It is virtually everyone’s dream to retire and constantly travel the globe. Traveling is fun and most individuals perceive it as an excellent way to unwind and get away from all the problems and pressure that the world has to offer. While a part of this is correct, what people don’t realize is that such things that are on your bucket list can negatively affect your mental health. You are probably wondering how this is possible, as several individuals have told you that taking time off and traveling the world is right for your mental stability. Traveling is not bad, but the downside mental health effect of traveling can be, and this is how.
The Downside Mental Health Effect of Traveling
Jet-lag Effects
Traveling comes with a lot of pressure, all from planning, packing, and actually traveling. It gets worse if you are traveling abroad, which will take a lot more time. Imagine spending hours sitting on the bus or plane. This will disturb your sleep patterns and the results are feelings of drowsiness, tiredness, disorientation, and irritation. These are not good for your mental health. Although you might not realize it immediately, jet-lag kills your energy and happiness.
Too Much Traveling Causes Stress
While some people travel to relieve stress, to some, traveling can induce a lot of stress. Travel stress is characterized by pressure and mental strain as you try to have the perfect experience. For starters, you will be dealing with financial stress. Traveling is financially consuming, and sometimes, dealing with other expenses and ensuring that you have enough travel money can be stressful. You will also deal with planning stress, not to forget the stress of juggling the needs of your traveling companion. In the end, you will realize that you did not enjoy the whole process of the trip. Instead, you spent most of your time worrying, and in the end, this affects your mental stability.
Loneliness and Being Away from Family and Friends
Traveling and social media can be put under the same category. They both keep us apart from our loved ones. As fun as they may seem, sometimes they cause loneliness by breaking the network we have with our loved ones. You may be thinking that everything will be alright, provided you keep constant communication with them over phone calls or social media platforms. But the truth is, you will end up feeling lonely, and this will negatively affect your mental health. You need to connect with your family and friends for you to maintain your mental health. You need to be around people that make you happy because happiness and stable mental health go hand in hand. This is something that you do not get by always traveling and being away from everyone you love.
If you’re a frequent traveler, we recommend you take a look at some of these mental health resources in order to both better understand mental health and how to stay in a positive mindset while always on the go:
Too much traveling means that you will always be on the move. Your mind will barely get time to relax, your body is subjected to constant climate and environmental changes, and this cannot be good for your mental health. The most important thing is to keep yourself in a stable mental state of mind.
