Clearing Your Mind & Your Inbox

I know that I needed a little change of scenery, even for a couple weeks. It really can work wonders. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand that travel provides a number of benefits to your mental health. Just one trip away can help change your outlook on life for the better.

Creativity Boost

I need my creative fix.

I'm always inspired and influenced by new environments and experiences. I know that for myself, I need to immerse into the place and engage with its local culture. This open-mindedness helps me to embrace different ways of living to your own, in turn influencing your own outlook on life. I know that I need to have a creative outlet (writing, drawing, photography or as I like to call it - crafternoon) I find its a great way for me to practice mindfulness and put it to good use!

Seeing new things

I never thought that I would be lucky to see the great pyramids of Giza, walk in the sunflower fields of where my parents grew up in a tiny village in Macedonia, eat my weight in bagels in New York, train with Samurai in Kyoto, watch the sunrise in Berlin and simply chill out in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The impact of seeing new things and visiting unknown places that are continually changing, as they do when you travel, keeps your mind engaged and constantly processing those new experiences. There's no room for depressive thoughts while being flooded with new experiences, sights, sounds, and smells. You become saturated with the new and, like a wet sponge that cannot absorb any more, you can't absorb the past. Even when I stopped for the evening, the new experiences were so fresh in my mind they didn't allow other thoughts to creep in.

It strengthens relationships

Yes. I recently travelled with my mother. Yes. Some may call me mad, unhinged... but sharing travel experiences with another person makes your relationship with them stronger and (being extremely sentimental) - make for priceless memories! I'm sure all these good vibes have a knock-on effect on your own mental well-being and self-esteem.

Not only do you get to enjoy some quality time together and enjoy new experiences together that it brings you closer together and make your bond even stronger.

Stress relief

Groundhog Day. Sometimes we may feel that we are living each day on repeat. Groundhog Day. Sometimes we may feel that we are living each day on repeat.

Travel is a great way to escape the stresses and commitments of everyday life, offering novelty and change in the form of new people, sights and experiences. Without even knowing, you are also training your mind to kinda deal with the unexpected. With a short list of activities each day, freed up from the complexities of ongoing projects and relationships, the mind can reset, as does the body, with stress relief the main outcome.

But, for some, travel is not about seeing new places, but rather escaping old ones that have a negative impact on our lives. Holidays help us to manage stress as they take us away from the places and activities that contribute to our stress levels.

So, get on the plane, get on the bus, get on the ferry, get on your horse.. and take a break to clear your mind.

I'll leave you with the recent Qantas safety message, (which also doubled as a RM Williams advertisement). To be said in the manly voice of Hugh Jackman...

"It's not the number of steps, it's where they take you."

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