Truth is, and I want to get it out of my chest, even if it might be considered unbecoming of the average permanent Ikarian citizen, that quite often I get seized over by stress. So, even though I might be tarnishing the picturesque idea you have of me, as a carefree Ikarian, what happens is this: Instead of walking around with out-of-bed hair, and bohemian clothes, with a glass of wine in one hand and a freshly rolled cigarette in the other, offering wise life quotes, dancing and drinking like there’s no tomorrow, I, Instead, have to fight with stress and fear.

Even if I am there at a festival or a party, my mind counts the hours. The hours I have left to sleep, the hours until dawn, the hours until I have to get home, the hours left, in general!

Apart from that, in my everyday life, I must face the parenting stress, the financial and professional insecurities, and my not so few fears… but, on the other hand, I don’t get any stress as to where to park my car!  No, don’t get me wrong! I do not want to belittle this, it’s very important not to waste your time in traffic and parking, but this fortune alone does not miraculously solve all your problems.

Ikaria will not miraculously solve all your problems. It will not make all your worries disappear as soon as you set foot on it. You will not get lost in time and space. Of course not, you already know that.

But, you know what? Ikaria is the best place to start realizing that what you do to yourself – you know what I’m talking about, the fact that you keep pressuring yourself all the time, that you keep having negative thoughts etc- is painful and you cannot take it anymore. This island will take you in just the way you are, and your individuality will not set you apart. This place offers psychoanalytic sessions in its every corner. It’s the smile of a friend, it’s the coffee you will drink taking your time, it’s the joke your will hear, it’s the joke you will tell, it’s the help offered when you need it the most. And all of this can be balsam to your frantic thoughts. It’s the isolation that you will find, if you seek for it, and if you are afraid of it, believe me, you will never be alone.

It’s this moment when you fear the explosions in your head are going to really blow you apart, and you turn your eyes and see the stormy sea, and in that exact moment the south wind hushes, the waves stop and the sea becomes peaceful and you think “That’s how is done!” and it’s done.

Ikaria will help you. It will help you get rid of some of your weights. Sometimes more successfully than others. Sometimes quickly, sometimes not. But, if you consider that we are not talking about a certified psychoanalyst, not even a real person, but an island, it’s quite impressive!

An if you see me dancing with my right-out-of-bed hair, and laughing like there’s no tomorrow, know that this happened after many sessions with it.

Theodosia Karimali for ikariamag.gr