Hey, you.
Just getting back from a trip, and not feeling like the exact same person you were before you left?
Guess what? THAT'S OK!
If you've found yourself on the post-trip struggle bus, you're in good hands. I've driven it several times.
Here are a few things I've learned that have helped me stave off a severe case or two of the "post-trip blues".
Check Your Expectations At the Door
You just got home, and you are SO STOKED to talk ALLLL about your adventures with your friends and family. You start sharing and realize that they aren't reacting quite the way you expected...or at all. All you want is for someone to understand and be authentically happy for you.
Even if you have people in your life that ARE authentically happy for you, they never quite seem to fully "get it".
Sound familiar?
Lesson 1: Don’t expect people to understand and share your same joy.
They weren’t there with you to actually share in your experiences, so how COULD they possibly understand? It’s not their fault, and it's not exactly fair to hold them to that expectation. Understanding that you are in full control of avoiding this kind of disappointment creates some serious room for self empowerment and internal growth.
To be clear, I am not saying that you shouldn't share your experiences with your friends and family upon returning, I'm just saying to not assume that they'll react with the same level of stoke that you have when sharing.
Trash the expectations and sidestep the disappointment. Bam.
Take Time to Process
Lesson 2: Take time to yourself.
Process. Write. Read. Meditate. Scrapbook. Whatever.
Take time to fully process your experience before jumping back into the world you knew before you left.
This is where the transformation and magic really takes place. Skipping out on the processing period is like skipping out on rest days in a workout routine (meaning, this is where the ACTUAL growth happens).
Acknowledge, contemplate and dive into those parts of yourself that slightly changed, opened up, or transformed entirely throughout your travels. Recognize and appreciate that just being the person you are as a result of your incredible international experience helps to keep the spirit of your travels alive and well!
Merge the Worlds
Sometimes upon returning home, we find ourselves borderline depressed, just wishing we were traveling and indulging in the magic of travel and new experience 24/7. And honestly, I still struggle with this one ALL the time.
Think about it like this though, if we were never in the “real world” would we even recognize and enjoy that magic to the same extent?!
Lesson 3: Mix the magic into the real world.
It is our job to take that magic and integrate it into the "real world" and give others small glimpses of it through our daily lives. It's our job to take all of the lessons, realizations, and beautiful moments and incorporate them into everything we do, whether we are traveling or not.
Maybe you tried eating something new and learned that you DO actually like whatever it is you swore you'd never eat. Now you can share your story and encourage other people to try new things.
Maybe you experienced cultures that think or believe differently than you do, and you realized that maybe what you grew up thinking or believing isn't the ONLY way. Now you can share your experience and inspire other people to be more tolerant and understanding.
Maybe you went on an amazing sunrise hike and learned that it IS worth getting up early to experience that level of beauty. Now you can share your story and motivate other people to get up with you to go catch a sunrise at home.
Merge the worlds. Create ripples.
I most certainly hope at least one of these things help make your transition home a little bit easier.
At the end of the day, it's all about mindset. You create your reality, so make it one that doesn't have space for the post-trip blues to stay very long
Love you all. Mean it.
Linds
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Want to talk more about your struggles returning home from your trip? Hit me up, I'm always happy to listen and help support you however I can!
