If you’re anything like me, you believe that your relationship with your mother is arguably more sacred and special than any other in your life. Nourishing it is not only rewarding, but also, according to research, beneficial for your health.
How this trip will make you healthier
According to Harvard Medical School, working on social relationships helps relieve stress that can otherwise adversely affect gut function, insulin regulation, and immune response. Spending time with your mom will not only satisfy your emotional needs, but will also potentially improve your physical well-being.
Renew your connection
Getting accustomed to relationship patterns with characters who consistently appear in our “screenplay of life” is inevitable. It is important to challenge the landscape of and bring new adventure to even the healthiest of bonds, so as to remind all parties about the value of their connection.
Taking a mother-daughter trip can give you the opportunity to empathize with your mom in new ways, which can dramatically strengthen your bond. For instance, if you are going to a museum, you can gain a better understanding of what motivates her tastes. If you are going on a yoga retreat, you can learn about what encourages her to stay afloat during stressful times.
Plan for success
Although spending time with one person can be enlightening and healthy, it can also be emotionally draining to not have any social variety for an extended period. For this reason, you and your mother would likely benefit from talking through some of the following key points before heading out on your adventure together.
Anticipate logistical problems
Make sure you think about and plan for what could go wrong on this trip. If you know that one or both of you has a tendency to misplace things, discuss potentially bringing more than one of your important items. If you are going to a festival with lots of stations, decide if you are going to compromise on them all or split up every now and then.
Schedule alone time
Because you want this trip to be refreshing and to ultimately improve the relationship you have with your mother, you don’t want to spend so much time together that you eventually get sick of each other. Make sure to discuss and perhaps even schedule the time you will both spend away from each other.
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/lifetime-connections/201704/the-benefits-mother-daughter-travel
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/the-health-benefits-of-strong-relationships
