The summer season is coming to a close, but there is still time to get in a quick out of town vacation. Traveling is a great way to help eliminate stress. (click here to read more) While the entire travelling process should be relaxing, we know that no travelling experience is void of complications. Potential complications include lost luggage, delayed flights, backed up highway traffic, and negative interactions with travel companions. It’s easy to get caught up in negative energy while traveling because there are some parts of the travelling process that cannot be controlled. It’s the unknown factors presented during vacations that should encourage people to be prepared to handle the situations that can be controlled. Your vacation should also be a vacation from stressors that might lead to a depressive state. Those of us who battle depression should be extra mindful not to pack depressive behaviors with our belongings. Here are three things I recommend you do to leave your depression at home.
- Disconnect from social media.
When you travel on vacation, you have to ask yourself, “why am I really on this trip and who am I on this trip to please? Are you travelling so that others can know you are somewhere special? Or, are you travelling because you want to make other people jealous? If you really contemplate the reason for your vacation, you should realize that you are travelling to relax and to build memories with the people you are travelling with. Therefore, the people who are not present on the trip are not the focus of the trip. I know that social media is a way to share adventures with friends and family. But, you don’t have to live your vacation with everyone else in real time. Once you start posting pictures, it will be difficult to stay away from comments. And from there you will be connected to social media at a more intense level. People will start asking questions and you will feel obligated to respond. At which point, you will lose yourself in the virtual world instead of living in the present reality. I recommend that you vacation from social media when you are on vacation. Take pictures and videos and post them to social media when you return home. If you have to be on social media, don’t mention your trip. Allow yourself some personal private moments. Give yourself the gift of a peaceful vacation by keeping everyone out of your business.
- Venture outside of your accommodations.
Vacations offer a time to relax and experience new activities. Make it a point to physically leave the hotel/resort grounds or cruise ship. Even though you are not at home, your accommodations are almost synonymous with being “home”. Try not to lock yourself into a routine that is typical to one that you might experience at home. Most accommodations provide everything you need, food, entertainment, relaxation, as does your house. Don’t get trapped inside. Get out and go somewhere. Most locations have plenty of places to visit at little to no cost. Visit the local mall or markets. Go to a museum or other historical landmarks. Try a new restaurant. But whatever you do, don’t stay stationary. It’s important to note that sometimes it might mean that you have to go somewhere without the people you know. Sometimes you might want to experience something that the others don’t want to try. That’s okay. Most accommodations have group excursions. Hook up with a group of new people and enjoy yourself. This will only add to the adventure.
- Be spontaneous.
I am thankful to be able to talk to so many people who have been effected by depression. I learn so much from each of you. Many of you in the I Press On community have stated that you prefer being in control of the things that you know you can control. For instance, being dedicated to your job, keeping a clean home and parenting your children help to manage your depression because you can dictate the events to make these tasks successful. In other words, being in control is empowering.
Following a schedule definitely fits into the category of things that can be controlled. However, routines should be for the workweek. Vacations are a time to let go of schedules. It’s important to be flexible while on vacation. Having a scheduled event interrupted by an unforeseen circumstance could be stressful, especially if you already heavily depend on schedules. The best way to avoid unnecessary stress is to just go with the flow. I would like to challenge you to travel with the expectation of adventure by allowing your schedule to be an adventure within itself. Eat when you’re hungry not when you think you should. Get out of the bed and take a midnight stroll on the beach. Take an unexpected trip to a nearby city. Live and don’t feel guilty because what you are doing hasn’t been written out ahead of time.
Don’t allow depression an opportunity to rear its ugly head while you travel. Remember, travelling is a time to live in the moment, experience new things and follow a flexible schedule. Embrace your time away from home and work as a way to let go of things you normally do. Let’s try to live life to the fullest, and always, let’s press on together!