7 Self-Care Hacks for Travel Therapists - No Spa Required

Tough schedules, long drives, tight treatment windows - you give patients your all. Here’s how to give a little back to yourself, even when “luxury” means an extra five minutes between sessions. 

What it is: A mini routine you can run through at the gas station or clinic parking lot: neck rolls, doorway chest stretch, standing hamstring reach, calf pump, and shoulder blade squeeze. 

Why it works: Keeps fascia gliding and joints happy, preventing that “tin-man” feeling after hours behind the wheel. 

Pro tip: Keep a loop resistance band in your glove box for added shoulder and hip mobility work. 

What to try: Headspace, MoodMission, or Simple Habit, all let you crush a three-minute breathing exercise before your next eval.

Why it works: Quick mindfulness breaks reduce cortisol spikes, helping you stay present with patients and dodge compassion fatigue.

Wearables worth a look:

• Oura Ring for overnight heart-rate variability trends
• Whoop Strap 4.0 for recovery coaching
• Fitbit Charge 6 for a budget-friendlier read on sleep stages

Why it works: Objective sleep data nudges you toward earlier lights-out on hotel nights and helps you spot caffeine or screen habits that tank deep sleep.

Upgrade your gear: A backpack with a sternum strap and lumbar support (think Tortuga or Aer) plus a laptop stand that folds flat.

Why it works: Keeps the load centered and your workstation at eye level—small tweaks that fend off tech neck and low-back flare-ups.

Tool of choice: A collapsible silicone bottle with ounce markers and an hourly reminder beep. 

Why it works: Dehydration hits balance and cognition, two things you need for safe transfers and clear cueing. Audible nudges keep you sipping even on marathon documentation days. 

Grab: A lacrosse ball for foot arches and glutes, and a mini percussion gun (e.g., Theragun mini) for calves and traps. 

Why it works: Ten seconds of targeted pressure boosts circulation and eases delayed onset soreness after demo-ing lifts all shift

Set-up: Use Forest or the native iOS Focus filter to block work email and EMR alerts after your charting cutoff time. 

Why it works: Clinicians who unplug report lower burnout rates. Guarding a nightly screen-free hour signals your brain to wind down and protects that precious REM cycle.