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Does Travel Count as Therapy? Why Tourism is Great for Your Mental Health

User Profile: comfortableNight4463
comfortableNight4463 August 5th, 2022

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"A recently published journal article in Tourism Management found that the experience of going on a vacation can be beneficial for people who navigate dementia. Researchers note how tourism experiences may provide positive impacts as a dementia intervention. It can help those who struggle with other mental health issues as well.

Understanding the Research


This research is one of the first to explore connections between tourism experiences and mental health interventions through the lens of positive psychology, with such benefits as savoring the moment, feeling gratitude, and thinking about positive experiences.

Travel Can Restructure Your Mind


Psychotherapist with Mindpath Health, Taish Malone, LPC, PhD, says, "This study supports that restructuring your mind can be more helpful when your stimuli, environment, people, duties, and so forth change."

When people go on vacation, they find themselves in a new environment and different culture, and are physically moving in ways they may not at home.

Malone highlights, "Some may have a distorted view that they will not have to continue to work on their growth strategies just because the stressors they once had were specific to their at-home experiences. However, they should focus on using the travel experience as a reset to choose better practices of experiencing life altogether."

While a change of scenery and the absence of deadlines may help, Malone notes that admiring the beauty in life is possible no matter where you are.

Finding a Sense of Balance


Neuroscientist and clinical social worker Renetta Weaver, LCSW-C, says, "The research suggests that traveling to new environments offers a social and emotional experience that boosts happiness hormones and leads to new learning in ways that differ from the habitual structure of our everyday environment."

Getting out of the country for a period of travel may provide that mental or emotional escape, according to Weaver.

"Traveling out of the country can also help us shift our perspective and remind us that our problems are small compared to the largeness of the world; the world extends beyond our corner."

Weaver explains, "Neuroscience teaches us about the plasticity of the brain and the possibility of recovering the parts of our brain that we thought we lost. Traveling can lead to the release of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, which cause our bodies to heal and function well." "

Read the complete article available at Very Well Mind!

Reflection:

Did you get a chance to travel this summer? How has it been on your mental health?

*The initial planning and travelling can be quite stressful but once you get there, it's very exciting! I'm in Dubai for the summer and I'm enjoying it so far.*

#Travel #Tourism #MentalHealth



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User Profile: SYC1223
SYC1223 August 5th, 2022

@comfortableNight4463

A trip may not only put you in a good mood, but it can also bring about long-term personality changes that affect your emotional state and behavioral patterns in the future. "Personality and Social Psychologists" has conducted research on the impact of foreign travel on personality and found that people who travel for a long time tend to have higher openness and more stable emotions. Travel can make new friends. Whether traveling with a company or alone, you will always meet new friends from all over the world.

1 reply
User Profile: sunnyWriting4806
sunnyWriting4806 August 6th, 2022

@SYC1223

Wow that's a really profound finding. I really want to travel but haven't done so since before the pandemic. I've been so used to staying at home and at my city for so long that going to another place or city seems like a fantasy to me right now. Last time I've gone out of my city was 4 years ago!

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User Profile: globalBraid3744
globalBraid3744 August 6th, 2022

@comfortableNight4463

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to travel this summer. However, whenever I travel it gives me so much joy.

It is sad that there are still many people for whom traveling is not an option due to country restrictions or finances. I cannot imagine that I would not be able to travel anywhere.


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User Profile: considerateMoon9060
considerateMoon9060 August 6th, 2022

Traveling only made me feel worse, I saw that reluctant of the place, the world is a crap

User Profile: Zonne
Zonne September 7th
If you are visiting a park with children, the ticket selection process gets even more complicated. Different age groups have different price brackets, and some parks offer free entry for younger kids while others charge full price from age three. Family bundles can include meals or fast track passes, but they are not always the best value depending on how many people are in your group. Before our last trip, I spent some time looking at https://themeparks.travel/ to understand the options available for our family size. The breakdowns were straightforward and helped me avoid buying a more expensive ticket that did not actually offer any additional benefits for us.
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