TRAVEL A PIVOTAL TOOL TO WELLNESS by Tolulope Dopemu

July 2, 2018

Traveling is a pivotal tool to wellness!

A couple of days ago I was speaking with a friend of mine who I noticed had not been his usual self in weeks. He opened up to me and told me about how certain challenges in his life this year had led to his depression diagnosis.

I urged him to tell me more and asked how well he was doing now. While we were speaking, he mentioned how Depression was not a Nigerian thing and it left me quite perplexed.

You see, my friend lives abroad and has confessed that the culture shock and the events that led to his sudden departure and decision to move about a year ago still gets to him.

I’m pretty sure there are more people like my friend who think that because of our nationality, we cannot be affected by depression.

This notion is so wrong, as a matter of fact, Lagos Traffic alone can cause instant Depression. Having a support system helps reduce the risk of some Mental illnesses, but It does not take away the fact that it can still happen. We need to find various ways to combat and reduce the circumstances that lead to depression.

As someone who understands the benefits of travel, I constantly implore people to use travel as a tool to avoid the pitfalls of this illness and enjoy a balanced life. Traveling is very therapeutic. It gives hope and inspiration. The awe of doing something new, trying something different and learning new things help shape the mind to look at positives. These positive thoughts help reduce paranoia, unhappiness, and sadness all of which are symptoms.

The importance of travel to overall wellness cannot be over emphasized, there is a certain kind of healing that accompanies leaving the confines of your home. Every trip comes with a new life lesson.

This might not be a one size fits all solution, but I believe it’s more important to try than forfeiting ones entire life.

Tolulope Dopemu is a travel curator, tour operator, and travel consultant. She is the CEO of Travelotus Limited; a wellness travel company based in Lagos. She believes that Travel can be used as a tool to solve social issues and create positive impacts in the society.

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