Dealing with Depression While Traveling

So, you’re finally traveling abroad! You’re having adventures and eating amazing food, meeting awesome new people and taking way too many selfies, all that good travel stuff. You feel amazing, right?

Well … maybe not. Traveling can be really draining and sometimes your mental health can suffer. We’re talking more than a few down days and sad moments. Depression while traveling abroad is terrible. Even if you are traveling and trying to have the time of your life, it can creep in and make things difficult. The good news? It’s more common than you think. You’re not alone and there are ways to cope with depression while traveling abroad.

Why does it matter so much?

When you’re traveling and in new situations every day, it’s easy (and totally normal) to feel a bit anxious and exhausted. Sometimes, though, these feelings are even more amplified and overwhelming. With travel depression, symptoms you might deal with are low energy, appetite loss, insomnia, feelings of hopelessness, and loss of interest in things once pleasurable — like travel.

Losing interest in travel is no way to live abroad! You want to get the most out of your adventures in other countries, to be able to enjoy them to their fullest. But when you’re dealing with all these travel depression symptoms and feelings at once, it’s hard to know where to start and how to fight back. From one traveler to another, we’ve put together some helpful tips and tricks for combatting depression while traveling.

Dealing with Depression while Traveling

Keep up on the basics

Depression makes you feel awful on the inside, and when you feel awful on the inside, it can be hard to find energy to do things like eat healthy, keep a consistent sleep schedule, and even shower. Feeling bad emotionally can transfer like this, until you feel bad physically as well. Depression turns into a terrible cycle; you feel bad physically, so you feel even worse emotionally. It feeds itself until it feels overwhelming, and you feel powerless.

So, no matter where you are in the cycle, do what you can to keep up on the basics. We’re talking stuff as small as brushing your teeth and as big as exercising daily. It might feel overwhelming, especially when you’re abroad and can’t do these tasks like you normally would at home. Just because you can’t go to your normal gym at home to fit in your favorite workout doesn’t mean you can’t exercise at all. Try going for a brisk walk around the city; you’ll get in a bit of exercise (and fresh air, also helpful!) while exploring whatever incredible city you’re visiting at the moment. If you can’t find the energy to prepare and cook a well-balanced meal, that’s okay! Take the opportunity to find a yummy new cafe and try the local cuisine.

Schedules can be hard to keep when you’re traveling, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself, but sleep schedules can make a big difference in mental health! If it’s feasible, try to keep a consistent bedtime and wake-up time with seven to eight hours of sleep every night. We know sleeping arrangements while traveling might not be ideal — it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep on an uncomfortable hostel bed— so look into cool travel sleep accessories, like blow-up pillows, cozy blankets that pack down small, etc. It might help to have a nightly routine to relax you before sleep as well. You could try a moment of meditation (tons of cool apps for that) or even just some deep breathing!

We know this might sound a bit overwhelming, so definitely don’t feel like you have to incorporate all these suggestions. Do what you can! If you can’t do an everyday task like these perfectly and with all our suggestions, that doesn’t mean you can’t do it at all. Do what feels good and right, which is different for everybody! Listen to your body and make small changes at a time. Remember that any effort you can put into the basic stuff will help with the emotional stuff too. Depression isn’t always a big dramatic war in your head. Sometimes you win battles by taking a short shower or by combing your hair. Do what you can and celebrate the little victories :)

Reach out to friends

One of the worst things about depression is how alone it makes you feel. You don’t have the energy to socialize, and depression can make you feel terrible about yourself, which doesn’t help with socializing either! This is another one of those vicious cycles of depression—you don’t feel like socializing, which makes you feel alone, which makes you feel even less like socializing. And, this is even worse with travel depression! You can’t invite your bestie over to watch your favorite movie and eat chocolate when you’re abroad, and movies and chocolate always help ;)

Don’t let the distance stop you from reaching out to your friends and family. You have people in your life who love you and want to help. You could schedule a weekly skype date with your best friend, or try to call your mom on Sunday afternoons. Even just sending a quick text to a friend can help you feel less alone while you’re abroad. Even though it’s hard, human connection and love has a way of keeping depression at bay like nothing else can.

Another option is to reach out to the people around you while abroad. Ask fellow travelers to go to dinner with you. Strike up a conversation with the wrinkly old woman on the bus. Travelers and people abroad often have incredible stories that can brighten your day (and distract you, which is sometimes nice). Surrounding yourself with people, even for just a few minutes, is helpful with depression. Again, do what feels good to you and what is right for your style of traveling.

Look into online counseling

Counseling can be a super important part of battling depression. Sometimes, it’s a relief to just unload to a third party like a counselor, to complain and rant without having to filter yourself. A counselor provides a reality check—someone to help intercept thoughts and ideas from depression and help change them into something more manageable. For example, you might feel like you’re weak for feeling depressed. A counselor can help you understand that depression is a serious and legitimate illness that affects tons of people. It doesn’t make you weak. Counselors can also suggest different coping mechanisms for depression, like journaling.

However, finding a counselor in every city you travel to is impractical. Luckily, online counseling is a great (and prevalent!) option. A quick google search will bring you tons of different options and plans for online counseling. Some services offer weekly skype sessions, if face to face counseling is your thing. There are also plans with unlimited texting with your counselor. You can choose your own plan that fits with your budget and go from there. Even while you’re traveling abroad, there are counseling options that are so so helpful with depression.

Take breaks

Constantly battling with travel depression is exhausting, and that’s okay. Be sure to tune in to what your body and mind are telling you. You might’ve had a successful day; maybe you had a great counseling appointment on top of your daily adventures, but are feeling drained now. Even if you had plans to go out on the town with some new friends, don’t feel guilty about staying home instead.

If you had a stressful week of traveling and you can tell your mental health energy is getting low? Try to schedule a day with nothing to do. Take that day to lounge around your room. Maybe order some food or do a face mask — whatever you need to pamper yourself and recharge. Don’t feel guilty about taking that time. It’s a necessary part of taking care of your mental health. Treat yo’self.

Be patient with yourself

It’s easy to feel frustrated with travel depression, to feel like it’s your fault for feeling this way. But depression doesn’t care whether you’re home or abroad, happy or sad. Sometimes it just happens, and there’s no particular reason, and that’s okay. It’s not your fault and you don’t deserve to feel this way.

Also, comparing yourself to others with depression (or without) can be equally damaging to your sense of self worth. Depression is different for everybody, with different symptoms and severities, and everyone is at different points in the journey to good mental health. Coping mechanisms that work great for some might not be helpful for you. It might take a little bit of time to understand how your own depression works and what coping mechanisms work best for you. Be patient with yourself and cut yourself a break!

Even with all this in mind, negative self-talk is an easy trap to fall into. One helpful thought is to imagine you’re talking to a friend. Would you call your friend weak for not dealing perfectly with depression? No, of course not! If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, you probably shouldn’t say it to yourself. Be kind to yourself. You’re doing the best you can. And yes, it's enough. :)

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You’ve got this

Traveling is hard and travel depression downright stinks, but there are ways to cope. It might not be easy or particularly fun. There will be ups and downs. But, we find that travelers here at GoAbroad and around the world are particularly resilient. Through missed buses, canceled tours, social/cultural blunders, long days, and poor sleep, those who love to travel become resourceful and adaptive to make the best of tough situations. You’ve got the skills and the tenacity to overcome the challenges of traveling abroad.

And it’s so worth it! Traveling is an incredible adventure, something you already know if you’re already abroad. Dealing with depression while traveling is tough, but it makes the rewards even better.