5 herbs for a stress-free adventure
At the beginning of September, I road tripped from California to New Mexico (an over 17 hour drive- alone). I moseyed my way from Sacramento to Joshua Tree into Arizona to visit Flagstaff, then through Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos, NM. The West is full of open space, miles without buildings or homes, and seemingly desolate. You really feel like you're out in the wild. Stretches of freeway float through the Mojave, pinyon-juniper woodlands of the high desert, and seas of red sandstone and Earth covered in sage green vegetation. I like to say it's magic.
It had been awhile since I've done something like this by myself. The excitement and possibility of really being with the desert, and places I'd never been before, is what drove me to do it. But while I wanted this, I felt increasingly unsettled out there. Aloneness, something I had once relished in, felt hollow and scary. The unknowing of what might pop up on a desert highway frightened me. My very active mind kept chattering. My body responded with discomfort. Where would I sleep safely without being bothered? At times I felt joy of my curiosity to this new place, and others fear.
Stress inhibits us from being able to be in the present moment. It is a barrier to not only our happiness, but our ability to fully experience life, which, I think, is exactly what we seek when we travel. We want to be a part of life. And that's exactly what was happening to me.
Generally, travel stress can look like:
Upset tummy/disrupted transit time
Ungroundedness
Tension throughout the body
Disrupted sleep cycle
Poor quality of sleep
Heart palpitations
Overthinking/can't stop thinking
Restless
Feelings of fear or anxiety
Irritability
*A reminder that travel stress can look different for everyone, so I may not have named something you associate with this!
I'm even finding that with living in a van, a lot of my basic needs aren't met. And sometimes they are things I can't really work around in terms of circumstance...
But there are ways we can support ourselves through stress like this.
Aside from the typical breath work and meditation practices, there are ways you can intervene with stress both acutely and preventatively with plants! In addition to this, planning ahead before you go (where you are going, sleeping, checking reviews to ensure safety) are great tasks to get into.
In terms of solo travel, we're really working with our ability to: take care of ourselves based on our needs (nourishment), trust ourselves in difficult situations, cope through adversity, know what is feeling triggering and discern danger from safety and walk ourselves through this in our minds. *Enter the plants!*
5 Herbs for a Stress Free Adventure
For the end of a hard day and continued support when you're feeling depleted: Milky Oat (Avena sativa) Glycerite. Glycerites are plant extracts made with vegetable glycerine, instead of alcohol. There are quite delicious as they're sweet, and milky oats in general are just such a lovely plant to work with. There are two reasons I feel such adoration for this plant: 1) they are softening when we have become rigid, irritated, and drained from our surroundings, overworked, lots of travel, or our world in general. And 2) Because they are rich in minerals and trace nutrients, such as magnesium. These minerals are ESSENTIAL to proper nervous system function.
For when those little sounds create big stories in your mind: Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) for over thinkers and when the mind won't quiet. This is one of my tried and true favorites to "put a cap on it." Skullcap helps to calm and soothe the nervous system, working in the moment for support. Check out this article I wrote with one of my peers, Christine Mineart, on Skullcap's qualities and a trial we are currently running with my school!
For those who need to keep boundaries on the road: Rose (Rosa spp.) helps us to feel comforted and open to new experiences while allowing us to keep our 'thorns', or boundaries. Rose helps us to stand our ground. I find them to be quite supportive through hardship as well. In a physiological sense, Rose works on our heart and cardiovascular system, strengthening our vasculature and providing anti-inflammatory/cooling qualities for overheated states. I love pairing this plant with Tulsi for grounding, uplifting, and focus/mental clarity. One of the teas I normally take with me when I travel is the Organic India Tulsi Sweet Rose Tea since it's usually available in grocery stores.
To get good quality sleep: Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is a 2 for 1 package: breaking cyclic, looping thoughts and encouraging us to sleep as a sedative. Additionally, Passionflower is a GABAergic plant. Ok get ready because it the coolest thing ever: GABA is a neurotransmitter in our bodies responsible for reducing nervous excitability. Sometimes if we have low GABA or our receptor sites are doing an efficient job of uptaking GABA, we can feel more anxious! Passionflower works to increase receptor site ability to uptake the body's GABA and poof- less stress. I love pairing Passionflower with Chamomile for a deeper, restful sleep (and a much tastier blend). To note: Passionflower is contraindicated with medications.
Are you really anxious all day or is it your body not bouncing back from a stressful experience? This is where adaptogens shine. "Adaptogen" is a popularized word meaning herbs that help to modulate and balance our stress response. There are different classes of adaptogens, so not every herb that people call an adaptogen has a direct effect on the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA Axis). When we experience chronic stress, are easily caught in that fight-or-flight response and end up staying stressed all day, that's when primary adaptogens can come in and help to regulate that, shortening the time of the response (allowing you to feel better quicker). I find these to be particularly helpful when you are easily triggered, are constantly stressed and sometimes you don't even know why. Primary adaptogens include: Ashwagandha, Eleuthero, Rhodiola, and Schisandra. Each of these plants have specific actions; some are more stimulating while others are sedating. More gentle adaptogens (not primary) include: Tulsi, Reishi, Shatavari, Milky Oats.
To get the most of the herbs you are working with, having a consultation with an herbalist or visiting your local herb shop to chat with one can be helpful in figuring out what's right for you individual body. And if you're taking medications, have medical issues, and for good practice, consult your general practitioner or doctor.
