One of the crucial components of overall health is a healthy mind. With the hustle and bustle of the modern world, staying mentally healthy can be a challenge. One of the benefits of modern times is that there are many treatments for mental health. One of the best remedies for poor mental health is traveling. The following reasons show how traveling can improve your overall wellness.
Gives You New Experiences
Perhaps the most prominent way that traveling improves your wellbeing is by giving you new experiences. When life becomes busy, it’s easy to fall into a routine that only involves going to and from work. While this may save time, it creates a sense of monotony and boredom in your life. This dullness can, unfortunately, lead to worsening anxiety and depression due to a lack of mental stimulation. Rather than succumbing to a boring routine, take a few days away to get some new experiences. By taking some time away, you can see new sights and add some variety to your schedule.
Traveling doesn’t require a massive budget. If you’re wanting to see the world without breaking the bank, one of the best things you can do is book your tickets in advance. For flights, the cheapest fares tend to be about six weeks before the departure date. When it comes to hotels, your best time to book will be only a week or two before you plan on staying. By booking early, you can save money on top hotels such as Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale. Saving money on your flights and lodging can make traveling easily accessible no matter what your budget is. By traveling, you can get new experiences and break out of your boring routine.
Removes Access To Stressors
Another way traveling can improve your mental health is by removing your access to stressors. When you’re in your usual routine, you are surrounded by a range of stressors, from work struggles to home tension. These stressors can become addicting, as the stress response releases dopamine in the brain. This hormone encourages you to repeat behaviors, causing you to seek out the stressor over and over again. In time, this behavior can become incredibly toxic, as it can lead to substance abuse issues and worsening mental illnesses.
By taking a few days away, you break out of that cycle of prolonged stress. When you’re out of town, you don’t have access to your normal stressors, which helps disrupt the chain of stress addiction. By reducing the amount of stress you’re in, you can improve your mental processing power, productivity, and focus. When you return from your vacation, you’ll feel more ready to tackle the problems you left behind, as your brain will have had the opportunity to reset itself. These reset periods are vital to your mental health, as they allow you to evaluate what’s truly important in your life and reset some goals. By getting out of town for a few days, you can take a breather and reduce the amount of stress you’re under, giving you access to a clear mind.
Improves Your Outlook
Finally, taking a few days away can improve your outlook on life. When you get out and try new things, your happiness level improves. It’s that simple. While that thought may seem silly, traveling and doing new things releases serotonin and dopamine in your brain. When these hormones are released, you feel an instant rush of warm-and-fuzzy happiness. These happy feelings can last weeks after your trip, making it a worthy expense in your yearly budget. In addition to getting serotonin, traveling also allows you to catch up on some rest. While you may not have the time to sleep enough at home, taking a short vacation lets you get the z’s you’ve been needing. If you’re feeling exhausted and burned out, it may be a good idea to take a few days away. Let your mind and body reset so you can return to work focused and ready to go.
To sum things up, taking a vacation can allow you to eliminate stress and reset your wellbeing. If you’re feeling trapped in your current mental state, take a few days away and put your stress on the back burner.
Photo by John McArthur on Unsplash
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
