Confronting Spring, Summer, Winter, or Fall Voyages

Its summer, fall is upon us, followed by winter, then springand so it goes with the seasons. Most of us focus on summer travel because traditionally it has been viewed as vacation time. However, that tradition has expanded over the years as times have advanced and the workplace has evolved to meet ever-changing lifestyles. Imagine the numerous work-from-home jobs available to the workforce today. You can work anywhere and get paideven travel and continue working. The new world offers a wide range of possibilities never before considered. Those of us who run small businesses have assistants living abroad who work for us from home and handle things efficiently. Such is this current life journey, full of possibility and wonder. What is it that we cant accomplish?

As I sit in traffic and observe the Waymo self-driving cars, I am in awe of how far we have come. Such life experiences are also journeys.

The journeys we take are often as exhausting as they are exhilarating. The challenge depends on our attitude. The thrill we feel as we travel to a new environment may be undercut by our sensitivity to change, strange surroundings, and forced shifts in our usual habits. Air, road, and sea travel can be extremely taxing, and many people find sleeping soundly in a strange bed exceedingly difficult. Though the type of stress we experience from actual travel may be different from that caused by lifes constant changes, it remains stressful, invigorating, and even exciting.

Yes, change is change, as is the journey of growing older. Life is experienced from a different perspective brought on by age, or by life-altering changeslike the loss of a limb or a life partnerthat impact our journey and how we experience the world differently than before. Knowing how to manage travel can assist us in situations like the ones previously mentioned should we face them; you apply the same practices to get you through.

There are, however, numerous ways to take the stress out of both short voyages and lengthy sojourns that entail actual travel. We can examine those first, and then look at other forms of journeys to recognize the similarities and the differences in the ways we manage stress. Since much of the comfort we feel in our day-to-day lives stems from enjoying the regularity of routine, adapting our typical customs to correspond with our travel schedule can alleviate the unease we experience while away from home. Likewise, when you ground yourself by honoring the rituals that are a part of your daily life, youll no longer feel like youre out of your element. Thats the key: maintaining your personal rituals, which provide a foundation for how we move through the day.

So, whats your routine or daily practice? Do you wake up and rise immediately, or do you pause, pray, or exercise, then shower, and so on?

If you find yourself disconcerted by the foreignness of your surroundings when traveling, packing a few reassuring items from home in your luggage can help you stay balanced. Photographs of loved ones, a favorite tea or snack, soft slippers, or even your own pillow can soothe the rigors associated with travel by plane, car, train, and ship while en route. These are examples of items, actions, or practices that ground us at home base no matter where we are, providing a sense of comfort. Holding a crystal, gemstone, a cross, or a medicine bag in your hand during particularly stressful periods of travel can help you stay calm and alert. Other items imbued with healing or calming energy can help you de-stress once you reach your destination. Such is the power of water: a soothing or invigorating shower, a relaxing whirlpool massage, a swim, or the sound of waterfalls (real or recorded) can all bring the calm you seek.

As you unpack your travel altarcreating light with a stick of sweet-smelling incense, or basking in the glow of a meditation candleyoull gradually begin to feel more grounded and serene in your new location.

During the course of your journey, whether its an actual trip or an imposed physical challenge that slows your roll, try not to forget to indulge in those activities that center you and sustain your emotional equilibrium. If you tend to sleep and wake at the same time each day, maintaining that schedule will ensure you stay strong and healthy. The same regard should be given to the times you eat and maintaining some similarity in the types of foods you consume to provide the balance of nutrition you require. All of these considerations affect your body, mind, and emotional psyche. Taking time out while on your voyage agenda to write in a journal, meditate, do yoga, read an engaging book, or walk can help you reconnect with yourself in an unfamiliar setting. In conclusion, however you restore your tranquility, your conscious choice to surround yourself with comforting familiarity and focus on your well-being will make traveland changejoyful.