Minotaurs and Body Shots.

Hersonisos, Crete, 1998. A party paradise that would have made Dionysus blush … this is where I and two friends- let’s call them Jill and Steph- spent the summer of that year.

Jill had been to mainland Greece before and after much discussion about the three of us taking an extended vacation, we saved up and decided on Crete.

Famous as a European vacation destination, this Greek island may as well have been Mars for us small-town Ontario girls.

The landscape ricocheted between rocky, goat-spotted hillsides and the crashing foamy ocean made of the most unimaginable green. The air was almost as warm as the locals and I will never forget the smell of the bakeries or twisting my ankles on the cobblestone streets.

Everything was foreign. Euphorically foreign. 

Steph was a Classical Studies major so at her insistence we spent our non-beach days traveling around Crete by bus, taking in the historical sites, sampling the local cuisine, and learning about traditional Greek culture.

When night fell we returned to Hersonnisos and spent our nights “learning” about the European party scene.

As the sun set and the beach strip started to glow with its own light, clouds of cigarette smoke and languages unknown erupted from rowdy tables. Dutch guys played soccer in the street and barely clothed party-goers danced, and drank until the wee hours.

It was gyros, souvlaki, and ouzo shots as far as the eye could see. Eat, drink, and be merry 24-7. It was freedom on a whole new different level.

There were no ties to home. Not a single soul knew who we were and we were free to be whoever we wanted to be … for two glorious months.

Hersonnisos was one big green light and we loved it. 

I think we surprised each other and even ourselves with our chosen adventures. There were occasional arguments over our more questionable choices, but I guess that’s normal when someone you know cracks open a side of themselves you’ve never seen before. 

It was the most fun I’ve ever had and the most relaxed and confident I’ve ever felt. My chronic, crippling anxiety took a hike during those months and I lived in a state of lightness and mental clarity that I hadn’t experienced since early childhood.

Over the years, I’ve chalked up this reprieve to too much alcohol and a dopamine-filled hiatus from reality. Of course my anxiety was gone, I didn’t have any responsibilities! Right??

Wrong.

Escape from responsibility was certainly part of it, but there was more to it than that. It turns out travel can have several positive effects on the brain that in turn, reduce the symptoms of anxiety.

I’ll list a few of these effects for you so the next time you hesitate to visit the Greek Isles, you can remind yourself how good travel is for your brain ;)

Novelty and Brain Plasticity: 

Travel is novel! You get to experience loads of new things, people, and situations. Novelty sparks brain plasticity, opening the door to new neural pathways and fresh perspectives, reducing anxiety's grip. Experiencing the unfamiliar rewires your brain, it enhances your adaptability and resilience, in a sense, it counteracts the rigidity of anxiety.

Stress Reduction: 

This is a no-brainer but I’ll say it anyway, travel should involve relaxation, at least some of the time. My Crete example is probably a bit unique in that it happened in the 90’s before draconian travel rules existed and I didn’t have kids to worry about and I wasn’t there for a career move, etc. Regardless, travel is going to (hopefully) result in some endorphin release which means stress reduction and if we’re lucky lowered anxiety symptoms. 

Enhanced Cognitive Function: 

Travel can serve as a form of exposure therapy! I know I’ve painted a rosy picture here but there were some challenging times during that summer. We had major plumbing issues in our flat, financial stress and there were one or two hiccups in the relationship department. 

We only had ourselves to rely on and I think that dealing with these unexpected situations went a long way to desensitizing my brain to things that would normally have acted as a trigger for anxiety symptoms.

Social Interaction: 

As introverts, spending the summer on Crete allowed us to really interact with people in a way we had never done before. We were small-town girls, all of us were raised under scrutiny in judgemental households and not surprisingly we all lacked confidence.

Being so far from home, we were free to talk, flirt, and dance without any fear of judgment. We met and spent time with so many people, some for only a few days, some for the whole time we were there. We were riding an oxytocin super highway as we enjoyed the new, positive social connections. 

Exposure: 

Travel can serve as a form of exposure therapy! I know I’ve painted a rosy picture here but there were some challenging times during that summer. We had major plumbing issues in our flat, financial stress and there were one or two hiccups in the relationship department. 

We only had ourselves to rely on and I think that dealing with these unexpected situations went a long way to desensitizing my brain to things that would normally have acted as a trigger for anxiety symptoms. 

In Closing …

When we suffer from the symptoms of anxiety, often our response is to retract and make our world smaller, and more controllable. As understandable as this is, in doing so we might be doing ourselves a great disservice by robbing our bodies and minds of the chance to forge a greater sense of felt safety and capacity for tolerating discomfort. 

For years, I held the false belief that I only felt good during that summer because I was indulging in an excessive amount of fun for an extended period of time, but my trip to Crete was so much more than that. 

I only wish I had known then what I know now, that travel can be a neurologic antidote, if you will, a catalyst to fuel growth and ease anxiety’s burden.

That is all for now, thanks for reading, and happy travels!

Laina