Does Travel Heal the Heart

By Madison Barton

While there is no cure for a broken heart, could travelling help you move forward? Though some call this running away from your problems I prefer to call it letting go of them.

Getting on a plane, a boat, or driving a car and removing yourself from an environment which causes you stress or pain, could help you move on. New research has found that "80% of respondents said travel improves their general mood and outlook on life, with 75% of respondents also saying travel helps them reduce stress." Said the World Travel and Tourism Council. In an ideal world, I would move to a small beachside cottage and run a bookshop/bar however travelling to a place like this will do for now. 

Personally, I love to travel. I have been to 35 different countries and out of those New Zealand and Bali are my favorites. However, these are luxury and rather expensive options and you do not need to go as far as you may think. Going to the coast, any coast has been proven to increase mood as it lowers blood pressure and stress hormone levels. So go to the coast, look at waves crashing to beaches whether they are sandy or just sheer cliff sides.  "Humans have a "blue mind" – meaning that our brains are hardwired to react positively to water. Accordingly, being near, in, on or under water makes us happier, healthier and more relaxed, both mentally and physically." Says, Charles Simon. 

As in the end we are composed of mostly hormones and carefully balanced Ph levels. These levels become unbalanced and consequently we become sad, just as we feel happy when balanced is restored.

 Travelling presents us with something to explore and a sense of accomplishment, both of which boost dopamine levels. The sense there is still something to explore when you feel heartbroken is massive, as your world shrinks it is important to know how much is still out there. 

A broken heart is a specific pain which has been eternal throughout generations, the pain is caused by a surge of hormones in our brain, humans are adaptable but first and foremost we are creatures of habit. Breaking these habits we grow accustomed to can often be painful and take more time than we may wish. 

I am in no way suggesting that going on holiday or to the beach will cure your broken heart or magically make you move on, but it helps to accept the beautiful things in our world. Experiencing new experiences on your own or with friends proves you can do it by yourself and while it hurts you will not crumble. People often forget to fuel their own passions and desires when in a relationship and when you leave a long-term relationship there is this wash of uncertain emotions of sadness, panic, excitement and dread.

I found that being on a beach let me forget my sadness for a moment. It helped me to understand that we cannot map out our future and while we control our actions we do not control our final destination.

I stared out at the endless blue of the ocean and found myself feeling very small in a good way. I was small but I mattered just as much as the crab scuttling around me.

I wish I could tell you and myself that heartbreak is fleeting and can be healed with vodka and a good night's rest, for most of us this is not the case. Heartbreak is a lucky thing because it means that for a moment no matter how fleeting, you loved someone enough to hurt this way. To experience love is lucky even though it often ends in pain. 

Habits take time to be unlearnt, and love is a very hard habit to break. So take a breath and physically remove yourself from the environment which is bringing you pain. As long as you go somewhere it matters very little where you are, as you relearn how to be alone.