more open and honest about their feelings on the matter . Again , potential factors such as these are not accounted for .
However , while the survey failed to ask participants to explain their motivations or wax philosophical as to “ why ” they travelled , the circumstances the participants returned to seems relevant .
Another potential explanation for the age discrepancy , could be the rise of nomadic , bohemian “ van life ” lifestyle over the last decade . It ’ s easy to speculate that many don ’ t feel at home anywhere or have a “ normal ” to return to .
As one of the 20-something participant ’ s pointed out :
“ I feel like this questionnaire suggests that answerers had some kind of " normal life " before their trip and now experience troubles returning to it .” Kirill , Russia
CONCLUSIONS : There are no hard and fast answers when it comes to mental health . We all have our own motivations and expectations in life , and some of us have a lot more baggage than we can ever cram into our panniers .
While the survey results certainly shed a bit of light on life-circumstances that may contribute to our susceptibility to “ decompression ,” we are all on our own journey - even when we travel together … That said , I invite you to draw your own conclusions . As one of the 40-something Gen X ’ ers who has spent the majority of my adult life travelling in search of something more meaningful than what they were selling on the evening news , decompression was summed up best by a long-time Burner I met my last year on the Playa .
“ A lot of people come to Burning Man looking for some sort of transformative experience . Personally , I ’ m not looking for anything - I ‘ m happy with the life I have . This is just an excuse to blow off steam , break away from the 9 to 5 and leave the constraints of polite society behind .
Some people spend a week out here and feel like they ’ ve finally found their purpose in life , or a tribe of like minded individuals … All of a sudden , they feel like they ’ re finally home .
But this isn ’ t home . It ’ s all transient , it ’ s an illusion , and once that comes crashing down … it ’ s just too much for them to deal with . relationship that has been dead for years , and they realise how empty and unfulfilling 99 % of their life is . That ’ s when decompression hits …”
Maybe before we hit the road , it ’ s best to ask ourselves , “ why ?”.
Are we just looking to blow off some steam , explore the world a bit , check an item off the bucket list … or are we searching for meaning in life ? Are we hoping for a transformative experience ? What happens if we don ’ t find it ? And maybe more importantly , what happens if we do ? What if we change , only to come home and discover the world we left behind didn ’ t ?
Perhaps asking ourselves these questions beforehand , can help us decompress and reintegrate into the default world once all the dust settles .
And perhaps , unless we truly have something worth coming home to , it ’ s just best to keep moving . CH
1 . Anthony Fauci ( born December 24 , 1940 ) is an American physician-scientist and immunologist serving as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ( NIAID ) and the Chief Medical Advisor to the President . During the COVID-19 pandemic , he served under President Donald Trump as one of the lead members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force . Fauci ' s advice was frequently contradicted by Trump , and Trump ' s supporters alleged that Fauci was trying to politically undermine Trump ' s run for reelection . After Joe Biden took office , Fauci began serving as one of the lead members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team and as Biden ' s chief medical advisor .
2 . Zelviene P , Kazlauskas E . Adjustment disorder : current perspectives . Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat . 2018 ; 14:375 – 381 . doi : 10.2147 / NDT . S121072
3 . By The Recovery Village , Editor Megan Hull , Medically Reviewed By Davis Sugar , MD , Updated on 08 / 17 / 21 https :// www . therecoveryvillage . com / mental-health / adjustment-disorders / related / adjustment-disorder-vs-depression /
4 . University of Northern Iowa UNI ScholarWorks Graduate Research Papers Student Work 2007 Introversion : relationship with mental well-being Elizabeth A . Balder University of Northern Iowa
5 . https :// www . audacy . com / kluv / blogs / miles-in-themorning / study-finds-moving-the-most-stressfulevent-in-life
They go back to their job , their car payment , a
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