If you’re anything like me the prospect of not being able to travel for months makes for pretty gloomy thinking. With life having been turned completely upside down it’s difficult to keep a positive mental attitude. So I thought I’d help you out with this traveller’s guide to mentally surviving Covid-19.
I will start by saying that of course people’s health and saving as many lives as possible is far more important than travel. We need to stay home to limit the spread of the disease and to keep those who are elderly and vulnerable safe. But I wanted to write this post to touch on the thing not many people are talking about – mental health.
Not being able to do what you love, see the people you love or do anything that in any way resembles your normal routine is bound to have a negative affect on your mental health. It’s ok to admit you’re struggling. But there are things you can do to help yourself remain as positive as possible. So without further ado, here’s my traveller’s guide to mentally surviving Covid-19.
Plan For the Future
My best coping mechanism has been to start planning future travel. Ok, we might not know when so ‘the future’ is a pretty vague term at the moment, but there will be a time when we get our freedom back. So why not use the little extra time we have right now to do some all important research.
My search history is full of travel related questions – ‘What’s the temperature in Australia at Christmas?’ ‘When’s the best time of year to go to Iceland?’ ‘How many days do I need in Dubai?’
Researching new destinations allows you to get excited. You’re creating something to look forward to and when the time comes you can click that button and book that trip. All that research will be done and you can look forward to counting down the days and packing your suitcases.
Watch Travel Documentaries
This goes hand in hand with doing some travel planning. I normally struggle to find the time to watch that much on TV. I have so many bookmarked programmes that I just haven’t gotten around to seeing.
My favourite recent watch was ‘Dark Tourist’ on Netflix. Throughout the eight part series David Farrier travels to some of the most extreme and even dangerous dark tourist spots around the globe. Give it a watch, you won’t be disappointed!
‘Travel’ in Your Own Back Yard
Ok so this isn’t exactly ‘travelling’, at least not very far, but the last few weeks have taught me just how much is on my doorstep that I never knew was there before. Venturing out for my daily walk I have discovered new places within just a few miles from my home.
If you’re able, make sure to leave the house for exercise every day. Not only do endorphins make you happy but the sun is shining and our planet is beautiful. Who knows what secret spots you might stumble upon.
Create Travel Content
We’ve all got that video we were supposed to edit from a trip three years ago, or those photos we’ve been telling ourselves we were going to print and make into a scrap book. Well now the time has come!
In day to day life we’re usually too busy to complete these tasks. So make the most of the opportunity to get those travel chores done. Being productive will make you feel so much better as well.
For any fellow bloggers out there use the time to reflect on your recent trips and create more content. We might not be travelling at the moment but that doesn’t mean work stops. Use the time to get ahead of the game!
Look On the Bright Side
It’s a scary time at the moment but there are positives to be taken out of every situation. The planet is healing and when we do return to travel it’s going to be all the better because of it. I’m never going to take freedom for granted again and it will make every experience all the richer.
Stay home, stay safe, keep positive and hopefully we’ll be back travelling again soon.
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