Ok, you feeling it too? That little whisper that maybe you want to shake up your daily schedule? Maybe it’s a nudge to see something you haven’t seen before or maybe it’s a notion to reconnect with yourself in a major way. Whatever the case, we feel you. As the worst of winter starts taking its final bows, the pull to do some spring cleaning not only in our closets but in our hearts and minds could be highly magnetic. And if you find yourself daydreaming most of your work day, that could be a sign that your mind needs some scheduled time for wandering. Traveling with others can be fun but it can also be yet another time where we prioritize the desires of the people around us over our own.
If you needed a sign to book the trip, this may be it. But if you need six more, here they are.
You’re having a hard time resting.
Whether it’s falling asleep or staying asleep, whenever our minds are having a hard time truly finding rest, this is a great indication that we’re running on fumes. Rest is so crucial to our overall health and we often need some real time to get things back on track once our sleep schedules have been disturbed. Solo traveling can a be a great time to really put rest on the top of your list. Without the added pressure of being part of group activities or entertaining a partner, you may find it easier to get some zz-s.
Your patience for others is running low.
When we start to lash out at others, that can be a sign that we are navigating some storms of our own. We all have our days but we can also tell when negative behaviors are starting to become more habitual. When we aren’t taking care of ourselves properly, we can start to resent the many ways we show up for other people throughout our daily lives. Giving yourself some much needed TLC can help you continue to stand in the gap for your loved ones, your coworkers and your romantic partner.
Your thoughts feel scattered.
Overwhelming and intrusive thoughts can be a sign that our minds are in overdrive and could use a break. Meditation is often said to be able to unlock some of the same happy chemicals that vacations, laughter, sex and exercise can but ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby. Even a weekend away from your city and normal surroundings where no one’s wants, needs or thoughts mean more than your own can be a game changer.
You’re on autopilot.
Getting home and can’t remember the drive? Arriving at work in mismatched shoes or without that main piece of a project you’ve been working hard on? Yeah, it’s time. When our minds go on autopilot and we start to simply go through the motions of our day, we are disassociating and need to regroup. Disassociation happens when we desire to disconnect from our feelings or thoughts to achieve some sense of relief. It can be a favorite of those of us who are also navigating a healing journey alongside our everyday responsibilities.
You’re recovering from codependency.
Codependency can be a constant loop of trying to please others even if it means we betray ourselves in the process. People who are codependent can find themselves in very manipulative and abusive relationships that are draining. When you start to see your codependent behavior as a survival tactic and start shedding the parts of you that so badly needs to make other people happy at your own expense, it can feel like surgery. And though we talk about healing from toxic relationship patterns and how much beauty is on the other side of it, we don’t talk about the utter exhaustion that can accompany “doing the work”.
Because you just want to.
Sometimes, that’s reason enough. If you simply want to venture out on your own and be on your own time, entirely, then book that flight, sis. You don’t need permission. You don’t need an excuse. And you don’t need a special occasion to spend some time giving you exactly what you want.