Finding Solace on the Road: Mental Health and Vanlife

Chris Penn
Mar 22, 2021
1 min read

What’s in Today’s Episode:

Emily “Ed” joins us again to have a conversation about how vanlife has impacted her mental health and overall wellness.

“It was a lifeline. It was, I have to do this now, I can’t wait another minute.”

What Laurén and Emily Chat About:

Why Emily felt she needed to move into a van
Struggling and managing agoraphobia
Finding refuge in the van
Traveling with an emotional support animal
Dealing with the loss of a pet on the road
Fear, safety, traveling and living alone
What tools Emily uses to support her mental health
Toxic relationships and letting people in
Balancing time off-grid with maintaining relationships and community
Staying connected to your non-van friends
Seeing herself as an artist
Allowing walls to come down

“One of the places where our society has gone wrong is this kind of disconnect from nature. I think as time goes on, we’ll get back to it, and I think that shift is starting to happen, and people are starting to realize the importance of the natural world around us.”