The desire to be busy is spread throughout the way we live in a western, capitalist world. To be busy means to be productive; to be productive means to be valuable. Not only do many of us live our work lives in this fashion, the pressure to be productive transcends into our leisure and time meant to be solely for us. Yet, busyness while travelling can also lead to stress through being out of our element and comforts of our own homes and routine.
Travelling involves trying to see and experience as much as we can—especially here on the Cabot Trail where there’s a plethora of trails, cultural events, and mountainous views. So when attempting to take everything in while travelling, we need to be able to take care of ourselves, physically and emotionally (which are often connected). Therefore, here are a few tips that we’ve picked up on self-care and the little things that can make a difference.
Firstly, let’s discuss why self-care is important to travelling. Vacationing and travelling are often inherently forms of self-care—they’re often about taking time to dedicate towards enjoyment, exploration, adventure, growth, education, and spending time with those who are close to you. That’s why we must actively take care of ourselves to ensure we evoke the experiences we wish to have.
What’s important when talking about self-care is that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to do things or take care of you. As individuals, our needs and the things that make us feel good are not homogeneous—we all have different needs and ways that accomplish feeling good. I like to think of being human very similar to a rechargeable battery—if we don’t take time to recharge then we can’t put much energy into what we’re actually trying to accomplish.
Inasmuch, here are some basic tips on travelling self-care for you that we’ve picked up along our adventures and experiences on the Cabot Trail.
1. Drink lots.
Not beer or wine. Although those are fine, we can’t forget about water. There are common denominators to being human and things that we can do to help us function. So be sure to hydrate and drink water. Pick up a water bottle and add it to your list of things to pack. This is important regardless of the time of year, weather, or season. Water is not just important when you’re warm and the sun is blazing, but even on the chilly days or days in travel where coffee has become your lifeblood.
2 Are you nourishing yourself? Have you eaten something that will give you energy?
Depending on where you’re travelling, the amount of access you have to nutritious food can be limited. Although all of our bodies are different and we require different things to nourish us, what we’re putting in our bodies can help to make our travels even better. Therefore, think about nourishment—the things your body needs to feel good and the ways that you can nourish yourself.
3. Don’t forget to sleep!
I’ve always struggled with sleep while travelling and being away from my own bed—from tossing and turning all night to staying up too late and barely sneaking in three to four hours. Take naps if you can and think of sleep as a way to energize yourself. If jetlag is a problem for you, try picking up some melatonin—your body naturally produces it and it can help in regulating your sleep while you travel.
4. Schedule your downtime, take some breaths, and enjoy your experience.
If you’re the type of person that likes to plan everything out while you’re travelling, try and plan some down time that is dedicated towards relaxing for you. This could be 15 minutes or a full day, maybe it’s just taking an hour in the morning to fully enjoy your cup of coffee. If you’re travelling the Cabot Trail, possibly consider taking an hour to sit and enjoy some of the many beaches and stops along the way.
This can be especially hard when you’re limited by time, entertaining kids, or trying to please others around you. Try and remember that you’re worth it—that as a human being you deserve to have time where you take care of yourself.
…
Why is this important to us at Cabot Shores? Because we see how travelling distresses people and how travelling can take people out of their comfort zones; because we want our guests to be able to get the most out their experiences (with us and without us). As humans, we all experience suffering and that suffering can still come up while we’re travelling. Taking care of oneself is important so you don’t feel like you need a vacation from your vacation.
Take care of yourself because you deserve it.
