Traveling to Improve Your Mental Health
By:
Nate Webster, IMH
Nothing
has taught me more about life than when I traveled abroad. Something amazing
happens when you get out of the familiarity of your life to somewhere new. New foods,
new people and new sights just have a way of changing the way you see the
world. Going to new places and seeing news things does wonders for our mental
and emotional wellbeing. In my own travels, a few things have stuck with me and
I hope they can convince you to take some time abroad as well.
1. We
always have a lot to learn: A professor once told me, “You don’t know
what you don’t know.” A simple adage with a big point. You can feel like you
know a lot but chances are there’s a whole lot you don’t know. Most of us see
education as a season of our life that we’ve thankfully graduated from, but
being a life long learner is the biggest key to success. During his career
Thomas Edison was quoted saying that he didn’t fail a 1000 times, he just found
a 1000 ways to NOT make a light bulb. Traveling has a wonderful way of
reigniting your curiosity and appetite for understanding, learning and
knowledge, and with those things we become kinder, humbler and more open-minded
individuals.
2. There’s a
different way of life: Sometimes when you’ve been in the same situation
for so long you can forget that there are other ways of doing things. I love
traveling because it reminds me that there are different ways to do all the
things in life that we all regularly do such as relaxing, relationships, work
and even holidays. It’s important to remember that the life you’ve come from
and the things you’ve experienced isn’t the way the whole world operates and
that can be really good news. Many of us come from families that were really
tough in one way or another, and it’s encouraging when we realize there is a
world outside the things we know.
3. Get to
know yourself: When you travel you often have much fewer distractions
and you often run into things that will make you feel uncomfortable. These may
sound pretty basic, but how often do you turn off the distractions of your life
and really challenge yourself with something new? The combination of less
distractions and discomfort are one of the healthiest things we can do for our
minds, because they really give us a chance to learn more about ourselves. When
you don’t have things distracting your emotions and thoughts, you get to really
ask yourself what you’re feeling. When you experience something that makes you
uncomfortable, you have space and opportunity to ask yourself why.
There is so much therapeutic value in
traveling, it helps you become a life long learner, realize there are different
ways of living life and most importantly, it helps you to learn yourself.
Whether it’s a day trip to a neighboring city or a pilgrimage half way around
the world, make a point to incorporate travel into your schedule. Your mind and
emotions will thank you!
To schedule an appointment
with Nate Webster, please call our office at 407-647-7005 or visit our website
at www.lifeworksgroup.org.
