One Simple, Practical Way To Stay Grounded When You’re Away From Home

One Simple, Practical Way

To Stay Grounded When

You’re Away From Home

By Elizabeth

I’ve been traveling a lot for work lately, and being on the road has really tested my wellness practices.

One weekend away at a conference, and suddenly I’m “forgetting” to work out, eating Baked Cheetos for lunch and falling asleep watching Modern Family reruns at 2 a.m.!

I was expressing my woes to a friend who manages touring musicians for a living.

She is a pro at being in balance and in motion all at the same time.

I told her about the Cheetos. And I told her about how after the first of several couple-week trips away from home, I returned almost in tears.

I felt so removed from myself while I’d been away, it was like I was stumbling to the finish line just to reclaim my place in the world.

That state is neither pleasant nor sustainable and I wanted to know if she had any hot tips to keep it from happening again?

“Hmmmm,” she said. “Are you unpacking in your hotel rooms?”

“Um, what?” I asked. What did my socks and underwear have to do with all this?

Her biggest piece of advice turned out to be simple but transformative: unpack.

When you get to a new room, even if you are only there for a single night, take every last thing out of your suitcase.

Put your computer on the desk. Put your toiletries in the bathroom. Hang your coat and dresses in the closet. Line your shoes up neatly.

In short, put everything you have where it would go if you lived here.

Then, you will feel like you live there, too.

Most of us are familiar with the call to “be here now.” But it’s hard to do that under the best of circumstances, and even harder when things feel unsettled and in motion.

Taking the time to connect with where you are, in a grounded, practical way, can help reframe periods of anxious chaos as periods of pleasurable business.

Now it’s your turn…

How do you keep things feeling good when you’re busy or traveling? We are officially looking for more hot tips!

Elizabeth is a journalist who has been writing about health, beauty and wellness for over 20 years. She lives in Northern New Mexico with her two dogs and several hundred trees, shrubs, bushes and succulents.