Research shows that travel is the best way to relax your body and ease your mind, and I’d like to talk about what I’ve learned when I was traveling in Europe.
- Lifestyle balance equals wellbeing.
In our daily life, we always spend too much time doing things because the need to be seen to be busy all the time predominates as a social norm in our culture.
That’s why we lose variety, the spice of life.
Sadly, doing too much is detrimental to well-being.
The real outcome of over busyness and overwork is that people usually feel overcommitted, overburdened, overwhelmed, stressed, anxious and exhausted.
This can easily lead to burnout, unfortunately.
If you show withdrawal, apathy, and disinterest in your everyday life, you may have burnout already and you might consider traveling in Europe to alleviate the stress.
As I see it, personally meaningful activities are essential to lifestyle balance.
By that I mean traveling in Europe is a personally meaningful activity – it’s emotionally fulfilling and freely chosen by me.
It’s not something that I have to do; it’s something that I want to do!
- Travel in Europe: the importance of finding my life balance
Anxiety / stress is a growing issue in our culture and is affecting our physical health as well as our mental wellbeing. Usually, stress / anxiety is closely linked to lifestyle imbalance, especially when it’s something chronic such as too much work to do all the time.
When I was traveling in Europe, I found some strategies for change and I’d like to share my insights with you today.
First of all, I’ve realized that being overweight or obese is not really a disease; it’s a lifestyle choice.
Living in a western country usually means I can see obese people and overweight people every single day easily because obesity is a common problem in western culture nowadays. But when I was traveling in Eastern Europe, I noticed that junk food isn’t popular in those countries and people are generally healthy and slim. Therefore, obesity is probably a lifestyle choice.
Indeed, the Western Diet is usually eaten in developed and wealthy countries throughout the world. It is heavily weighted towards large amounts of sugar, processed foods and factory-farmed meat, large quantities of added unhealthy oils and fats as well as refined grains. Therefore, vegetables, fruits and fresh / unprocessed foods of any kind are basically lacking.
Due to modern medicine, people live longer now, but what’s the benefit of those added years when senior citizens are in and out of hospitals or feeling unwell? The Western Diet is not healthy. End of story.
Recently, I discovered that the effects of the Western Diet can be reversed for the most part. Research shows that those who have abandoned the Western Diet for a more natural and traditional diet can regain vitality and health & reduce their chances of suffering from chronic diseases that are caused by the Western Diet.
Second, it’s very important to declutter my social circles and avoid unnecessary life drama. Please let me explain.
Surrounding myself with influential and positive people is so key – this is something that I wish I knew when I was younger. When I was traveling in Europe, I have met new friends who are much more positive than my previous friends. They inspire me to do better in life and I truly appreciate their support.
I fired people who were bringing me down. Now comes the hard part – to be happy and live a simple life, I think we have to shed those who are a negative influence in our lives. Many people don’t want to end relationships that are causing more pain than joy. Truthfully, you have to nip these negative relationships in the bud, no matter that’s a friend or a family member (yes, I said family, too). If someone is making your life harder, you must remember that you are the most important person in the universe. People do change, so a good relationship today may not still be a good relationship ten years from now, and that’s just life.
Lastly, I quit social media for several months when I was travelling in Eastern Europe. It feels like having a true holiday for years! What a good feeling!
“When we are busy doing things and busy with busyness, how often do we pause and look after our health and wellbeing?”
