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Take Out Therapy: End Overthinking & Overwhelm for Empathic High Achievers
Travel Helps Your Mental Health; Get The Benefits Without Leaving Home With A Lesson in Presence and Gratitude
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In this episode, you'll discover why switching things up, whether through travel or small everyday changes, is one of the best ways to boost your mental health and your personal growth. Welcome to Takeout Therapy, the podcast for empathic high achievers who are done with overworking, overthinking, and overwhelm. I'm Rebecca Hunter, an anxiety expert and therapist here to help you stress less, set better boundaries, and finally, relax without guilt. If you're ready to stop people pleasing, take control of your mental health and create real work life bal balance, you're in the right place. Thanks for listening. Let's get to work. Well, hello there, friend. I'm so happy you showed up today. In this episode, you'll discover why stepping out of routine is a shortcut to growth, how new experiences wake up your brain and create gratitude, and why discomfort can actually make you stronger. So we just got back from the radical sabbatical of 2025. We spent 14 days traveling throughout Greece with a Rick Steves tour. We spent the last seven days just laying around on a couple of islands. It was awesome. I'm so grateful. The history lessons that we learned. Oh, my gosh, the food, the wine, the people. It was an amazing trip. Of course, it wasn't completely picture perfect. Our tour bus broke down one day. Sometimes the food wasn't my thing. One of the girls had a tough encounter with some gypsies. And yet, it was those very moments, the beauty and the challenges, that showed me why travel continues to be such a powerful tool for mental health. So let's talk about what travel teaches us about growth and how you can get the same benefits without even leaving your hometown. Okay, the first lesson I want to share with you is about shared humanity and the way that when we get out into humanity, we really get connection. Yeah, travel, it puts us face to face with people who live way differently than we do. And yet sameness shines through. In Greece, I was struck by the hospitality. These people are really nice people. They look you in the eye, they shake your hand, they ask curious question, and they express gratitude within everyday, normal interactions. So despite language barriers and cultural differences, kindness was a very common thread throughout our time away. Why does this matter for mental health? Well, friend, human connection is one of the best regulators of anxiety, of stress, and of overwhelm. When we feel seen by another person, our system kind of relaxes and feels safe. Routine can very much isolate us, while switching things up reminds us that connection is everywhere if we're willing to step into new spaces. And to be honest, right now, Looking out into the world, I kind of think connection is where it's at, right? You don't have to travel to get connected with your community. Attend a community event you've never been to, try a new store or cafe. Make eye contact with people out there in the world. Friend and say please and say thank you. Just notice how good it feels to connect with people outside your usual circle. When I really make an effort to connect out in the world, I can see that it impacts other people positively too. The second lesson I want to share with you is that perspective reset creates gratitude. You know, travel highlights the things that we usually overlook. After three weeks in Greece, I came home so grateful for my big huge shower in my bathroom, for clean drinking water that I don't have to worry about or use plastic and just being able to communicate within my community without a lot of effort. At the same time, I appreciated the slower pace of things in Greece, the extremely fresh and simple healthy food options, and the absolute richness that tradition has weaved into life for Greek people. Why does this matter for mental health? Well, our brains adapt really quickly and stop noticing what's good. We call this hedonic adaptation, which basically means when you live in your life for long enough, you don't even really see what's working right. Just changing the context of things tends to snap us out of autopilot and really helps us see what we already have in a brand new light. Gratitude is one of the most evidence based ways to boost mental health. It lowers our stress level and it increases our resilience to things when life gets difficult. So you don't need a plane ticket to reset your perspective or all you need to do is just step outside your normal routine, spend some time with different people than you normally hang out with, maybe spend a day without any screens. I'm going to harp on that on Monday. Or try cooking new foods from another culture. Grab some new recipes or visit a new park in your area. The contrast will wake up your senses, will enlighten your awareness, and maybe even spark a little gratitude. And then the third lesson that I want to share with you today is getting out of your comfort zone builds resilience. Travel isn't always comfortable. That 10 hour flight was a bear on the way there. On the way back, the plane was half empty and I could lay down on my row. But you know, things happen. Our bus broke down one day. I didn't always love the food that was being offered. And of course one of our group members had a rough moment when she got caught up in a band of gypsies. Those hiccups become part of the story. They're not always terrible, but. But they're always part of the growth. And this matters for our mental health because when we get uncomfortable, it forces us to be more flexible. And every single time you navigate something new, you're teaching your nervous system that you can handle new things. You can handle difficult things. The thing is, is resilience isn't built when things are going great. It's built in moments of stress that we learn to move through. So if you're not traveling and you're at home, look for safe ways to step outside your comfort zone. Take a different route to work. Say yes to an invitation you would absolutely normally decline. Try a new skill. Discomfort oftentimes transforms into confidence. And that, my friend, is what makes us grow. So, yeah, travel is so fun and awesome. You know, I love it. It's a great teacher. But it's not about geography. It's about growth. It's about shared humanity, perspective, and resilience and the resilience that comes from breaking routine and being willing to be present. And if travel isn't accessible to you right now, that's okay. You can still create these same mental health boosts by shaking things up in your daily life. So this week, I challenge you to pick one way to switch things up. Try a new recipe, eat a new food, explore a new neighborhood, or start a conversation with someone you don't usually connect with. Notice how your body and your mind respond. You might be surprised how much lighter and more alive you feel. Thank you so much for spending your time with me today. I really appreciate you being here and doing your personal growth work. Be sure to subscribe and do a quick review of the podcast so more people can get this kind of help. Speaking of which, if you haven't taken my free, newly revamped class, that helps you stop overthinking everything to death. Yeah, I see you there. Just grab it@takeouttherapy.com I always love to teach you what actually works. And remember, takeout therapy is a great educational resource, but always get the level of support you need for your situation. Head to takeouttherapy.com to stay in the loop until next time. Take really good care of yourself, Fred.