After walking the Camino...

[Skandinaviangirl]

Hello dear pilgrims and pilgrims to be,

My Camino lasted 31 days from the 19th august to 19th of September from StJpP to Santiago. It was absolutely wonderful. I cannot begin to describe all those wonderful moments I have had. Amazing people, thoughts and experiences. Of course there were also some bad experiences, but nothing that overpowered my positive experiences.

I want to share something with you, that you might (or might not) recognize. I went with my one true love, and it has been great throughout the whole Camino. We do not live together though, we are only in our early twenties. We both came home yesterday, he is with his family and I am with mine. But the feeling of coming home is totally different between us. He is happy to see his family, his bed and being home in general. I feel miserable. I had to leave and I walked like 8-10 km in the area I live in, to have some time and peace to actually let it sink in, that I am indeed home. Everything just feels so depressing, and I was warned about this feeling. "Everything at home will be the same, you are the only one who is changed.".
It just hit me so hard I had to express myself to someone who tried the same - coming home and immediately wishing yourself back on the Camino.

- Many thoughts from Scandinavia.

 

[Juanita Portland]

Hello - I completed the Camino in early July 2015 and immediately upon coming home I wished I was still on the Camino. Many of my friends reported the same thing. Some of the things I've been doing to help me deal with the withdrawal is: 1) walk long-distances each day, 2) read books about the Camino), 3) look at the pictures I took, 4) talk to others about my experience, 5) stay in touch with friends I made on the Camino. All of this help keep the experience alive for me. Also, I have decided to do the Camino again in May 2016. Thinking and planning for that helps keep my spirit up. Hang in there. What a great experience we were fortunate to have.

 

[Kip]

"Everything at home will be the same, you are the only one that has changed." That (and your post!!) really resonated with me!! Wow!! I walked the Portuguese for 30 days in June-July. Had a remarkable, beautiful, blissful......perfect existence and experience. Every step. Each day was utterly unique. So much love and kindness happened a hundred, or a thousand times a day. Kind of, really, every step of the way so I don't know hour many thousand steps of wonderful happened.

When I arrived back home, I have really had a tough adjustment. This is where the quote comes in--"Everything at home will be the same...." I suspected that this would happen and felt (still feel) a great, but beautiful, sadness leaving the camino. It's been two months now, since returning, and finally am feeling

 

[Kip]

"Everything at home will be the same, you are the only one that has changed." That (and your post!!) really resonated with me!! Wow!! I walked the Portuguese for 30 days in June-July. Had a remarkable, beautiful, blissful......perfect existence and experience. Every step. Each day was utterly unique. So much love and kindness happened a hundred, or a thousand times a day. Kind of, really, every step of the way so I don't know hour many thousand steps of wonderful happened.

When I arrived back home, I have really had a tough adjustment. This is where the quote comes in--"Everything at home will be the same...." I suspected that this would happen and felt (still feel) a great, but beautiful, sadness leaving the camino. It's been two months now, since returning, and finally am feeling

Whoops, pushed the send button before I was done....

like the camino has returned to my heart, rather than having left it.

I'll always be...walking to Santiago, wherever I am.

 

[wayfarer]

Here is something to help with the withdrawl symptoms, this is part one of a series made by Gunnar W, a member here. These are the best videos I have seen of the Camino Frances and I watch them regularly during the long wet winter.

 

[Skandinaviangirl]

I'm very happy for your answers to my post! Thank you very much, it means a lot to me to share my feelings right now!

I have also decided to walk the Camino again, but I don't know when I will get the chance. Maybe it will be some years ahead, which annoys me. I want to go now!!!

Thank you for sharing your ways of dealing with coming home. I am also doing long-distance walks and some runs too. I do what I can to keep myself busy, but right now I don't have a job (I quit my last job to walk the Camino) and I just feel like I need to find my new self in these cold, unchanging, grey areas where I live. Not only that, but also I need to get used to how I now view my family. I have had a lot of trouble with them, and the Camino opened my eyes alot. But what I did not expect was how much more they opened when I actually came home. It's like I can see our family situation from the outside, and I kind of feel like the black sheep now. Like I don't belong anymore. I guess I just have to get used to my new insight.

 

[Robo]

Your emotions are quite natural. Same here. Better start planning your next Camino

http://robscamino.com/the-post-camino-blues/

 

[JohnKreuk]

Hello dear pilgrims and pilgrims to be,

My Camino lasted 31 days from the 19th august to 19th of September from StJpP to Santiago. It was absolutely wonderful. I cannot begin to describe all those wonderful moments I have had. Amazing people, thoughts and experiences. Of course there were also some bad experiences, but nothing that overpowered my positive experiences.

I want to share something with you, that you might (or might not) recognize. I went with my one true love, and it has been great throughout the whole Camino. We do not live together though, we are only in our early twenties. We both came home yesterday, he is with his family and I am with mine. But the feeling of coming home is totally different between us. He is happy to see his family, his bed and being home in general. I feel miserable. I had to leave and I walked like 8-10 km in the area I live in, to have some time and peace to actually let it sink in, that I am indeed home. Everything just feels so depressing, and I was warned about this feeling. "Everything at home will be the same, you are the only one who is changed.".
It just hit me so hard I had to express myself to someone who tried the same - coming home and immediately wishing yourself back on the Camino.

- Many thoughts from Scandinavia.

Hello Scandinavian,

These are exactly my thoughts. I walked from Holland to SdC, a 2.700 km trip and for four months. I'm back in Holland now for four months again and still have the same feelings. I want to go back again!!!!! The experience of walking alone and with all the other Pelgrims has changed my vieuw on living so much that nobody in my surroundings understands me. I hope that i can live again like before but i think it's impossible. I''ve changed too much. So now you know you are not alone

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Hello - I completed the Camino in early July 2015 and immediately upon coming home I wished I was still on the Camino. Many of my friends reported the same thing. Some of the things I've been doing to help me deal with the withdrawal is: 1) walk long-distances each day, 2) read books about the Camino), 3) look at the pictures I took, 4) talk to others about my experience, 5) stay in touch with friends I made on the Camino. All of this help keep the experience alive for me. Also, I have decided to do the Camino again in May 2016. Thinking and planning for that helps keep my spirit up. Hang in there. What a great experience we were fortunate to have.

Hi Juanita, it's an addiction. It all began with the Camino Frances from my wife in 2013. Last year we walked together from Sarria to Finistere. And this year I walked the Camino Frances from SJPdP. Next year we walk together from Porto to Santiago. In 2017 I will walk the Norte and the Primitivo and in 2018 / 2019 I walk from my home in Holland. And after that, who knows.
Wish you well, Peter.