Whether you work in the travel industry or you’re simply bracing for the influx of travellers as people begin to filter back into the UK, tourists can be stressful even at the best of times. During COVID, those stress levels are likely to be even higher.
It’s important to develop your own techniques for dealing with stress during this time. Some tourists will be respectful and take lots of precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but others will not be so careful. You need to know your own boundaries and enforce them to protect your physical and mental health.
Here are some tips you can use for dealing with tourists as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Know Your Personal Stress Signals
To manage your stress, you need to be able to recognize it before it becomes too overwhelming. Everyone has different triggers and personal stress signals. Start to pay attention to what kinds of situations make you feel the most stressed and how you feel stress in your body.
Once you know your personal stress signals, you can find ways to interrupt the cycle and calm yourself down. Everyone is different, and you have to learn more about yourself before you can come up with a reliable stress-management system.
Try to Balance Holistic Treatment with Prescription Treatment
In some cases, you might not be able to cope with stress from tourists without supplements or medication. There’s no shame in taking medications for anxiety as long as you do so safely. If you find yourself extremely stressed out by tourists, it can be worthwhile to talk to your doctor about different holistic and prescription options. They will be able to guide you on medication safety and help you manage your stress without risking your health.
Tourists Have You Troubled? Might be Time to Grab the Yoga Mat!
If you know you’re going to be stressed out by interacting with tourists, then you’ll want to take ongoing steps to improve your well-being. Think about incorporating yoga into your daily routine to help you stay calm and grounded throughout the day.
Yoga is beneficial in many different ways. You’ll move your body, which improves mood, energy, and overall health, but you’ll also enhance the mind-body connection, experience the stress-busting benefits of mindfulness, and feel calmer. Yoga can be adapted to all levels of fitness and can be a great way to start or end the day.
Don’t Let Tourists Distract You From Staying Mindful
To cope with the stress of dealing with tourists during COVID, it’s important to prepare for the stress and to head it off with mindfulness. When you’re stressed, your mind can easily spin out of control with worst-case scenarios and fears about the future. With mindfulness, you’ll teach your brain to stay in the present, which can help you cope with whatever comes your way.
It’s very easy to get distracted from mindfulness, especially in stressful situations. But it’s important not to let tourists distract you from staying mindful. Try incorporating mini meditation breaks or breathing exercises throughout the day to stay grounded.
As Fun As It Can Be, Try Not to Always Turn to Social Media
Some of our go-to coping strategies aren’t necessarily the healthiest options. If your instinct is to turn to social media when you’re stressed, you’re definitely not alone. There’s something very soothing about scrolling through an endless feed or posting a pointed rant online. But unfortunately, turning to social media whenever you feel stressed can be very detrimental to your mental health.
Social media does have some huge benefits such as supporting social causes that can help connect people all over the world. However, too much access to social media, does have major mental health downsides, from toxic arguments and an endless stream of bad news to scroll through. Many people find that they are happier when they stay off social media, but when on social media it’s important to protect yourself.
If you’re used to turning to social media for comfort when you feel stressed, it can be a difficult habit to break. You’ll need to substitute the activity with something that helps you stay calm and centered.
Tourism during COVID-19 is stressful, there’s no doubt about it. But if you anticipate the stress and do your best to take care of yourself, you’ll feel much happier overall. Getting through this time isn’t easy, but don’t give up on your well-being!