How To Look After Your Mental Health While Travelling
Travel often goes hand in hand with the idea of fun and relaxation. However, leaving home for a foreign culture does also mean leaving your comfort zone which - at times - can be challenging. Stress, mishaps and misunderstandings are unavoidable, regardless of whether you’re a seasoned traveller or a newbie to nomad life.
This means it’s essential for all of us to take care of our mental health in the same way we would at home. Whether it's homesickness, stressful delays or encounters of loneliness - these are not only expected, but are normal. The important part is not to let these difficult days hinder your experience, but instead learn how to handle them.
Top Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health
1. Establish Rules
Most of us travel to discover new people and places while escaping from the mundane everyday. However, routines can help us feel calm and in control - even when we’re somewhere new. This sense of structure will look different to everyone, but a few suggestions include:
- Regular sleep patterns
- Start your day the same way each day whether it’s exercise, shower, breakfast
- Dedicating specific times for relaxation/downtime
2. Stay Active
This doesn’t mean joining a gym or perfecting fitness routines from YouTube. Instead, there are so many ways to keep fit while travelling that it can actually be easier than when you’re at home. Whether it's hiking, yoga, swimming, or simply going for regular walks. Exercise can significantly impact mental health by reducing stress and boosting mood.
This is because physical activity triggers the release of neurotransmitters like endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. These chemicals play a role in mood regulation, happiness, and reducing feelings of anxiety.
3. Mindfulness and Meditation
Travel often involves new environments, schedules, and challenges. Mindfulness and meditation techniques help reduce stress by promoting relaxation, calming the mind, and regulating emotions. This will allow you to navigate uncertainties more effectively.
Changing time zones, unfamiliar sleeping environments and jet lag can also impact sleep, which can cause havoc on our mental health. By incorporating mindfulness and meditation into your day, this will help aid relaxation and promote better sleep.
Best of all it’s free and simple to do! Here are a few ways to incorporate mindfulness and meditation into your day when travelling:
- Guided Meditation Apps: There are many free apps that provide short, portable meditations suitable for travellers. This will help you find moments of peace wherever you are.
- Walking Meditation: Take mindful walks, paying attention to each step, the sensations in your body, and the surroundings. Focus on the sounds, smells, and sights around you.
- Morning Ritual: Instead of waking up and reaching for your phone to start scrolling, start the day with a short meditation session. Set aside a few minutes in the morning to sit quietly, focus on your breath, and centre yourself for the day ahead.
- Bedtime Reflection: Not a morning person? Reflect on your day before bedtime instead. Take a few moments to review the day's experiences, acknowledge any feelings that popped up, and express gratitude for moments of joy or learning. This will help to empty the mind, ready to start fresh for a day of adventure tomorrow.
- Breathe! Practise simple breathing exercises throughout the day to ground yourself. Focus on slow, deep breaths to calm the mind and body.
4. Connect with Others
Loneliness or homesickness can lead to a downward spiral especially when travelling for a longer term. The good news is, we have so many resources to help you connect with others while on the road. Here at Workaway we understand that social support is vital for mental well-being, that’s why we have the option to find Workawayers nearby as well as endless ways to find a travel buddy. These resources are ideal for finding support from your fellow travellers both online and offline.
As well as building connections with fellow travellers, don’t forget your support system back home too. Particularly if you are travelling solo. Pick up a local SIM card when you arrive to keep in touch with friends and family, after all they know you better than anyone else.
It’s also important to connect with locals. It can be tough when loneliness strikes as sometimes you just want to hide in your room, but the smallest social interaction can make your day or give you a much needed confidence boost - especially if you’re an introvert.
5. Limit Social Media Use
While staying connected is important, try to avoid excessive social media use. Too often people get caught up in what they feel travelling should look like, or sharing every detail of their trip. This causes more harm than good to our mental health.
It’s important to set boundaries and take breaks from screens to focus on the present moment. Also, remember that social media is a highlights reel. Everyone wants to share the perfectly posed bikini snap or sunrise hike, but no one wants to share the fatigue, flight delays or food poisoning.
If your feed is full of sunshine when you’re struggling, it can be too easy to start comparing your journey to everyone else's, so take a step back from social media and switch off. It will do wonders for your mental health.
6. Try Journaling
If you find yourself craving some scroll time, reach for a journal instead. Maintaining a travel journal to reflect on your experiences, thoughts, and emotions can be a therapeutic outlet. Journaling also helps process feelings during your journey. It will help identify patterns and organise your thoughts which can be so difficult to do when feeling overwhelmed. Not to mention, the bonus of preserving your travel memories along the way!
Now I get no one wants extra backpack weight so there’s no need to carry around a huge journal. You can use the notes app on your phone, email yourself, record voice notes - journaling doesn’t need to be pouring your heart out with pen and paper. Find a way that feels right for you and you’re more likely to stick to it.
7. Seek Nature
Being in natural environments, whether forests, parks, or near bodies of water, reduces cortisol levels (the stress hormone), promoting relaxation and reducing feelings of anxiety and tension. Not to mention, the tranquillity and beauty of natural surroundings can elevate your mood, increase feelings of happiness and boost overall well-being.
There is also the added bonus that most outdoor activities involve physical movement such as hiking or even gardening. As mentioned earlier, exercising releases endorphins which will help to reduce stress and improve your mood.
8. Practice Gratitude
When travelling with my partner, we have a motto for when times get tough: “it could be worse, we could be at work right now”. It makes us smile on those days where everything is going wrong and reminds us to be grateful that we’re on this journey together instead of sat at a desk in a stressful office.
Whether you have a silly saying like us, or you note down three reasons to be grateful each morning - whatever your method, gratitude can work wonders on your mental health.
In fact, science says so! Research in 2021 suggests that making a conscious effort to practise gratitude can have a positive effect on mental health and can help counteract the negative thought patterns that depression creates
9. Priorotise Self Care
Despite what social media makes us believe, self-care isn’t about spa days or expensive skin care routines. It simply means prioritising practices that make you feel good. Whether it's reading, listening to podcasts, enjoying a favourite hobby, or phoning a friend back home. For me, it means prioritising an early night and getting a full night’s sleep. For others, it might mean alone time, a bubble bath or dancing to their favourite tunes.
By integrating these self-care practices into your travel routine, you can nurture your mental health, maintain balance, and enhance your overall well-being all while exploring new destinations.
10. Maintain a Nutritious Diet
When you’re in a new country battling with a new time zone and traditions, following certain dietary restrictions or maintaining your usual meal times can be difficult. You may be tempted to grab fast food more, skip meals for exploring, or spend your adventure funds on nights out instead of nutrition (we’ve all been there!)
However, a balanced diet ensures an adequate intake of essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids, which are crucial for optimal brain function and mental health. It is also essential for sufficient energy levels, so you can maintain focus and a positive mental state while exploring new destinations.
Eating well helps to regulate blood sugar levels, prevent energy crashes and mood swings. This will help to stabilise your mood and reduce any hanger-induced arguments or irrational thoughts. On top of this, it's important you stay hydrated to avoid fatigue and keep your immune system functioning at its best.
Thankfully, there are so many tempting Workaway opportunities for foodies to make maintaining a healthy diet easy and allows you to travel through your tastebuds with ease. If you’re struggling on the road, improving your diet is one of the easiest ways to make a big difference. You’ll soon realise a healthy diet supports cognitive function and mental clarity, which are essential for navigating new environments, making decisions, and problem-solving while travelling.
11. Seek Professional Help if Needed
Finally, if you find yourself struggling with mental health, don't hesitate to seek professional help. Travelling abroad doesn’t mean you can’t access therapists or counsellors, in fact online therapy sessions can take place wherever you are.
You can contact these services anonymously, chat via text or set up a zoom call to work through things face to face. While you may be able to find local options with a more traditional office or workshop setting, a quick Google Search will also connect you with worldwide volunteers and organisations that can offer free online services.
As you embrace the thrill of exploring new cultures, it's crucial to acknowledge the challenges that come with leaving the familiar behind. Stressful moments, misunderstandings, and occasional bouts of loneliness are part and parcel of the nomadic lifestyle.
Yet, within these moments lies an opportunity for growth and resilience. Remember, it's not about avoiding these hurdles, but rather, learning to navigate them with grace and confidence. So take a breath, find your balance, and let these experiences sculpt a more confident and empowered traveller within you. Embrace the difficult days as valuable lessons and remember a bad day doesn't need to be a bad week or a bad month. You got this!
About Lauren
Growing up in a small coastal village in Scotland inspired Lauren to seek adventure and challenge the norm. Armed with just her backpack and trusty travel companion Darren, she quit her day job to liv
