Automatism is our main enemy. This is what neuroscientists and psychologists say. We perform the same actions, visit the same places, and walk the well-trodden paths in everyday life. We get used to it, but gradually we get tired of the routine. A vacation trip that breaks the vicious circle can be a salvation. How are the brain and travel connected? Can travel increase work productivity?
Going on a journey, we get the opportunity to wiggle our brain, acquire new neural connections, improve emotional awareness, which can help us generate new ideas. For routine actions, the human brain creates specific patterns based on habits. With the monotony of the surrounding world, the brain becomes lazy and ceases to generate ideas. In other words, degradation gradually sets in. When the world around us changes, the brain reboots. It develops due to neuroplasticity, and new neural connections are formed, which increases productivity. External diversity, new emotions, and impressions are necessary for the neuroplasticity property to work.
A change of scenery can quickly and easily reboot the brain. However, at the same time, travel should be prosperous and enriched. It’s not enough to lie on the beach for a few days, sipping cocktails and enjoying exotic fruits. It is advisable to go on excursions, get acquainted with the culture, and gain new exciting knowledge. In other words, the journey should not be turned into Groundhog Day, even if it is short-lived. It is necessary to turn novelty into an inexhaustible source of experience, including learning and emotional outbursts. During even a short trip, the scenery changes, which reboots the system, eliminating automatism. Think about the last time you returned from a trip. You’ve probably noticed that the old familiar space seems to have changed. The thing is that having rested and gained new impressions, you brought the effect of a new one into your daily life. And it always happens that way.
Even short trips can help relieve the stress that often accompanies our daily lives, directly affecting productivity. Stress negatively affects higher mental functions, which include: learning, attention, memory, concentration. Prolonged nervous tension affects the functioning of the hippocampus, which is responsible for emotions and memory. A tourist trip will eliminate stress and anxiety, which means it will increase the brain’s performance. The more often we rest, the more varied experiences we experience, the more neural connections are formed in the brain, and the broader our picture of the world becomes. Thus, a journey enriched with emotions, impressions, and new knowledge is the easiest and fastest way to reboot the brain and make it work better.
Sometimes it can be challenging to force yourself to leave the house. In this case, first of all, you can come up with some mission: go to an unfamiliar part of the city, visit friends, explore a new park, feed ducks, go to a museum, and so on. When you have an idea, it becomes easier to get out. Secondly is regularity: there will be almost no sense from walking once a week. During the crisis, I walked every day for two weeks in a row, which helped put my brains in order and re-establish the system. Now I try not to stay at home in the evenings for more than two days in a row. In addition, an international driving permit will come in handy if you intend to drive or rent a car abroad and experience new cultures. It is easy to book a hotel room and buy airline tickets with an international ID. This is the same document as a passport. National rights in practice are far from being effective everywhere; it is easier to have international ones.
Unhurried and freethinking about tasks while walking helps to optimize further work. Sometimes you find unnecessary processes and stages only when you are not involved in the work. And for some reason, good ideas also appear only when not busy. Travel and recuperate energy for increased work productivity! Do not forget that the brain needs to be constantly trained to keep it in good shape when traveling.
Guest Bio. “Rachel Eleza is a marketing director at Upsuite and a writer for different websites. She loves reading and travelling. She is an ambitious woman and a hard-worker. When she’s not writing, she’s usually baking up a storm or trying to find new ways to get inspired. “
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