Sit back, exhale, then hit the road.
When life gets on top of us, it can feel like we’re carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. It’s times like this that a holiday or some light traveling can do wonders for our mental health. Traveling has the power to take us out of our routines and gain new experiences, often helping to reduce stress, anxiety and give us back our appreciation for life.
Here are some of the best ways that traveling can improve your mental health:
Travel takes you out of your routine
Sometimes we get so used to our daily routines that we don’t even realize we’ve been stuck in a rut. This is more common for those who work five days a week because they’re more likely to stick to the same routine: You get up in the morning, fix yourself a cup of coffee, grab a quick breakfast and head off to work for the day. Then, when you get home, you’ve got a few hours to yourself before you’ve got to wake up in the morning and do it all over again.
Travelling breaks up your routine and lets you take a step back to experience new things in new places. When we travel, we leave our homes and everything we know behind us. Everything is new and exciting, and there is definitely no clear routine you have to follow.
Reduces Stress and Anxiety
One of the best health benefits of traveling is its impact on our mental wellbeing. Traveling has been proved to help reduce stress and stress-related anxieties. The stress of work can have a toll on our mental health, which is why it’s good to get a break. It gives your mind the chance to relax and stop working over time every day. Traveling lets you rewind and recharge your mental batteries, which is something that we all need to do every once in a while.
There’s something relaxing about packing your bags and visiting foreign places. When you’re always stressed and anxious, it can have a negative toll on your mental and even physical health. Stress has been linked to things like insomnia, muscle pain, obesity, high blood pressure and even heart disease. So, if you want to lower your stress level, traveling is the perfect medicine. If you are unable to travel or need extra help to lower your stress level and managing your anxiety, reach out to a therapist at BetterHelp.
Traveling makes us happier
It may seem like an obvious one but traveling has the power to increase our happiness. You get to take time off work or college to go on an exciting adventure that lets you explore new places, meet new people and try new things – what’s not to like? All of these new experiences boost your mood and helps you to reduce the feeling of being “trapped” in a routine. It also helps you learn to be more spontaneous.
When you’re traveling, you’re more likely to do things you probably wouldn’t do at home. If you’re visiting a major city like London, you could leave in the morning and not be back at your London hotel until the early hours of the morning. There’s so much to do and see that you forget your worries and fears and instead, let yourself enjoy the time away to help improve your mental and emotional health.
Travel is a confidence booster
Travelling has the potential to increase self-confidence and broaden your horizons. As you’re travelling, you’ll gain more knowledge about the world and yourself. Interacting with new people from different cultures helps to improve your communication skills too, which in turn, helps to increase your confidence.
Travel inspires us to take an extra leap of faith. We’re more likely to test ourselves and push our own boundaries as part of the experience. Traveling is also a great way to re-discover yourself. Many people embark on journeys of self-discovery when they travel, which can help you to get to know yourself better.
Strengthen your relationships
Traveling with loved ones such as friends, family or a partner has the power to strengthen your relationship with that person. It helps to increase your closeness to the other person, and some studies even show that couples who travel together, enjoy a heightened sense of closeness and improvements in self-esteem too.
Enjoying some quality time together is a great way to tighten bonds. It also gives you the opportunity to experience new things together, and if any problems arise, you can both tackle them together as a team.
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About the Author: Other Voices
Other Voices has written 1178 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.