In my last blog I described how dyspraxia affects my experience of airports, just as my partner and I were preparing to jet off to Funchal. Now we’ve returned, I wanted to write a short blog about the experience I have during the holiday itself – and the first day after a holiday.
One of the symptoms of DCD is the extra cognitive effort it can take to process the visual-spatial world, with many dyspraxics – including me – finding that we’re exhausted in the evenings. My post-holiday experience feels like a magnified version of this.
When my partner and I travel, we like to really immerse ourselves, enjoying the culture, the history, the sights, the wildlife, the landscapes and the food. This means an awful lot of novel information processing. There are three things that happen pretty much every time.
First day or two of the holiday
In the evenings I feel absolutely exhausted. The following morning I sleep in later than I do at home – where I’m typically awake by 5:30am – and feel a mild ‘brain fog’ when I do wake up.
Each evening of the holiday
We do so much on our holidays that I feel exhausted in the evenings. Not physically – I run 10km several times a week, so I don’t struggle with physical fitness – but mentally. I (regrettably) opt out of evening activities because of the exhaustion.
First day back
On my first day back, I feel that the basics take a little more effort. Things that normally feel automatic take a little more thought – a little more orientation.
What’s happening in terms of the neuroscience? I don’t know for certain. My best guess is that, after several days of processing a completely unfamiliar environment, my brain needs a little time to readjust to my normal surroundings. Perhaps it’s having to reorient itself to the visual-spatial layout of home.
Whatever the explanation, it’s an experience that feels uniquely dyspraxic.
This was my second trip to Portugal, having previously visited Lisbon. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to nearly 30 countries across Europe and beyond – from Finland to Sri Lanka to Turkey. While DCD has an impact on my experience, it doesn’t disable me to the same extent it does in some other areas of life – and for that I’m grateful.
