Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Why I don't take vacations...

I travel.

And I never call my traveling a "vacation."

I don't travel to relax. I travel to conquer anxiety. (And also to see the world, of course!)

Yes, I could book a nice beach "vacation" through a travel agent or do a nice relaxing cruise, but that's not my style. I plan my trips myself in which every hour is planned and accounted for, every detail, every booking... and it's stressful as heck.

Is that stupid for someone dealing with anxiety? Probably. But executing my plan, following through, and making it back home gives me something that a typical stress-free "vacation" never could.

I plan, I schedule, I stress out, I worry, but when I arrive back home at the airport I can breathe a sigh of relief. I did something that seemed near impossible. I conquered every "what if" fear and I MADE IT! I put myself through the hard stuff because I know it'll be worth it... every step of the way.  Every experience is worth it... even when I get into a tizzy. Because guess what? In the end, it's always okay. It has always been okay. And isn't that a good reminder?

While my traveling is never stress or worry free, it's okay. They're not meant to be vacations. They're empowercations. I need that in my life. I need to be reminded that I can do whatever I set my mind to and while there are scary things out there in this world, I can't live my life in fear. 

The world is too beautiful and the people you meet are too wonderful to let worry and anxiety dictate your life.

Go on, CONQUER THE WORLD.