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Post-Travel Blues: Coping with Mental Health Challenges After a Travel image

Post-Travel Blues: Coping with Mental Health Challenges After a Travel

S3 E18 ยท Wild & Basic with Murs Alison
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175 Plays1 year ago

Traveling is fun and exciting, but it can also affect us severely both physically and mentally. I think we always have a certain expectation for our travels and some do deliver that and some don't, but what happens afterward. That's what I want to talk about in today's episode.

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Transcript

Video vs Audio: The Comfort Dilemma

00:00:15
Speaker
Hey guys, so welcome, welcome back to this podcast. Honestly, there are times that I'm like really, really regretting that I chose to just do video episodes, because some days it's just like, I absolutely feel like shit, I feel like I look horrible, just...
00:00:37
Speaker
There's just a lot going on besides like choosing a topic that's like completely different story but it's more like I'm like I don't look camera ready and I just I'm like
00:00:51
Speaker
Like, why? I feel like I used to feel more, like, special. Not like special, I mean, like, I just wouldn't care so much when I was doing audio version. It was more like, well, just today, you know, I would, like, say whatever I want. I'm like, I can literally be in bed. Like, I can be naked in bed. Like, nobody would know. But when you're doing video version, it's a different story. So, anyways, yeah, I'm back.

Break Reflections and Favorite Episodes

00:01:18
Speaker
We took two weeks break, I think that was kind of it. There was an episode that was like a from the archive. So if you don't want to listen to that, that was actually one of the very, very good episodes. It's called posting for the sake of posting. I really, really liked that episode. I'm so glad that we are doing these things like from the archive because there are a few episodes. I feel like they deserve more love and maybe they didn't get it at the time and maybe things were different.

The Double-Edged Sword of Travel for Mental Health

00:01:47
Speaker
That sounds like so glad like we are posting these like the older episodes again so you guys can listen to them or new audience can listen to them but today I want to talk about mental health is obviously like big thing in this podcast and for me and I want to talk about how traveling affects our mental health and I think for the most part right
00:02:16
Speaker
I personally believe that traveling helps your mental health like it's actually in a good way like you definitely feel better by yourself afterwards or your mental health isn't a better place but I realize this past few weeks and month honestly like pretty much entire summer too yeah like since like the probably since like May or since June
00:02:46
Speaker
Until now, I feel like it has been a lot of traveling for me. I've been going back and forth between New York. I was in LA. Yeah, like lots of traveling and I think it was fun for the most part. It definitely was. But I think someone would was also because like I had things that I needed to be doing and our there was work that I need to do. But I realized
00:03:16
Speaker
That definitely took a lot of, I don't know, I feel like I took a toll. I definitely took a toll. My body took a toll physically. I feel like it was, I just, going back and forth, it was not that great. I think it was, I liked the idea of it. I think going back and forth between New York and Miami, and I think I'm for sure a lot of people do that as well.

Identity Crisis: Between New York and Miami

00:03:41
Speaker
but i just feel like it's definitely a lie like i think uh
00:03:47
Speaker
Like it is cool that you can get to do that, right? Like you can go back and forth, like you get to keep in touch with the people from your past or like make new connections. I think that's great because traveling overall helps us with like, I don't know, like helps us like be more motivated and like we find a new inspiration. But also on the other side, we break our
00:04:13
Speaker
Like routine and that kind of sometimes helps us to like just take a step back from that. It helps us like not to be stressed because sometimes being in the same environment over and over it makes us more stressed. So I think there's definitely like a lot of positives in that aspect.
00:04:32
Speaker
But I just think because there was lots of traveling, obviously some of it was for work, but some of it was because there were many things that was happening that I'm like, I do need to be there for reasons. I just didn't realize how much that affected me and that's what I want to kind of talk about it. This is all my experience. I'm not saying that's bad per se, but I'm realizing it's just that I feel like
00:04:59
Speaker
Because New York is a place that I'm obviously from and like I live, I used to live there. So I think many times because I, even a couple of times, almost every other time, I kind of stayed like a week.
00:05:16
Speaker
And that kind of confused me in many ways. I feel like because I am not fully settled in Miami and I don't feel like I am fully
00:05:32
Speaker
here per se like i feel like if miami was a place that i have always lived before and if i was going back and forth um between other places not just newer another place i just don't think that would be an issue because like i know that place is my home but i think i when i made the decision to move to miami i was trying to i guess like make another home
00:06:00
Speaker
But now, I feel like I am in this confusing state of mind that I don't necessarily know where home is. I mean, I do know physically where it is, but I just feel like the feeling of it, I feel like I am kind of confused.
00:06:21
Speaker
Because whenever I am here, I feel like I'm home. I hang out with friends and I do things that I usually do. I go to gym, work on my computer and do a bunch of other things. But then also when I go to New York, I have meetings or I go to events and I go to gym as well. I also have a home there.
00:06:48
Speaker
I don't know, I guess in some ways it feels like I am holding on to past, and I guess it feels like in some ways that I haven't moved on. And I guess that's what it's making me feel like, and that's definitely affecting me in many ways, and that's why I'm kind of like

The Anxiety of Returning Home

00:07:13
Speaker
glad that i'm not traveling for a while well for a while i mean like maybe like two months barely two months um i will be doing like a short trip for sure uh in november but uh yeah for like october and november i'm not traveling i have same october like this is october i just can't believe this is only october
00:07:36
Speaker
Anyways, I feel like this whole thing is giving me anxiety because I don't know, I feel like time is like flying so fast and this whole traveling made me realize how fast the time flowed by and it hasn't even been a year that I moved here. I don't know, things feel so different to me because I thought like I would feel like at least I made a home or
00:08:06
Speaker
another home here in Miami, it doesn't feel like that. I think it's because I wasn't here all the time. Maybe that's why. I'm not sure, honestly. I'm really, really not sure. I think traveling definitely confused me in many ways. And I would say this too is like, and I remember this, not from this, but also from like another time that I did traveling that was, I think my memories in the relationship, this was probably last year.
00:08:36
Speaker
Last year or the year before, me and my boyfriend decided to do a long trip in California. We wanted to go to LA, obviously. We wanted to go to San Francisco. We wanted to go to Palm Springs, like a bunch of places in LA. Obviously, these are like, yes, they're all in California, but California is huge.
00:09:02
Speaker
you cannot necessarily do that all in one week so I think we have like almost like two and a half week of traveling we were in um like first I think we were in Vegas actually we started in Vegas yeah first we were in Vegas and from Vegas we did the road trip to Palm Springs then from Palm Springs we did a trip to
00:09:28
Speaker
I feel like San Diego, maybe LA, I honestly don't remember, but then LA as well, then from LA, we actually flew to San Francisco. Anyways, like this was, I'm not trying to say this like to, you know, be like, I did a trip, like not that. I'm just saying like, that was like a pretty long trip. And I remember when I came back from that trip, I was kind of depressed.
00:09:54
Speaker
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Travel Disruptions and Relationships

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Speaker
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00:10:42
Speaker
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00:11:10
Speaker
that is 20% off anything you order when you shop better hydration today using promo code WB at liquidiv.com like after you travel you have this depression like that like you want to go out again you want to like be somewhere else again
00:11:30
Speaker
And that partially is true. Yeah, like I feel like you will get that, but I feel like sometimes also like you get so used to that routine that you have during your travel. I'm not just a routine. I feel like it's like, I don't know, like the mindset or whatever you're doing is like how you are at that time, I guess. Then you suddenly come back to like reality and you're like, whoa, like,
00:11:58
Speaker
Where am I? It's almost like you feel... What is... I was... I literally... Like the word was in the top, like in the tip of my mouth and it just... Tip of my tongue. Mouth. Tongue. I just... It just couldn't... Disoriented. Oh, that's the word I was looking for. Yeah, like you kind of feel disoriented.
00:12:24
Speaker
this stuff that's how I would say that's how I feel um because I feel like when you travel a lot or when you just travel for a long period of time and once you're like in one place you're like
00:12:38
Speaker
what just happened? Am I like, am I in a simulation? Like honestly, most of the time that's what I'm thinking. I'm like, am I in a simulation? Like, am I in this place or am I like in that place? Like, um, that's what's like confused me the most. And I think one thing also like so different is like, at least just like going from like further places like California and stuff, like because there's time difference, obviously you kind of feel the difference that like you're like,
00:13:06
Speaker
I'm not in California anymore, I'm not in this place anymore. Going back and forth between places that are not super far from each other or they're in the same time zone, that sometimes even confuses me the most. Like with New York and Miami, because they're the same time zone, Eastern time zone, so you don't really necessarily get jet lag. So because that's one of the disadvantages of traveling, you get jet lag and you're tired. But I feel like it's also like,
00:13:38
Speaker
Yeah, because I got, I get so used to so quick, it's my lifestyle in New York that I come back here and I'm like, now what? Like, oh, I'm still in New York? Oh, no, I'm not, like I'm here. Like, I don't know, I feel like also like sometimes I'm like connecting with people here, then it's like this, like, this is the best way to put it. I feel like when I first started in New York, like,
00:14:05
Speaker
Because I feel like I already know people, it almost feels like I never left. It's like I pick up from where I left off. Like, that's how I would say it. It's like, nothing has changed. I just, I can see the same people, I can see my same friends. Nothing feels different at all.
00:14:25
Speaker
Which I guess in many ways that's a great thing because it doesn't feel like I am missing out so much or I am. It's not even about missing out it's more about like I feels like nothing has changed and like I can count on those people. But in some ways also like when I am I guess like in Miami or when I'm in a new place I feel like I have to somewhat start over again because
00:14:50
Speaker
I don't necessarily have those kind of relationships here. Yes, I have made friends here, but I feel like those are still newer friendships and relationships that I have to cultivate in culture and I have to try a bit harder to
00:15:09
Speaker
to like, I don't know, like keep those relationships and friendships. So it's like, it feels like I have to try an extra effort to just to do that. And I think that's what makes it like, I guess like harder, like really, really harder because I feel like New York just feels so easy to me because I haven't been there like longest. But when I come back here, I'm like, oh, it almost feels like I have to start over.
00:15:38
Speaker
it's also because I feel like some of the friendships they take a toll maybe it's because I'm like they were different before before I started traveling this much now they just maybe they're strained in some ways those friendships I don't know it's really that's something like the best way to describe is like the whole time I just feel disoriented and it's been like maybe

Escaping Problems Through Travel: A Temporary Fix?

00:16:05
Speaker
Yeah, it hasn't even been two weeks since I got back from New York. And last week, honestly, it kind of felt such a busy week because as soon as I came back, I had this collaboration that I had to get content for. Then I, I don't know, I'm trying to like what else I did. Yeah, then I like met with friends and like, doesn't take, I feel like maybe I didn't necessarily had the time to just like,
00:16:31
Speaker
process where i am um i don't know i feel like it has been a minute and that's why i'm like trying to even explain this process that like sometimes like
00:16:42
Speaker
Yes, traveling is great, traveling helps you a lot, and like, you discover new cultures, new places and everything, but that can also affect you very differently. That's why I would say, this is my personal opinion, okay? Don't take this, like, take everything as a grain of salt. I feel like the best, like, amount of time to travel is literally like two, maybe three days.
00:17:09
Speaker
because anything more than three days or so
00:17:13
Speaker
I don't know like once you come back to your routine it fucks you up like it messed you up so bad at this for me I just feel like you're like wait like this is my routine like this is what I was doing it's just that it takes a while to like get back to where you were before so that's how I would say like I feel like maybe because like I'm I should have made my like stay shorter but at the same time it's like I'm like I know so many people in New York like I don't want to just be like oh sorry like I'm
00:17:43
Speaker
I'm there, I'm staying with my dad, I'm like, I don't want to be like, I don't want to stay with you, I'm only here for this, like, you know, you don't want to pull that. So it's definitely, I would say it's 100% very, very difficult. I think on top of it is that like, I feel like once you're in a place that is like longer than a few days or like becomes a week or so, you get used to
00:18:08
Speaker
I mean, at least I do, that's what I'm saying. I get used to how people are, and I feel like I have, I'm getting so used to how also people are here in Miami, then all of a sudden when I go back to New York, I'm like, oh no, this is how it is here. I just definitely know the difference, but it's more like, oh, I constantly have to switch. Because I feel like places, they're not the same. They're really, really not the same.
00:18:35
Speaker
I mean, yes, there are so many New Yorkers in Miami too, so for sure.
00:18:41
Speaker
But culture is very, very different in Miami. So it's like whenever I'm going back and forth, I'm always like, oh, it's not like that here. Or sometimes I'm like, I feel so out of place, like insanely out of place. Like, I'm like, oh, is this the place? Like, is this where I belong? Like, then I come back and I'm like, is this the place I belong? Like, I'm like, I don't know. Like, I really don't know. I think it definitely gives me so much anxiety for sure.

Illness and Adjustment in Miami

00:19:11
Speaker
I feel like I'm definitely grateful for the experience, for traveling, that's for sure. And the things that happens during traveling, that's great for sure. But I think because it changes your routine, and things are just...
00:19:29
Speaker
Definitely I would say for sure my health to control my physical health because I definitely got sick. I don't know if it was just allergies or combination of cold. It was definitely not COVID because I tested that for sure, but I definitely got sick from that. But I think most afterwards I was kind of like, Oh my God, like,
00:19:49
Speaker
Where am I? What's going on? I need to get back to my Miami routine, how I am living my life in Miami. I think at the end of the day, this is definitely a new chapter for me, living in Miami. And that's why I'm trying to be like, I want to get the full experience. But I realized, for someone who just moved here not too long ago, not long ago at all, actually,
00:20:18
Speaker
I just feel like that was a lot of travel. Maybe I should have waited. But at the same time, I feel like I was really trying to... Because the whole point of me moving to Miami or even choosing Miami in the first place was that I could go back and forth between New York a lot because traveling is so easy. It's like two hours and no jet lag and everything. So that's one reason I was like...
00:20:44
Speaker
like that's why I chose Miami that was like I had this strategy behind it it wasn't just like Miami like let me just go party a lot of people do this year but like I'm just saying that was not my intent behind that so that's why
00:21:01
Speaker
I wanted to experience that, but I feel like maybe I got carried away a little bit. But also at the same time, I feel like none of this is unnecessary or did it for fun. There was maybe only one or two trips. It was a fun, fun trip. Everything else was like, it was someone's birthday. It was one of my friends getting engaged.
00:21:24
Speaker
other one I don't know it was like other one was work like I just feel like it wasn't necessarily like oh let me just test this out but I just realized like now that I'm looking back and that's why I wanted to just make an episode about this that like we see travel as an escape which is in a lot of ways I mean it is an escape escape from the reality escape from our problems and like stress
00:21:55
Speaker
but i don't think we could see it in a way that like it's gonna solve everything because once you come back obviously things are same or worse actually sometimes it's just it's different it's difficult obviously for sure and that's one reason i think that like shorter travel is much better i think

Short Trips vs Long Journeys: Finding the Balance

00:22:18
Speaker
Once you have a short trip, first you definitely try harder. You definitely want to try to do more because you are like, oh, I only have two days or I only have like three days here or I only have a day and a half here. You want to do everything you can. And once you come back, it doesn't even feel like you have left because it was such a short time.
00:22:41
Speaker
but you have to get that experience. That's why I kind of want to talk about and like maybe that's why I will like try next. I'm not sure honestly, but I feel like this whole like travel like made me realize entire summer like flew by so fast and I think because of traveling I didn't feel it like I was like wow this
00:23:07
Speaker
this summer went by like so quick I feel like I don't even remember I'm like like when was like what did I do in April what did I do May like because that was the last thing I remember because I don't remember June July August that went by incredibly quick and I can't believe now we are in October yeah that's the thing traveling like I can see why people do it a lot
00:23:37
Speaker
like that feeling of like, you can be anywhere, you can do anything, you can escape from this and that and like, don't have to do anything, completely understand, but I feel like you might have to deal with the consequences afterwards and that's why I wanted to share it and this was my experience from lots of traveling lately. On the plus side, I feel like I'm definitely getting my medallion status
00:24:05
Speaker
I am like what is so interesting that like one thing I would say that I'm ending this episode I am gonna be like I'm gonna have like my Delta medallion status from like Delta
00:24:20
Speaker
and they just changed the whole program for next year the fact that if I get kicked out or if I don't get the medallion status that's what's going to make me even more pissed because one of the biggest reasons also I was doing this I was like oh I'm gonna get medallion status so I can get more upgrades and stuff like that but they're good so you never know maybe they're gonna make updates and stuff but I'm just saying they're definitely perks too but I feel like as
00:24:51
Speaker
more and more I realize older I get that I feel like mental health and physical health is I mean they're super important and I feel like we always need to have those as like priority then everything else can come along but I feel like those are the things that we should really really
00:25:14
Speaker
taking into consideration. And that's why I'm going to end this episode on. I hope you guys like this episode. If you do, please don't forget to give a thumbs up and subscribe. And I'll see you guys next week. This is another episode.