Sippin Gypsy Guest Post: The Mental Health Benefits of Travel by Adam Durnham

Cheers Sippin Gypsy Travelers! This post comes to you while enjoying a Sippin Gypsy Chocolate and Mint Non Martini Protein Shake.
This post was written by my friend Adam Durnham who specializes in Mental Health and has some really great insights to the benefits of travel and your mental well being and balance.  As a wife, mother and career woman, I know I was able to relate to many of his points and suggestions. Too often we get pulled into the stresses of life and we forget to take time to do things that enable us to 'reset' and rejuvenate ourselves. Enjoy!

The Mental Health Benefits of Travel
When you first think of traveling, what comes to your mind? Do you think of the ultimate family vacation? Do you think of a solo trip across the country? Maybe you think of going to that popular Caribbean destination you just saw on your internet search. You might think about meeting people from other cultures and exploring the world.

Traveling is one of the most fun things you can do. It is also a great way to create unforgettable memories as well. However, it is more than just having fun. Traveling can improve your overall well being. Whether you just got out of a dual diagnosis rehab or have an overly stressful job, Traveling can help to improve your mental health in the following ways.

Reducing Stress
Many people experience stress in their life. Some people have more stress than others. Those who are working 60 hours a week, taking care of someone else, or perhaps in recovery from some mental state may be overly stressed. If you have a lot of stress in your life, you should know that traveling can be one way to reduce that stress. Traveling gives you the break you need from the daily struggles that are causing you stress. It gives you the chance to relax, rest, and recharge, so you can lower your stress levels. A study done in 2013 shows that traveling reduced the stress level of 89% of people. That was only with one or two days of traveling as well.

Reinventing Yourself
One of the main reasons someone may have a decline in their mental health is because they don’t know who they are anymore. They can’t connect to their true feelings or experience happiness from things they used to be passionate about. If this is the case for you, it may be time to reinvent yourself. Traveling can help you with this. You might want to explore a foreign country or just travel the United States. By doing this, you are expanding your mind, experiencing new cultures, and taking on challenges. You can learn more about yourself, so you can invent the “new you”.

Feeling More Satisfaction and Happiness
Traveling can help you to feel more satisfaction in your life as well. Many people with mental health issues aren’t satisfied with the life they are living. They are tired of their job, exhausted from their responsibilities, and constantly feeling overwhelmed. When you are traveling, you can let all those things go for awhile. You can feel satisfaction through your explorations. This satisfaction can allow more happiness to flow into your life as well. Traveling allows you to feel more fulfilled. One study done by Cornell University shows that even thinking about an upcoming trip can bring you happiness.

Improved Mental Resilience
Traveling can improve your mental resilience as well. When you head off to a new place, you can feel  both intimidated and excited. You might feel scared but thrilled. The trip can help you strengthen both your emotional and mental resilience. There might be some obstacles you need to overcome when traveling. For example, you may need to learn a new language or deal with a situation when your car breaks down across the country. Overcoming these obstacles allows you to become more emotionally stable and strong. You learn to give up control and have patience.
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Expressing Your Creative Side
When you travel, you also get to express your creative side. Adam Galinksy, a Columbia Business School Professor , states that going to a foreign place and getting into their environment, raises your cognitive flexibility. Traveling gets you thinking outside of your normal perspective. It enhances your creative side. The more you engage in the culture of the place you are traveling to, the more you can expand your creativity.

Improved Productivity
Going on a trip can help to improve your productivity. One of the main reasons someone may need to go on a trip is because they need a break from the daily struggles. They may need a break from work, caring for a loved one, or to refresh their own body and mind. When someone gets in this run down state, they aren’t going to be very productive. However, taking a trip can help to reduce these overwhelming sensations and improve productivity.

Improved Behaviors
Traveling can help to improve behaviors as well. For instance, people who are depressed typically go into isolation. They avoid interacting with people or doing things they once enjoyed. This worsens the depressive state. If you suffer from depression, going on a trip can increase your interactions with others. It can get you moving which also helps to reduce depression as well.

Connecting to Nature
According to some studies, natural surroundings are often the best for promoting a better mental health state. Traveling can provide you with many natural experiences and connections. You might visit a mountain, go camping in the woods, or visit a natural spring. By doing this, you are connecting yourself to the world, to nature. You are connecting with something bigger than yourself. This often helps to improve mental health symptoms.

Trying New Things
One way to improve your mental health state is by trying new things. It is normal for people to avoid things because they feel uncomfortable doing them. However, trying new things also helps you learn who you are and what you enjoy. It allows you to take part in opportunities and enjoy new experiences. By doing this, you can create more happiness in your life. You can feel better mentally and emotionally.

If you need to improve your mental health state, traveling could be one way for you to do that. There are so many places you could explore in this world. There are so many different experiences you could have. Traveling could help improve your mental health state in so many ways. It could help you feel more happiness, satisfaction, enjoyment, and contentment in your life as well.

Find that new travel opportunity today!

Adam Durnham is a freelance blogger that specializes in mental health, addiction, and recovery. Whenever he is not traveling, Adam lives in Detroit, Michigan with his travel buddy Beignet.