![\"Travel](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/fm9SJGt.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u201cMental health struggles can hit anyone, no matter how perfect life looks from the outside. For me, it happened during my final semester at university. On paper, I had everything \u2014 good grades, a loving boyfriend, and amazing friends. But inside, I was exhausted, terrified, and battling depression. Here\u2019s how I used travel to rebuild my confidence, manage my mental health, and fall back in love with life.<\/p>\n
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Most of that period of my life is now a blur in my memory. After months of pain, medication and therapy, I slowly felt my old self returning. In April last year, the girl who had previously been too anxious to go to the local shops, booked a flight to London. I\u2019d travelled before: studied in the USA and gone on holidays with family, but spending the summer in Europe after university had been a dream of mine for years. That dream finally felt once more within reach. I couldn\u2019t stop thinking about it, compiling Pinterest boards, reading blogs, imagining what was out there for me.<\/p>\n
I was taking medication and had gained so much out of courses in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy<\/a> and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy<\/a>. The doctors were satisfied with my progress and I\u2019d proven my commitment to my mental health, so they gave me their blessing to go. I promised to stay in touch via email and was told I could arrange sessions with my psychologist over Skype if necessary. I\u2019m careful to always carry enough medication and translated copies of a letter from my psychiatrist explaining my mental health history.<\/p>\n I knew I was still recovering, but now I was full of enthusiasm and excitement, about to see far more of the world, and feeling a lust for living that I\u2019d forgotten was even possible. The enormity of what I was doing hit me as my plane soared off the runway. The girl who was always running away from what frightened her, was flying towards the unknown. My fears had been swept aside by excitement, self-belief and the love and support of my family and friends.<\/p>\n For anybody out there reading this and struggling with mental health, I want you to know it\u2019s worth pushing through the despair; fighting until you feel mentally strong enough to book that plane ticket of your own. Travel is the healthiest addiction you can develop. It leaves you craving more and lusting after new experiences. It is, without a doubt, the fastest way you can grow as a human being and turn your life into an inspired one. My wonderful travel tales were made possible by taking charge of my mental health.<\/p>\n Travelling taught me powerful mental health lessons:<\/p>\n That I can be alone in a foreign country and still thrive<\/p>\n<\/li>\n That strangers can quickly become friends in hostel common rooms<\/p>\n<\/li>\n That opening up about my mental health often inspires others to share their own struggles<\/p>\n<\/li>\n That I don\u2019t need to be ashamed of my story<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n There\u2019s definitely no need to be ashamed. I fit within the category most susceptible to mental illness, being a girl in the 16-24 age bracket. This age group represents the highest incidence of mental health problems worldwide. Research also shows that young people like me are travelling more often and for longer periods of time than ever before. A lot of us are likely to have this overwhelming desire to travel, but also an urgent necessity to look after our mental health. I am proof you can do both, and journeying through different countries can actually be an effective antidote to anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n For me, visiting 18 countries in the past year has meant talking in broken Spanish to a sweet Peruvian lady selling fruit on the street, and to a taxi driver who saw the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. I\u2019ve journeyed to places I never could have imagined \u2014 discovering beauty in a near-abandoned Brazilian town and asking an Andean highlander what brings him the most happiness. In Ecuador, I went horse-riding beneath a towering volcano; in Argentina, I shared secrets with new friends and drank wine by a bonfire; and in Paris, I even managed a handstand under the Eiffel Tower. There were plates of pasta devoured in Rome, carefree days of topless sunbathing in Spain, and nights dancing with millions during Rio\u2019s Carnival.<\/p>\n But more than anything, I find myself looking around, whether it\u2019s somewhere magical like Machu Picchu or a tiny caf\u00e9 in Colombia where I\u2019m writing this, and feeling grateful for the second chance I\u2019ve been given to embrace it all. I want to keep exploring, keep learning, keep reading, and keep believing. Mental illness no longer dictates my life. Instead, I choose to write as much as I can to inspire other strugglers of the world. I allow myself to feel real emotions: to cry when I need to, or to laugh until I cry. And above all, I remain thankful for every person who has helped me get here\u2014but especially for myself, for never giving up.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not na\u00efve enough to think that from now on everything will be easy. Whilst Instagram depicts travelers’ carefree lifestyles of sunsets and waterfalls, sometimes, even with your best intentions, you still have bad days and you aren\u2019t immune to your brain misbehaving while abroad. Occasionally nasty thoughts try to sabotage me, from something as simple as \u201cyou\u2019re on the wrong bus\u201d to \u201cthis taxi driver is a murderous lunatic\u201d. That\u2019s the nonsensical nature of our minds, and I know mine is a more fragile one at that. So I have to pay attention to how I feel \u2013 I have to be honest with myself, constantly assessing whether I am really coping. Sometimes bad things really do happen \u2013 I\u2019ve had bags lost, phones stolen, boys treat me horribly and much worse \u2013 but that\u2019s when I use all the skills I\u2019ve learnt, like challenging my unhelpful thoughts and tolerating distress through various self-soothing techniques. Travel is character-building: you are thrown into strange situations and have to quickly adapt to new environments.<\/p>\n Despite being thousands of kilometres away from my support system, I never really feel that far, thanks to Facebook, WhatsApp, Skype and email. Travelling hasn\u2019t meant abandoning my mental health. Instead of binging on alcohol or junk food, I focus on balance: I take my medication, keep a daily journal, and make space for small achievements that keep my mind busy.<\/p>\n I also put a lot of effort into choosing the right places to stay, always checking hostel reviews to see if I\u2019ll be able to sleep well, find quiet time, and still connect with new people. Pretty surroundings draw me in, especially hostels with rooftop terraces or yoga classes that make me feel grounded and inspired.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve come to accept that travel can be exhausting \u2013 constantly adventuring, dancing, sightseeing. I\u2019ve learnt not to expect my energy levels to always run at 100%, and I know I need the freedom to nap, to relax, to recharge. I try not to get overly attached to plans, because sometimes they won\u2019t work out, or sometimes my mind changes at the last minute. I tell people when I\u2019m not feeling okay, because that, in itself, is okay. I\u2019ve come to appreciate how most travellers are kind and open-minded. Chances are you\u2019re not alone in how you feel, and people can be grateful for you opening up the conversation about mental health, making space for the truth that often gets ignored, and providing them with an opportunity to share their own feelings.<\/p>\n Travel didn\u2019t erase my depression, but it gave me the tools, confidence, and perspective to manage it, and to embrace life again. If you\u2019re struggling, know this: you are not alone, and your story doesn\u2019t end here. Even one small step outside your comfort zone can spark change. For me, that step was booking a flight. For you, it might be booking your first hostel, meeting new people, or just exploring a new city. Wherever you go, let travel remind you that healing and joy are possible.<\/p>\n About the author We\u2019d <\/i>love to hear your experiences of travelling and coping with mental health problems, so leave us a comment below. Who knows, it might just help somebody else out there struggling<\/i>? \u2764\ufe0f<\/p>\n What to read next?<\/b><\/p>\nHow I Found the Strength to Go Abroad<\/h2>\n
![\"overcome](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/FaOWx2D.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTravel as a Turning Point in Recovery<\/h2>\n
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![\"Travel](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/0ZLpsw6.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLessons Travel Taught Me About Mental Health<\/h2>\n
![\"Travel](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/95iZop9.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHow I Look After My Mental Health While Travelling<\/h2>\n
![\"Travelling](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/9MgZ6Y5.jpg\")
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\n<\/b>Emily Mulligan is an Australian Masters student currently living in South America and doing an internship. Follow her occasionally neurotic, but mostly optimistic adventures around the world on Instagram @happily.travelling<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
Download the Hostelworld app to start booking now<\/h3>\n
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