Hi; Im relatively new to this forum

Everytime I come in I find something to think about - it helps me understand myself.

Anyway does anyone else have trouble relaxing - my partner loves to read, sit by the pool and laze the day away when we are on holidays. Its great for her but terrible for me - I cant read and sit anywhere for too long. I cant even sit down to talk in a busy area - too much going on and way too much other stuff to look at.

My idea of a holiday is trekking, skiing, driving (I love to drive), basically anything that does not involve sitting around. I also hate planned holidays I am at my best when I follow my nose from one adventure to another. Thats what I love - adventure.

Luckily my partner enjoys most of the same things as myself. Over the years we have come to an agreement - a holiday doesnt happen unless we stop and relax after the adventure. So she relaxes and I do what I always do -annnoy the hell out of her - its another way to get adventure. This is not pre meditated its just something that happens if sit around too long.

Does anyone else have the same sort of experiences - how do you and your spouse get on when your on holidays ?

That's the relationship with my wife and I perfectly. I want to go, go, go. She wants to settle down and read a book. I want excitement! I am on meds but I have not been able to get an interest in real exercise going, and that is where I hear the trouble lay.

We met when we were doing triathlon, now married with a kid and dogs, triathlon is long gone, and I work a job with a two hour commute each day. I have no time to work out. This week I have been sick and at home all week. I have serious cabin fever. But if I move faster than a slow walk, I am dead to the world.

Argh! This is driving me crazy.

Hi Kezza

I am the partner of an ADD man and we are about to take our first vacation together. Like you, he needs to be busy and active, and like your partner I am more laid-back. On the holiday we are hiring a car so we can go on adventures together, and also so he can go and do exciting things without me when I need some chill-time. I hope the strategy works!

Tiddle

my idea of relaxing is going someplace to take pictures

Sounds like me too.....my idea of a holiday....is doing something different..preferably away from other people. I go sailing....lots of things to think about and do...lots of challenges and a boat is like a big shed you can take to quiet places and have friends over to stay.

Early on after the birth of our first kid and after our first "holiday" I banned the use of the word holiday to describe going abroad as a family....for me it was nothing of the sort....it just transferred normal living to a place I didn't know my way around and couldn't understand the language, dramatically increasing my feeling of isolation and removing my comfortzone of perceived control.

The conventional British "holiday" in the sun is my idea of hell...in fact most peoples idea of a holiday is my idea of hell......so much so that my partner heads off for a foreign fortnight in the summer with the kids and her siblings families for a fortnight leaving me behind.......bliss

All my friends are sooooooo jealous!

Last year my holiday was working for Habitat for Humanity in Africa, two years before I was in Brazil checking out an environmental investment project....hard hard work...but a holiday for me.

I'm hoping to go to New Zealand in 2009 and am looking for a "reason" to be there. Having a purpose/job in another country makes it so much easier to make friends with people there and get an idea of how their world works...in good ways and bad.

kilt

I stopped going on vacation with my parents 2 years ago. All they wanted to do was sit on the beach all day and visit some ruins/museums. I felt like dying all the time. I was so bored! Not that I have anything against ruins/museums, but everything needs to go fast fast fast, not standing still for 15 minutes at every stone or painting.

And tour guides. Am I the only one who can't stand them? I just can't seem to listen. I'm a fan of art, but when I see an artwork I want to be able to think about it for a while: what it represents, the meaning, etc. I mostly do that and don't hear a word of what the tour guide is saying. They always tell too many details that don't matter. I once had this tour guide who explained every small detail, including the shape of the room, what the ceiling looked like. We were in a museum for pete's sake! I could close my eyes and know what the room looked like, lol.