Exploring Wellness on Irish Adventures: How To Travel Mindfully
Getting out and seeing different parts of your country is an effective means of body and mind reset. When you live with PTSD, ADHD, or depression, it can be an especially nice way to give your mind a break. Those things can also make travelling a bit more challenging, though. So, strategy is key to making your trip around Ireland (or further afield) as enjoyable as possible.
Travel & Wellness – How to Travel Mindfully in Ireland
How to Travel Mindfully in Ireland #1
Travelling with PTSD
If you have PTSD, travelling around (especially when the journey is unpredictable) will make you more prone to stress and anxiety. Travelling around Ireland to heal is totally feasible, but you need to do it with forethought.
There are lots of quiet places to travel around in Ireland. (even well-known places can have quiet times, for example: The Cliffs of Moher on the right day, the beautiful lakes in Killarney National Park, the Dublin Mountains or Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coastal Route).
Quieter surroundings assist you in relaxing and decreasing anxiety. So, bring noise-canceling headphones (headphones that block out anything you don’t want to hear), which will help reduce anxiety and go slow with your itinerary.
Further Reading: 10 Things to Do in Ireland on a Rainy Day – Budget Friendly
How to Travel Mindfully in Ireland #2
Navigating Depression While Travelling
Travelling with a chill vibe will be more effective in Ireland. This slow travel involves breathing and paying heed to see all there is to see.
Relaxing and being at one with nature that surrounds you on your travels can become a major way in which you learn to combat depression. Make sure to get enough sleep, don’t stop eating healthy, and hang out and chill. Local mental health services such as HealthHero, which was previously MyClinic.ie, can be supportive of meeting your needs by connecting you to an online doctor in Ireland to assess your wellness on your travels.
Further Reading: Memorable Exploring at Kells Priory in Kilkenny, Ireland
How to Travel Mindfully in Ireland #3
Managing ADHD While Travelling
Travelling with ADHD requires some planning and flexibility.
- Start with a well-organised plan to handle details, limit surprises.
- Schedule breaks to avoid overstimulation.
- Consider packing necessities — especially snacks, fidgets, and medications to ease symptoms.
- Plan what items you intend on packing that you know will help; like noise-canceling headphones, or try mobile apps to help focus.
- Communicate with companions.
- Look for ways to stay on an even keel.
- Try to use enough familiar items and a consistent routine for a smoother and more enjoyable experience.
Further Reading: Heywood Gardens, Ballinakill, Co. Laois – Wonderful Every Season
ADHD-Friendly Travel Tips
Start with maybe getting an agent to deal with the details that you may have trouble focusing on. Be open to options. If you would really struggle to navigate public transportation or get lost easily, maybe renting a car would be the better option. Being surrounded by other people and letting someone else do the work should be less stressful for you.
Further Reading: 12 Stress-Free Summer Travel Tips – Family Travel with Kids
Embrace the Adventure
Travelling around Ireland can be a time for self-discovery with yourself and nature, and connecting to the culture and history Ireland has to offer. It, too, can be a time for greater meaning and happiness if you approach it mindfully, even if you happen to be travelling with PTSD, depression, or ADHD. You can learn to travel in Ireland without carrying your diagnosis around.
PIN: Ireland Travel & Wellness – How to Travel Mindfully in 3 Ways
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