Guest Post: How Travel Impacts Mental Health

Since starting this blog, I have been able to connect with so many amazing travel bloggers from all over the world. It’s been almost a year since Chelsea and I started talking on Instagram and as she works in the mental health field, I have been very interested to hear her thoughts on travel and mental health. Since this is such an important topic, today I am sharing a guest post she wrote all about how mental health is impacted by traveling.

Of course, due to the Coronavirus, people are unable to travel and probably experiencing a decline in their mental health. I know these past week have been pretty tolling mentally for me at least! However, though we can’t get a positive boost from traveling, a lot of us are experiencing a break from routine, and we can apply a lot of concepts to our new quarantined way of living.

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Guest Post by Chelsea of Chelseable

Travel and mental health: two things that seem completely unrelated yet somehow go hand-in-hand for me. When I started my own website, I knew that I wanted to use my background in mental health to create a space helping others to live the life they’ve always dreamed of. In doing so, I found that it was only natural to talk about how I do the same, and for me that means traveling or adventuring wherever I can as much as I can. I quickly realized how intertwined my mental health and travel really are and I want to share with you how travel can positively impact mental health.

You Are More Likely To Unwind

When we travel, even if it’s in our own backyard, we allow ourselves to relax more. The kind of stress you might encounter while traveling, such as a delayed flight, is a different kind of stress than your day-to-day, such as the laundry piling up. When you get away from your typical routine, you’re less likely to worry about day-to-day stressors like the report that’s due at work or doing the dishes. Even exploring a new park in your area will result in feeling more relaxed, it does not have to be an extravagant trip.

You Take Care Of Yourself

Take a second to think about all of the pre-trip planning you do. Perhaps you get a manicure or pedicure; if it’s a smaller trip, maybe you take more time to do your makeup or style your hair differently. Then, consider the clothes you will wear. Chances are, you’re going to choose clothes that make you feel good about yourself (your go-to hiking pants), or clothes that are exciting to wear (your favorite dress). The point is, we tend to bring out our best self-care in preparation for our adventures and we may take it a step further on the actual trip itself. While self-care routines may look different for everyone, some common examples while exploring may include taking a few minutes to just be still, actually enjoying your morning coffee, working out, getting to the spa, or finally opening that book you bought 4 months ago but haven’t had a chance to start. Getting away gives us the time and a reason to really work on taking care of ourselves and it doesn’t always have to cost money.

Travel Helps Practice Mindfulness

Being mindful means that we are focused on the present moment, the here and now, instead of worrying about the past or future. Research has shown that when we are more focused on the present, we tend to be happier. Travel can help us practice this more naturally, such as when we take in the sunrise, and also by force, such as when we try to figure out a new transit system.

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Travel is a Literal Escape

I don’t typically like to use escaping as a way to manage mental health because I believe in the value of facing feelings head-on. However, it can be easier to make changes in our lives when our daily routine is turned upside down; in other words, changing your mindset can be easier when you’re not surrounded by what is bringing you down. Travel shakes things up and can be a great reset for you to feel prepared to face things head-on when you return from your trip. It doesn’t mean the problem won’t still be there, but that you’ll hopefully feel more prepared to handle the problem once you’ve had some distance from it.

You Improve Self-Efficacy

Travel tends to push you to do things you’ve never done before, whether it be something big like skydiving, or something smaller, like having to figure out a new transit system. When you do things outside of your comfort zone (the skydiving) or when you solve problems (the transit system), it not only helps you to learn more about yourself but also results in a feeling of accomplishment. This makes us feel better about ourselves and improves our self-efficacy.

Travel is something that really lights a fire in my soul and I hope that after reading these benefits, you feel the same way, too. These benefits apply whether you’re visiting a new country or exploring your own backyard. I cannot wait to hear where you choose to explore next and what happiness it brings you.

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Thanks again to Chelsea for this article that reminds of why travel is so important! I know, I can’t wait to get back to a world where we can travel on planes and stay in hotels again. Until then, I am going to try and practice some of the ways I live mindfully and healthfully on vacation at home.