Try Traveling Alone the Next Time You Feel Like You Need a Break

When it comes to self-care, what do you do for yourself?  How do you take yourself out of the daily grind and find something to calm your mind?  Perhaps you take a bubble bath, or maybe you’re into yoga, meditation or even affirmations.  Whatever it is, self-care is extremely important and varies from person to person.  As we start to look inward for more peace, it’s likely that we will turn to some of these ways of managing our stress.  But there are times when you just need more.  I, myself have been feeling a bit restless lately.  And my usual ways of coping with stress just aren’t cutting it anymore.  I mean, even the state of politics in this country is maddening.  That’s not something a bubble bath can cure. That’s why it might be time for something different.

I have done a lot of traveling throughout my life.  Maybe not far and wide trips, but the pattern I’ve discovered is that when things got difficult, I usually took a trip to clear my head.  Often these trips would give me some kind of perspective, and I would come home feeling refreshed.  I would feel like I could handle the things that life was throwing at me much easier.  In some cases, I returned home a new woman and managed to reinvent myself.  I should clarify – in these situations, I was traveling alone.  That’s right – no friends or family to fill up my days.  Just me, the beach and usually a book.  Let’s explore the benefits of traveling alone.

It’s Your Time

You get to do what you want to do.  In our society, it seems like women aren’t allowed to take time for themselves.  It’s often viewed as selfish.  If a mom wants just one hour without kids, she’s seen as a bad mom.  But that’s not the truth.  Think about it like the old airplane mask saying – you have to put your mask on before you can help another person with theirs.  If we apply that to life, we’re saying that you can’t expect to look after others if you haven’t looked after yourself.  When you’re traveling with other people, you always have to take their wants into consideration.  But if you go by yourself, the whole trip is your own to structure how you want.  If you want to lay on the beach all day (which I’ve done), you can do it.  If you want to go on a shopping spree – have at it.  It can be extremely empowering to live in a way where you are in control.  Even if it’s just for a moment.

Life Detox

A short trip can definitely help you detox from all the everyday stresses of your life.  Vacationing alone gives you time to finish reading that book that you’ve been meaning to finish.  Or get some journaling done.  Maybe it will give you time to start meditating.  We live in a world where women are expected to be all things to everyone, but we always neglect ourselves.  I don’t mean that in a sexist way either.  There are a lot of men who are very supportive of their partners, but it’s just the way we are hard-wired sometimes.  A solo trip is definitely going to give you the opportunity to indulge and prioritize yourself for once.  It doesn’t have to be far, and it doesn’t have to be long.  But a weekend away to the beach or where ever you find your happiness is certainly going to go a long way in helping you to reconnect with yourself.