Should You Ever Travel With Depression?

If you have ever suffered from depression, you have probably wondered if it’s a good idea to still travel with depression.

I have a lot of personal experience travelling with depression and dealing with anxiety whilst travelling and I don’t feel like this topic gets talked about often enough.

So should you ever travel with depression? My answer? Well, I wouldn’t recommend it but it’s a personal choice.

Depression can feel like a huge black hole sucking you in, making you worry about everything, but feel nothing but numb.  So if you do travel with depression, it could make you feel completely lost in the already seemingly, endless black hole.

You’re already in it and that’s bad enough. Don’t get lost in there too, you could end up making yourself feel worse.

Is it a good idea to travel with depression?

Dealing With Depression: A Common and Growing Condition 

Depression has many different types and is a common mental health disorder.

Cases of depression are growing with around 264 million people of all ages suffering from depression – globally. 

Should You Make Plans to Travel With Depression?

So the ultimate question is, if travel makes you feel good, then why shouldn’t you travel with depression?

Depression is an extremely debilitating condition that is difficult to overcome, requiring inner strength and support from others, as well as medical intervention in some cases.

To decide to go travelling with depression could exacerbate your already challenging situation.

I have experienced depression striking whilst I’ve been travelling. And I don’t recommend putting yourself in this situation, it’s an incredibly lonely time.

I’m fully supportive of anyone choosing to go on a solo travel trip or take a year out to go backpacking to experience adventure, to grow, to find something. But, depression is a serious condition that requires treatment and ways to manage it.

Travel can be many different things to many people, it can be challenging, exciting, inspiring, motivating, exhausting, joyous and fulfilling.

But one thing travel is not is a way to heal yourself from depression or other mental illness. Recovering from mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety, requires great strength, courage and persistence.

It can be quite a bold and courageous move to go travelling solo, it definitely was for me. And although I was super emotional when I left for the first time, I wasn’t depressed.

Travelling involves a lot of culture shock, rapidly adapting to change often, communication barriers, relying on your gut instinct or intuition and being resourceful and dependent on only yourself.

If you’re feeling down or dealing with depression and you can’t confidently say you’d be able to deal with all of that, then don’t go. 

At least not yet.

Travel is not a way to heal yourself from depression or other mental illness.

Travelling With Depression: Can Travel Cure Depression?

Many people believe that when they experience feeling continually downhearted or go through a period of depression, going travelling will cure their despondent, low-spirited feelings and help them ‘find themselves’.

Depression does without a doubt, make its sufferers feel lost and feel like they have no focus or purpose.  So, going travelling seems like a good idea because it gives the person a sense of purpose and something positive to focus on.

However, although the thoughts and forward projection of going travelling is motivating and inspiring for someone feeling depressed, the physical act of actually going is another thing entirely.

Ever heard of the well-known saying and aptly named Crowded House song “Everywhere you go, you always take the weather with you?”

In the case of depression, that saying is entirely accurate. 

If you feel depressed or anxious and then you go travelling – you will just drag that shit around the world with you, everywhere.

You would still end up having to deal with it, but in a foreign country, with no support network around you. 

Let me be clear, I’m not saying if you’re depressed, you can’t or shouldn’t ever travel. But if you do, you have to be prepared to deal with it in an unfamiliar place, without the support of your doctor, or your friends. 

 

If you travel with depression, you’ll have to deal with it in a foreign country with no support network around you.

Travelling With Depression: When it Might Strike

As I have suffered from depression in the past several times, odds would have it, that I have been travelling when a period of depression has crept up on me.

Constantly changing situations can antagonise already ‘dormant’ depression. For me, sometimes when I house-sit for only short periods and have to move around a lot, it can create an unpleasant, unsettled feeling.

If the moving continues, the unsettled feeling persists and it causes me to suddenly feel depressed and a bit isolated.

Long-term travel can create a sense of not belonging anywhere, another common emotion I deal with when I live a nomadic life, as do many travellers I’ve spoken to during my travels.

Here are some other common situations where depression might arise during travel

• Pre-Trip Stress: The pressure of planning and organising a trip can trigger feelings of overwhelm and hopelessness.
• Unfamiliar Environments: Being in a new place with different surroundings can lead to feelings of disorientation, feeling unsettled and isolation.
• Social Pressure: The expectation to be constantly cheerful and engaged during travel can intensify feelings of inadequacy or loneliness.
• Physical Exhaustion: Imagine long journeys, jet lag, and changes in routine. These can all exacerbate physical and emotional fatigue, which worsens depressive symptoms.
• Lack of Routine: The disruption of daily routines, such as sleep patterns, exercise, and eating healthy can negatively impact your mental health.
• Unexpected Challenges: Facing those challenges I talked about, like lost luggage, missed connections, or cultural misunderstandings can worsen feelings of frustration and helplessness.
• Feeling Homesick: Missing the comforts and familiarities of home can lead to feelings of sadness and withdrawal.
• Post-Trip Blues: Returning home after a trip can lead to feelings of emptiness or disappointment, especially if the journey didn’t meet your expectations.

Dealing With Depression: Get Help First, Then Go

This personal experience of travelling whilst dealing with depression and my knowledge alone is enough for me to suggest that you deal with your issues before you go off to explore the world.

Your Doctor, GP or other Health Practitioner would be the first port of call.

However, if you’re interested in seeing if a little natural health would help first, do some research and see if natural mood enhancers are right for you.

Herbal remedies such as; St Johns Wort, 5HTP, or even taking a decent Magnesium or B-vitamin complex supplement can lift your mood, with few side effects.
 
So if you’re reading this and you’re feeling depressed, or already dealing with depression and you think travel is the answer, please get some help and do some self-development and self-healing first.

You don’t have to be perfect, but you should be capable of dealing with what the travel life throws at you. Which is a LOT.

You don’t need to be superhuman but you should be savvy enough to think on your feet, be resourceful, make decisions and be independent—without having a meltdown when something unexpected happens.

Take it from someone who has done both, it’s no fun travelling with depression.

You don’t feel joyous or excited about anything and then you feel guilt for not experiencing everything that place has to offer. It’s a vicious, damaging circle that may ruin your trip.

Being mindful and living in the moment is the only way to feel joy when travelling and feel fulfilled from it. So if you’re depressed and dwelling on the past, or you’re anxious about the future, you’ll never be living in the now.

And that’s where the fun is.

It’s all about the fun.

Take Care and Happy Travels 🙂
Alial 
x

Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor, nor a Health Professional. I only suggest natural health alternatives that worked for me. However they may not be suitable for everyone, so please seek your doctors advice first.

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