During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the things we took for granted were restricted or eliminated. For many people, that was a challenge beyond what seemed to be within their reality. As a result, the rate of mental health symptoms rose significantly.
One of the things that I thought I was doing well with was travel; I told myself that I was good at being at home and not traveling over these many months. In reality, I have missed my travel adventures and find myself thinking about getting back out there more and more since the CDC released the new COVID-19 guidelines.
While passengers are still required to wear masks on flights, it seems that with the number of people vaccinated; including myself, the risks have been reduced significantly. With that in mind, I am daydreaming about planning a trip.
While I don’t know where I will go first, I know that the lessons that I have learned from being a globe trotter and road warrior will serve me well in my ‘new’ normalcy.
Three things that my millions are miles of travels have taught me are:
- Be Curious about your surroundings. Explore where you are and learn what you can about the things that are around you. Experience your surroundings with the wonder and awe that come with seeing things for the first time, no matter how many times you have visited the place.
- Be Confident in supporting yourself in new places. Do the things that make you feel empowered and strong when you encounter something for the first time. Share your confidence with others giving them a sense of what it might look like for themselves.
- Find the Connections with the people you encounter on your travels and adventures. Be willing to say hi and start a conversion with someone just for the fun of it. Listen and learn from those who are on the same journey as you.
These three lessons are just a few of many that have come to me while traveling near and far for my career or pleasure. The results and impact of traveling are really up to us, and our willingness to be present and accept the gifts offered to us.
So in a time when people are looking for a return to normalcy, it seems only natural that people would start booking trips to places that they have dreamed of while in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tapping into the old lessons learned for the new normal might just be the ticket for many people to get relief from those mental health symptoms. A change of scenery is widely accepted as a cure for that which ails us.
It seems to me that when I pack for my first trip post-COVID-19, I might want to include the three lessons that supported me before any of this even happened.
However, we each decide to return to normalcy; it must somehow play off the lessons that we learned before and during the COVID-19 pandemic to be lasting fulfillment and joy.
What lessons have you learned as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that will support you as you emerge from its grips on your life?
With much gratitude.
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This post is republished on Medium.
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