During my journey to finding what feeds my soul, the importance of travel in my life is a HUGE element. It is something I have incorporated into my lifestyle and it is a crucial element to keeping me sane. I made it a pact with myself to plan at least one get-away a month, whether solo or with my partner, to an exciting destination. I’ve come to realize that we should all hold onto the things that bring us joy and light — life is too short to not indulge in tiny, beautiful moments. Traveling sparks that joy within me.
A few years ago, I remember how suffocated I felt with life in general.. I was a full-time college student with a full-time job and I was constantly weighed down with the pressure of balancing everything on my plate. Little did I know, that plate was not sturdy enough to hold all the overabundance of weight I was piling on. As time continued, my energy was depleted and trying to attain any sort of equilibrium was shot. I compare that time of my life as almost being in a robotic state — I rarely found time to just do things for myself.
My senior year, I remember experiencing my first panic attack – it was a week before finals and I just had gotten home from a 16-hour day. Slumped on my bathroom wall and feeling so incredibly hopeless, my nerves had overtaken my body and the fear of not being able to catch my breath completely paralyzed my body. Thankfully, I was able to gain control of my nerves and immediately jumped back into the car. And drove.
And drove.
As the miles climbed, I felt my insides start to dissolve. The bliss of being immersed in unfamiliarity gave me a strange feeling of comfort and I made the split decision to find a place to stay for the night, wherever I was. I had crossed the border into the neighboring state of Pennsylvania and booked the cheapest hotel I could find. I stopped at a local grocery store and picked up my favorite snacks (two boxes of extra cheddar cheez-its!) and spent that night peeling away the things that made me feel inadequate – all the things on my plate that made me sad, angry, stressed and frustrated. And it felt GOOD. I cried a lot, I laughed over ridiculous sitcoms on the cable t.v, I turned the music all the way up on my headphones and had a dance party. But most importantly, I spent quality time…with myself.
The next day, I cannot tell you how different I felt. I realized it was the first time I had felt at peace in awhile. After thinking about it on the way back home, it dawned on me that placing myself outside of my reality was the most therapeutic experience I ever had. Since that mini road trip, I made a pact with myself to make traveling a priority. And it didn’t have to be anything extravagant! Whether hopping on a plane to a new destination or hopping in the car for a mini weekend getaway to a neighboring city, the importance of ripping ourselves away from the norm will forever be something I will advocate for. Resetting and restoring our minds and bodies from our daily routines is 1000% needed, for everyone, everywhere!
As we approach a new month in a few short weeks, I encourage you all to do the same. You owe it to yourself to release, restore and maybe perhaps, fall in love with some place new. Find what sparks joy within you and if you’re finding it difficult to pinpoint, take a step back and go somewhere you’ve never been before. Get lost and allow yourself to just be…no expectations, no worries, no pressure. You deserve it.
Namaste.
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