Ibiza Sun - It's Good to Talk

It"s Good to Talk

Dear It’s Good to Talk - the Ibiza Sun
I have about 6 villas that I look after for various clients and friends, I make sure that the cleaning and any repairs are done and when guests come I handle the "changeover" and am basically on call if there are any problems. As you can imagine and probably know it’s a 24/7 job starting around now and ending mid September. Last summer I felt as if I didn"t stop. Nothing went wrong as such but there were the odd days when cleaners didn"t turn up or times when guests were expecting something a little different. But with 6-8 villas on the go at the same time it pretty much meant that my phone was ringing all day and a lot at night.
So here I find myself again, it’s May, we have had a few bookings so far so it’s been reasonably gentle but I can see the diary is chocca block right through till September and it fills me with dread. My energy levels are low, I feel anxious about how I will cope, anxious about whether or not my relationship will survive another summer of basically not being at home, anxious that something will go wrong. Basically I feel full of dread, it’s a bit like the night before your first day back at school after the summer holidays but magnified by about 1000.
Having said all of that I am apparently good at my job and before you suggest looking for something else I simply don"t think that is possible as my Spanish is not good enough to be able to work a standard 9-5 for a Spanish company. Financially it suits us well and I suppose the good thing is that I have a large chunk of the year to my self when I don"t have to work. There are some positives but they don"t seem to be helping with this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. Any suggestions on how to cope with the anxiety that doesn"t seem to be going anywhere.
Thank you so much
Name withheld

Thank you for your e-mail. It seems as if you have had a lovely winter and have really been able to make the most of the time you have thanks to the nature of the work you do. A break of that length must make it very hard to readjust to the hectic pace of what lies ahead and I can only imagine how you must be feeling. However from what you say it seems as if there is a reasonably gentle beginning to the season and I wonder if the anxiety you are feeling now is stopping you from being able to enjoy the time you have left before the season really kicks in. It is often the case that worrying about tomorrow prevents us from enjoying today.
I am well aware that once the season takes off all sense of routine tends to go out the window and you are probably having to constantly re-adjust to the needs of your guests who have to be a priority for the short period of time that they are here. Your partner seems to be supportive but you have mentioned that you are worried if the relationship is able to withstand another summer where you see little of each other. Would it be possible, even if only for one evening a week, or perhaps every Sunday, for you to be able to hand the phone over to someone else you feel confident in so you know that there is at least some time that you will not be interrupted and can dedicate to yourself and whatever you choose to do. We all know that there is a short "window of opportunity" on Ibiza but that opportunity becomes redundant if you are not able to enjoy the benefits of it because it has disrupted your life so much that it can"t be repaired.
One of the last things you said was that you are good at your job, probably part of the reason that you are so good is that you feel the anxiousness that you speak of and this motivates you to deliver a fantastic service, hold on to this thought, you are good at your job, you do know what you are doing and the customers like you. Your anxiety can be used in a positive way to fuel your energy levels and motivation to get through the season, so rather then trying to fight it what would it be like to embrace it, make it a "friend" and use it to your advantage when you need it.
I hope you are able to pace yourself and make some time that is about you over the summer, it may seem like a luxury or even an indulgence but it is part of keeping yourself healthy and strong so that you can continue doing what you do, and be able to enjoy the winter that lies ahead.
All the best
KAte
Kate Stillman - Counsellor / Psychotherapist
Confidential counselling in person or via Skype / Telephone
Land Line +34 971 325 120
Mobile: +34 650 122 554
Skype: Kate Stillman (Stillit)
From the UK: +44 208 144 1774
kate@ibizacounselling.com