So the extended overseas trip is off-limits and you’ve had to cancel that long-awaited interstate family visit due border restrictions. Is it even worth taking a holiday right now? Tess Cullen - media and events officer at the UNE Oorala Aboriginal Centre - definitely thinks so.
For a whole year Tess had been planning a mid-winter break with her sister in Port Douglas, Queensland - some welcome warm respite from the chill of the Armidale winter.
But as August approached and the second major wave of COVID-19 cases began to grow, she could feel the trip slipping away.
“As it got closer and closer to the date, I knew it was not going to happen,” Tess says. “But I had the 10 days’ leave booked and decided to take it anyway. I felt like I really needed a break.”
As the Delta strain crashed upon Sydney’s shores, then threatened regional centres, Tess says it made the whole idea of travelling stressful. “In fact, I found that more stressful than the idea of staying at home,” she says.
Which is exactly what Tess did. She spent 10 days devoting her time to art, walking and gardening.
Some of the passions Tess Cullen was able to indulge in while 'holidaying at home': gardening, mosaics, and painting.
'Truly time out'
“I ended up doing two paintings and a sculpture, and it was almost a better holiday,” she says. “The other marvellous thing was that I finished off dozens of little home jobs that you never get around to when you are working full-time.
“It was truly time out and an absolute rest. I could fully immerse myself in my creative practice and surrender to it, and afterwards I felt really recovered.”
And the great thing is Tess has a second break booked with her family, just an hour’s drive away, in September.
“Taking a holiday at this time can be very stressful, but I don’t think people take holidays as often as they can and probably should,” she says. “In every workplace, the expectations and workloads are high and people can think they are indispensable. Finding a suitable work-life balance is more important than ever. When we feel ourselves getting tired, it’s time to take a breather for our mental and physical health.”
And Tess highly recommends an artistic project or activity that simply brings joy, to completely switch off from work. “Painting allows me to empty my mind,” she says. “It’s a way of connecting back to the deep listening to self, and the rest of the world completely disappears. This time, the art practice became the holiday. It became my unplanned, brilliant holiday at home."
