With our busy social lives and today’s high-stress environment, it could be difficult to find time for a vacation. Travel has a significant connection to brain health and provides a number of cognitive benefits when you step outside your comfort zone and interact with new people and settings. People tend to become more reflective and introspective when they travel, possibly to the point where they reassess their priorities and goals. Therefore, going on vacation and taking a break from your busy schedule can make a big difference in your overall physical and mental health. (Also read: Why you need to travel more with your kids; Expert shares insights )
Talking to HT Lifestyle, Ekta Mohanani Kamra, Travelling Enthusiast and Founder of Hop and Bop, shared some amazing benefits of taking regular vacations for your mental health.
1. Vacations reduce stress
One of the main factors that cause mental and physical sickness is stress, but you may actively combat this by travelling more. You can relax and recharge on vacations by taking your mind off of your regular activities. Travelling makes the stressors in your daily life seem far away, which makes them easier to understand when you go home.
2. Makes one resilient
We all understand that vacations aren’t always easygoing because of unforeseen costs, flight delays, and logistical difficulties. Although at first, this could seem frustrating, the uncertainty of travel adds to its exhilaration, and these challenges help you become more resilient.
3. Vacations help one connect with others
Many of us form close bonds with the familiar social networks we have at our homes, families, and places of employment. However, when you travel, you eventually come across strangers who may not appear, sound, or behave like you or the members of your usual social circle. We have fantastic opportunities to learn about various cultures and ways of life while on vacation.
4. Helps achieve peace of mind
Your cure is to travel! Travelling can make you disengaged from your daily routine. Once you quit the repetitive pattern, pack your things, and depart, your mind might reset. Through travelling to new places, meeting new people, and overcoming challenges, you could even come to value what you have left behind. It can help you take a moment to think about the things and people you miss. You can think back on all the good things that have happened to you and get a new perspective on your life.
5. Enhance your creativity
The fact that travelling forces you to step outside of your comfort zone is one of its biggest advantages. Everything appears new and fresh when travelling, especially if you are going to a place you have never been before.
6. Improves cognition
Travel improves cognition by providing the brain with unique experiences. You need the ingenuity to find a solution when you run into fresh challenges. The result is that the brain creates fresh neural connections that result in unique cognition.
In general, being able to travel is a true blessing. Many people lack the opportunity to do it. Those that get the chance experience excitement in their lives and gain new knowledge as a result. No matter how enjoyable or unpleasant your travel experience is, it will definitely teach you some valuable lessons about life.