Travel is often celebrated for its therapeutic value; it can help individuals recover after experiencing difficult times or find themselves when feeling disoriented.
Guillermo del Toro managed to salvage four years’ worth of writing that later formed Pan’s Labyrinth after leaving his notebook in a London taxi cab and finding its way home when it needed to.
Getting Lost
Lost can be an incredible learning experience; however, to minimize any potential discomfort or drawbacks. Before venturing off into uncharted wilderness areas it’s wise to prepare yourself for such scenarios by telling someone of your plans including trails you intend on taking, return dates, number of travelers traveling with you and equipment such as maps and compasses that provide direction as well as sleeping bags or shelter for overnight travel. Avoid drawing attention to yourself by proclaiming how lost you are by discussing where exactly you are or telling everyone around that you don’t know where they’re supposed to be or discussing what paths or trails will you take.
Guillermo del Toro’s journey as an exiled filmmaker through London was one of great relevance: when he left a taxi without his notebook containing four years’ worth of musings that eventually culminated into El Labyrinth del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth).
If you find yourself lost in the wilderness, the first step should be staying calm and thinking your way through it. If possible, stopping movement could also help; continuing to wander can actually exacerbate matters further. Furthermore, making visible markers that will aid rescuers is also key; whether that means creating arrows with strips of cloth or following the sun’s direction to create a line-of-sight by marking trees with flashlight or wood can be effective methods.
Getting Back On Track
Regaining our footing after having become disoriented can be challenging, particularly after we have fallen off track. At times, it may seem that all our hard work has gone for nothing and that life is standing still; but this doesn’t need to be the case! There is hope.
Break your goal down into manageable steps. Tackling all aspects of regaining your focus all at once may be too overwhelming; consider what small action can help get back on track today; it doesn’t need to be anything big, just something achievable and doable.
Beginning your journey is best accomplished with clarity around why it matters to stay on track. Reminding yourself daily why it matters will help keep you focused, whether this means writing it on sticky note or creating a vision board. Writing goals down and tracking their progress allows you to observe progress over time while celebrating small victories along the way.