I’ve been losing my fucking mind for the last 6 months man. If I am being honest, it was all fine and dandy until I saw my friends in Europe skating about the Mediterranean on yachts and having outdoor barbecues with ocean views.
Then, I got mad.
Therapy. That's what travel is. Travel, is therapy.
This has been the first real check and balance between my mental health and the importance of travel. I’m not sure where it fits on the hierarchy of needs pyramid, but I’d say its pretty high up there, subjectively speaking. I sometimes suffer from tremendous anxiety and my literal means of resetting my mind and stepping out of the chaos was to hop on a flight. Therapy, travel is therapy.
Being confined isn’t for me; the irony that I’d still risk a quarantine period if it meant I would be able to be free somewhere else!!! This has meant getting as creative as you can with whatever resources are available i.e. – get your staycation game up.
This has also been an unprecedented period of downtime and so I think increased exposure to the surge of information we are being bombarded with on a daily basis through our various social media platforms has been messing with all of our minds.
If you feel me, that travel is therapy then here are a few things you can do to simulate the travel experience and “trick” your mind into that relaxation only the feel of a hotel bed with a river view from the 15th floor of the Swissotel Moscow can lull you into.
Booking a staycation is a concept that has mushroomed nicely into a lifestyle during the pandemic and I’d imagine for the foreseeable future. There are a number of websites out there (explorethebahamas.com, yes this is a plug, no I am not ashamed lol) that you can visit to book a retreat. Packing an actual bag to immerse yourself in unfamiliar surroundings is one of the lullabies your soul hears in anticipation of a great trip. Treat your staycation, like a vacation and if ya got a lil ting then make a baecation – the point is, don’t under estimate the psychological benefits of a staycation. It’s still travel, and travel is therapy.
Disconnect from the world for a while. Not that there isn’t also positive news out there but the internet is just filled an ever mounting pile of negativity intermingled with uninteresting political propaganda and bullshit. Take some time away from Twitter, Whatsapp, Instagram, Youtube, whatever. It will do your mind some good to not have to constantly filter reality from fiction in the wave of sensory overload that occurs when you refresh your twitter TL. Within an hour you will find that your mental state improves tremendously, and you begin to think about things you didn’t notice you weren’t allowing yourself to think about because you were so bogged down with the frick and frack nonsense. Your mind will float, floating is like flight, flying is part of travel, and travel is…. (Say it out loud, it feels so good)
The beach has never looked so good has it? Those in New Providence that are still subject to the utterly nonsensical beach time restrictions will appreciate how good it feels to drive from “out east” to Goodman’s Bay. You may even choose a more secluded beach on a more remote part of the island. Make it feel like a trip, pack some snacks and have a mini breakfast picnic (make sure and take your damn trash when you leave, you KFC box leaving fiends make me sick).
The beach really is an underestimated therapeutic element of island life. I don’t know if it is the ocean breeze, the water temperature or something about the salt but just to lay back and let buoyancy do its thing is beautiful, it feels like freedom. Your body will float, floating is like flight, flying is a part of travel, and travel is therapy.
Book a local stay to get away, disconnect and detach to feel your mind relax; float in the Lucayan Sea and drift in her waves. Whatever you choose (you can also combine the three of them), I hope you feel some of the calming effects of travel.
Until we fly again!