the Mindfullers”.
We made a great team, we each brought valuable ideas to the table and created an experience that engaged participants’ senses, their memories, and helped them experience their strengths played back through their team mate’s voices.
How it ended:
By the end of the week, I felt joyful, determined, positively challenged, enthusiastic. My body had been in constant motion, from walking, to stretching, to hiking, to dancing and I loved every part of it.
I packed my bags and left Hollókő on the 1st of July. I hugged everyone and felt both sad, because we were each going our separate ways, and grateful for the experience.
I’m back home now, reflecting on the insights I gained and I already miss everyone.
Thank you to ReCreativity, the training team, and every single participant for this amazing week!
