I've been traveling internationally now, as a digital nomad writer and consultant for the past eight months: Canada, Mexico, and Thailand.
I prefer to slow travel, spending anywhere from one to three months in each foreign destination. Traveling this much with such intensity has opened my eyes so much, not only to the wider external world but my own internal world as well.
I believe that collecting new experiences is part of our biological drive as human beings. We crave novelty. At the same time, we are constantly held back by searching for those novel experiences by fear. Especially fear of the unknown.
I really struggle with the process of travel. As I write this I am sitting in a bus terminal; waiting.
A few weeks ago I was sitting in an airport; waiting.
A few months ago, I was sitting in a train terminal; waiting.
I have always hated the waiting, not only the boredom and restlessness but also the fear which slowly creeps in. What will my new destination be like…will I like it…will immigration allow me in…what if my hotel/apartment is horrible?
I try to distract myself when I am at these transit hubs. I try to listen to some music or maybe a podcast (thank you, Joe Rogan!) or two, maybe even do a little reading.
However, even the thrilling prose of Jo Nesbo can’t keep my anxiety at bay forever. The anticipation of what may or may not happen draws me back in. When I can, I engage in a few resiliency exercises, such as self-talk.
Many times while traveling, I wished I had access to a teleporter like they have on Star Trek. I could just beam myself to wherever I want to go. At the same time, I have begun thinking that I need to reframe this entire issue. Waiting does not have to be an unpleasant, static activity.
It can be used as a mindfulness-based activity. I can explore what is really going on, both internally (in terms of how I am feeling and what I am thinking), as well as externally. I have the ability to pay attention to my environment with laser-like focus.
Have you ever surreptitiously watched other people in a transit terminal? You can learn a lot of human beings from just doing that. Some people appeared very stressed and anxious, others relaxed and some just plain bored.
Through this lens of waiting, I am able to work on building my psychological resiliency. Through the use of my CAB method, I chose the cognitive perspective, specifically self-talk.
I think to myself: “I can suffer through the boredom, boredom is nothing compared to the suffering I have experienced in the past.” This self-talk initiates a process of not only soothing my tired emotional state but hardens my physical grit as well.
I can now handle these uncomfortable bus chairs in the bus station, I can endure standing for long periods in the crowded airport lounge. This is not true suffering…this is merely time passing. Be well and safe travels.
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