Better than any medication

I got to work from Sitges, Spain for a couple of days this week and my overall conclusion from the whole experience is that giving me access to unlimited sunshine is better for me than any meds I’ve been prescribed by a doctor!

Despite it being a work trip, I managed to get some time on the beach next to the hotel – Platja dels Balmins – and the combination of sunshine on my skin and time spent jumping through waves in the sea was like flicking a switch in the brain. All thoughts about my epilepsy disappeared, along with the residual self-pity. It was like a positive jolt of energy and enthusiasm.

Fantastic.

The beach, while small, is just lovely. Sheltered from the wind and prying eyes, it’s ‘clothing optional’. And as we all know, I got over my self-consciousness about getting ‘desnudo‘ in public in Japan a couple of years ago when I visited the onsen. Nudity is the great social leveller. It leaves you with no idea as to what someone does for a living, where they’re from or any other social cues our clothing sends out. And, let’s be honest, it is also from time to time absolutely hilarious.

No thumping music and nobody smoking. A couple of cafes within steps of my lounger. Nobody trying to sell cheap tourist tat. My kind of beach.

Total relaxation. I didn’t put earphones in my ears once, and left my phone in my beach bag. It was just me with my thoughts and the sounds all around me.

I’m convinced that putting me out in the sunshine for a few hours at a time has done more for my mental health and attitude than any other intervention I’ve tried this year.

Bring on the various neurology tests – I’m just looking forward to another trip to Sitges and time spent lying naked on the beach and floating in the sea. Maybe I’ll reward myself with a weekend there in August once all the tests are over.