I`ve Got An Emotional Overdose

Everything in a life can be a drug. Doesn`t matter if it is a material thing or an emotion — consumption in a big quantities leads to abuse, addiction, and, eventually, an overdose. The same happens to me.

My addiction may look harmless. It is not a gambling or an illegal drug. Believe it or not, it happens to be my passion — the traveling, and particularly, the emotions during my travels.

How it started.

More than six years ago, my life changed dramatically. I found a way to fulfill my dreams to explore the world. I`ve crossed half of the globe and visited close to a thousand different destinations. Almost every new day was filled with unexpected discoveries. New cultures, legendary historical sites, and people from all over the world were immortalizing the new experiences in my memory.

Imagine the flow of emotions when you snowboarding in the Carpathian mountains five days after wakeboarding in tropical Singapore. Imagine cycling on top of the infamous Vesuvius volcano right after attending the F1 track in Monaco. How about diving with sharks in Belize Barrier Reef a week before hugging cute sloth in Honduras or surfing in Maui and kayaking with whales and orcas in Alaska in the same month. The density and the quality of emotions experienced were incomparable to anything else, and I naturally wanted more.

Such an enriched and fast-paced life rhythm created a high expectation of every next day. The brain got used to receiving a waterfall of exiting emotions on a regular basis and was not ready to settle for less.

Traveling dope sickness.

2020 pandemic made a hard hit on my traveling opportunities worldwide. Any passiveness for an extended period of time was unpleasant, but over the year-long lockdown becomes a torture. With borders closure, I was trying to fill the appeared vacuum of emotions with trainings, local cycling trips, and gaming. It helped a bit but still was not enough. The emotionless depression was consuming me day by day. Nothing seems to have a taste anymore. Fortunately, I was able to keep control over myself and was resistant over other possible addictions.

2021 was a relief in terms of traveling. Visits to a bunch of new places brought joy in my life again. Trip around Georgia and new Caribbean adventures were able to cheer me up.

In 2022, I continued pursuing my goals and moved to the most desirable place. The goals required me to put a hold on extensive traveling that led to a new depression. The beauty of the surroundings and one of my goals that is becoming closer day by day are still not keeping up with an unbridled desire to travel. Only the cold mind and focus are keeping me off breaking bad.

Is there a cure?

I am still trying to find an answer to these questions. In my case, the only thing that treats this depression is traveling itself. But it puts me in some kind of a vicious circle. The more I travel — the more I want to travel.

I don`t think there is an anonymous adventurers club where I can share my thoughts. I also found that there are not that many people with such a strong passion for traveling, even though they may argue this. Or maybe it is just fiction in my head to cover the real cause of a bad mood? A do have more questions than answers.

Still, unlike conventional drugs, traveling emotions are creating memories that have a positive life lasting effect. Life was, is, and will be worth living until there is a possibility for traveling in it.

Looks like any strong passion can be a blessing and the curse at the same time. It is like a beacon that light rewards with a pleasant feeling and punishes when the shade comes. It is important to be aware of it and be ready for consequences.

Thank you for reaching out to the end. If you like the story, please share your thoughts and don`t be shy to check other ones like:

What I`ve Learned After Visiting 70 Countries

5 Alternative Ways Of Traveling That Most People Are Scared To Try

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