Another dinner for another dear friend leaving this city. This book one way tickets and stay away indefinitely. Recently, I have been part of a lot of discussion about European summers and six months of sabbatical. Sitting opposite the enthusiastic future traveler, I nod and smile, telling him I agree. About time. Inside, I envy their stay and my feet are the most itchy they have ever had. But the reality is that the break I take this year is financially and temporarily restrained for two weeks. I recognize this as a luxury in itself. Some people may not be able to access it for two weeks. Anyway, I’ve learned there is a way to satisfy the itching of your trip without going too far or spending too much.
It’s not just overseas that we can cheer up
When my sister called for the third time, I think I should answer. I’m not ready for a video call (I’m lying in bed and trying to sleep from a flu-like bug), but I’m still amazed at the image filling my screen. “Surprising!” she says. She is visibly shining. Some may go up until you say it. “I sit there and look at myself in the mirror, if not now, when?” she says she shines proudly. Her fresh cut hair bounces over her shoulders. “They must have 10cm apart!” I replied. She says she’s going to take this whole new feeling out to celebrate.
Two days later I leaned against the deli bench and watched my sister roll a porcetta for lunch service. You can feel the cool edges of the metal through the jeans. (The 13 degrees max in the last few weeks has now prevented all surfaces from being touched. I have pleaded with the landlord to repair the heating system, but my attempts have come across a stubborn automatic answer that he now speculates overseas. She says that she feels totally new to them, despite everyone she meets being a stranger who had never known her hair before. She continues to explain that this “brand new” feeling has changed the way she experiences it often, like in the market, in the athletic classes, in her children’s kindergarten.
“What they say is true,” she says. I look up at her and cock her head. She held one string in her mouth, and the other wrapped around her pulling finger to tie the pork down. “The change is as good as the holidays.”
Holidays and travel are to bring you daily surprises and curiosity
Looking back at her words later, I recall the average Tuesday in May when my partner dropped the pin and asked me to meet him. There Sharp at 6:15pm. I was told to wear smart and comfortable footwear and a warm layer. I walked to this place. It was a round gate in the garden not too far from where I lived, and I was excited and interested in what was to come. When I arrived he said that we would travel to Japan tonight.
It was then followed by a series of authentic Japanese activities, food and drinks that teleported onto my trip five years ago. I never thought these restaurants, bars and baths would be within a 5km radius of where I slept every night. Throughout the evening and the following weeks, I experienced a sense of adoration and charm. A strange feeling about the glimpse of others living their daily lives. In hindsight, this repeated my sister’s words about our normal routine and changes from the current situation.
Change boosts the brain by providing new stimuli
According to Paul Nassbaum, a neurophysiologist and professor at the University of Pittsburgh, our brains thrive when we engage in something new. Travel disrupts routines and implicit behavior by forcing you to respond to unfamiliar environments and situations. Naturally, we are programmed to be creatures of habit, as humans maintain our precious energy by performing tasks in the same or similar way.
But too many routines are not beneficial for brain health. If you don’t sometimes dismantle yourself from the structure of your life, you will be disillusioned with that life. The breakup does not necessarily mean a trip to Tullamarine Airport. If you allow it, release from your routine could happen tonight. Essential to this process is positive and critical engagement, immersion and adaptation with the environment. Bring a curious and open attitude to the new area and the situation you place yourself in.
There are very few individual changes to our weekly routines
So, if at first glance all your friends are eager to jump off and tell you about it (as they should be), then you find yourself tired of the same lunch in the same four walls, the same suburban streets, the same Tupperware containers, but you can’t get away anytime soon – then it’s worth bringing about change. Just like on holidays, the conscious changes we keep in mind can provide us with a break from daily crushing and are also important to prevent burnout (more on this in my previous blog post).
Below are some ways you can enjoy the restorative benefits of your holiday by implementing small daily changes.
- Relocate the living/workspace
- Try recipes you’ve never worked on, or organize your picnic based on a particular dish
- Go through that hairstyle you’ve always been cheating on
- Visit restaurants you’ve never been to before (bonus points if they’re in the center of a different culture or language than you know them well)
- Travel across town to events, bars and restaurants by public transport and you will really notice all the people, events and small details that pass along along the way
- It’s one-on-one, you’re not in a group like your stepbrother or your best friend’s partner. This is a challenge, but it has many benefits!
- Being spontaneous. Become a tourist in your city and take advantage of the free events offered, such as garden visits and walking tours
- Buy tickets for theatre and gigs
- Try out new styles of clothing or dress up flashy just to enjoy it
- Go for a long drive or walk through beautiful places without a strict itinerary and see where your curiosity leads you
You can read more about the benefits of changing your daily routine hereand more ideas about what to change here.
2022-07-11 23:45:00
