When a quiet yes is enough
Listening without overthinking
Two weeks ago, I was feeling burned out.
I’d been house sitting, moved into an Airbnb, and in between was sleeping on a friend’s sofa. It left me feeling frazzled and dysregulated. I needed a change of scenery. So I booked a last-minute trip to Colombia.
I flew into Medellín and stayed in Poblado - a cool neighbourhood full of cafés, bars and expats. On paper, it was great.
But my nervous system wasn’t responding.
I’d just flown in from LA and was suddenly navigating another huge city in very poor Spanish. Nothing was wrong. It just didn’t feel right.
My next stop was Palomino, a surf town on the Caribbean coast. Another fairly spontaneous decision. I travelled there, arrived, checked the waves - white wash - and noticed a familiar restlessness.
Again, I couldn’t put my finger on it. The energy just felt off.
Then I remembered a conversation I’d had with someone I met at an airport café in Florida. We’d shared travel plans. They were heading to El Zonte, a surf town in El Salvador and casually suggested I join.
I didn’t.
When I arrived in Colombia, they sent me a video of the waves in El Zonte. Perfect lines. Warm water. Something in my body paid attention.
Twelve hours after arriving in Palomino, I booked a flight for the following morning.
And now here I am, writing this after a sunrise surf session.
I’m sharing this because if you have ADHD, it’s easy to live in your head, overanalysing every decision, needing reasons, reassurance and certainty.
In that moment, I didn’t overthink. I listened.
Yes, I lost time and money booking another flight. But as soon as I arrived, my body knew I’d made the right decision.
Yesterday I surfed for five hours, then spent the afternoon snoozing in a hammock. I’m staying in a small village on the coast, overlooking a river. It’s exactly what my nervous system needed.
When we learn to trust our intuition, life gets simpler. We move out of our heads and into our bodies. But if you’ve spent a lifetime overthinking every decision, that kind of trust takes time to rebuild.
If you’re not sure where to start, try this:
Three slow inhales through the nose and an audible sigh on the exhale.
Then listen.
Often, the quiet yes is already there.
Sunset in El Zonte :)