I recently left my job of two years and among other stressful things, it’s been a tough couple of months. I didn’t realize how badly leaving my job would affect me until I drove home on my last day. Expecting to feel relieved and elated even, I was unprepared for the sense of dread and sadness that washed over me instead.
I couldn’t figure out why I felt this way: I had enough freelance work lined up to replace my income. I had a plan for how I’d structure my days to be productive and well-balanced. Fears aren’t always rational and this overwhelming sense of dread consumed me.
Dealing with burnout and anxiety
When I planned my departure months ago, I knew that I needed to fly somewhere on my last day of work. I was burned out and needed a break. When my last day came around, the trip I had planned to Bali was suddenly giving me major anxiety.
Maybe it was the thought of being in one place for an entire week, when I’d been stationary for so long. I was worried and anxious for literally no good reason.
It reminded me of this line from Where’d You Go, Bernadette?
“Your brain is a discounting mechanism…It’s for survival. You need to be prepared for novel experiences because often they signal danger. If you live in a jungle full of fragrant flowers, you have to stop being so overwhelmed by the lovely smell because otherwise, you couldn’t smell the predator.”
I don’t know about you all, but this is my constant struggle: I sometimes can’t enjoy good things because I’m constantly thinking about the predator leaping out of the trees. That’s the danger of being stationary.
A couple of days into my post-9-5 life, all I wanted to do was stay home and slip into an inevitable depression. I needed something out of the norm: I canceled Bali and booked a trip to the Maldives, which had been on my bucket list for years.
Change of plans
It wasn’t practical to spend almost three full days traveling and three nights at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives before circling back home. But it also seemed ideal: Flying almost 19 hours in Etihad business class to stay at a new, over-the-top resort seemed like the kind of adventure to get me out of my funk. And it worked.
The trip provided a distraction, relaxation and a shift in perspective. I came home feeling like my world had expanded, whereas the previous fweek, I felt it closing in on me. I also felt an immense sense of gratitude. Not everyone can travel to the Maldives – or points or otherwise.
It dawned on me that the experience was special and unique. And not to sound like a conceited jerk, but I was pretty amazing for pulling it off. I take this hobby for granted sometimes and trips like these make me realize what a privilege it is to travel the way we do.
A change in perspective
This trip wasn’t some profound Eat Pray Love, I-uprooted-my-life-to-find-myself-in-an-impoverished-country-and-now-Julia-Roberts-will-play-me-in-a-movie-journey. In the same way that a specific circumstance created an overwhelming sense of dread, a different circumstance helped me overcome it.via GIPHY
Three weeks into my new life as a freelancer, I’m thriving and happy with my decision. My initial fears were completely unfounded. This trip didn’t just help me realize that; it distracted me from those fears.
While I can’t quite pinpoint which aspect of this trip triggered a turnaround, I will say that I’ve learned something important: Travel, or any kind of change in environment, can help ease difficult transitions. It can provide a change in scenery, pace or perspective that gets lost in the monotony of daily life.
Have you ever traveled in the midst of a difficult life transition? How did it impact your ability to cope with change?
P.S. I recently watched Eat Pray Love on Netflix for the first time and it’s awful.
You have hit the nail on the head. Although our situations are different, I find just getting the hell out of Dodge is a great way to enhance my well being.
I spend most days inside a condo with only my thoughts. Debbi is working for 10 hours and because health prevents me doing much, I’m stuck.
Travel is my lifeline. It gives me the incentive to continue. Each trip brings me a further joy but increased difficulties. The hope is that I’m building memories that I’ll still have a glimpse of through my dementia
Good for you Tim. I really admire you for going on these trips with the health issues you’re experiencing.
In past years I would take for me to get out of a funk would be to drive from Sacramento to San Francisco. As soon as I was on the bay bridge I felt life open up and the excitement build. Even if I wasn’t doing anything special in the city by the bay, just driving over the bridge was wonderful exclamation! Thank goodness through this hobby we have these opportunities to go even further. Great post!!
I have found that getting out of town is very important to be able to think outside of the box for me. I have been working full time for over 20 years and it is essential to get away from it all especially with some of the bad bosses I have been blessed with. I have found that some of my most profound travels were driving cross country by myself several times.
Oh man. Luckily I haven’t had any bad bosses, so I can’t imagine going to work in an environment like that. I actually thought of doing a cross-country trip before settling on a flight abroad. I’ll ask you for tips if I end up doing it!
PS I am glad that you were able to overcome being upset so quickly after making a job change.
Thanks!
I am really glad that you wrote this article. It hits home for me these days.
Glad to hear it Karen. Hope all is well.
Is your freelance work all in the Travel/MS Blogging category? I’d love to be in a position to leave my present job (despite enjoying my work and an incredible salary for a HS educated guy). I’ve written some blog posts in the past about my travels (travels inspired by those like you, TPG, OMAAT, MMS, FTG etc) but haven’t monetized (don’t know how to monetize). Any advice?
Well written article spelling out intense emotions and how you bounced back feeling fresh again. I retired from the Air Force after 20 years. The very next day I reported to work for a civilian company. Talking about adjustment…..
Fat fingered, I wasn’t done yet, sorry…..
Anyway, I just wanted to say how important travel is in my life. Mark. Twain famously said “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…….. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little…….” we have traveled abundance in the total of 32 years in federal services. The R&R and cultural experience have been priceless. And now, I got the travel bug itches again, time to book a trip!
I always felt the same re: Mark Twain’s quote. But I did meet a man from Europe whilst we were both in South Africa on Safari- he had traveled to 90+ countries and still made very public some of his prejudices.
“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
Thank you Jame. It’s always tough dealing with change. The ability to completely change your surroundings for a short period of time is always a great way to change your perspective. Happy travels!
Wow, your story sounds similar to mine. I left my last job on Sept. 18 and scheduled the start date for my new job to be Sept. 30. I wanted this gap in dates so that I could book a trip somewhere. Initially I booked to the Pacific Northwest for my wife and I. I had the flights and hotels all set. My last day of work was going to be Wednesday and we were going to leave on Saturday for about a week. That Monday I changed my mind and decided to go to Arizona instead. A week driving around in sunshine and warm weather sounded better than the forecast for damp, dreary weather in the PNW. I managed to cancel and rebook the entire trip in one night.
As I left work for good that Wednesday I was feeling very anxious. I had only scheduled 2 days to relax before going on this trip and would then start my new job the day after returning home. By that Friday I was a mess. I didn’t want to go away and would rather stay home the next 10 days sleeping late, reading and watching TV. My wife was trying to convince me that I would bored after one day and regretting that I hadn’t gone away.
Not only did I end up having a great time on the trip, but the times I felt the most excited about starting my new job were when we were out hiking. Being outside and exercising made me happy and looking forward to my upcoming job. The only times I was stressed about it were when we had downtime in our hotel room.
Sometimes you really don’t know what’s good for you. As an introvert, my brain always leans towards “Let’s stay home!” But I know that getting out is mentally and physically healthier. The same thoughts went through my head about canceling my trip to the Gilmore Fan Festival in Toronto this past weekend. I pushed through and went anyway – had the best time and came back refreshed.
Travel is best stress buster during difficult time. It works for me