The Demons have been hammered by scandal, off-field instability and on-field ineptitude so far in 2013.
Having broken through for its first victory of the season against Greater Western Sydney last weekend, the Demons travel to the Gabba to take on the Brisbane Lions on Sunday.
It is their first game away from the cauldron that is the MCG this season.
"It's a great opportunity for us, with all that's happening, to really relish the opportunity of getting out of Melbourne," Garland told AFL.com.au.
"It'll be good to go away and really enjoy the time together and build on what we've done the last couple of weeks, as a really close and tight group.
"I think when you're in a situation like us it's always good to get away as a group and have no distractions and then you can really concentrate on the job."
Melbourne has had to deal with a pre-season interrupted by a tanking investigation, the resignation of CEO Cameron Schwab and a combined losing margin of 306 points from its first three games.
The club is also being investigated by ASADA and the AFL, after allegations that club doctor Dan Bates had sought advice about the club's supplement program from sports scientist Stephen Dank.
Garland said although the outside pressures had been "tough" to deal with, the players' and coaches' mindset had always been focussed on performing ongame day.
"We can't really worry about getting caught up in the stuff that's happening externally or what the media writes. Our job at the footy club is to just go out and perform."
Garland admits he struggled to cope with those external distractions in the early stages of his career, but he says he has managed to quell those pressures as he's matured.
"I probably struggled with getting caught up in everything footy in my first couple of years," he said.
"As you play more, you understand that when you're at the club you're 100 per cent focussed on footy, but when you're away it's time to relax and time to get away from it."
The 24-year-old is studying a Bachelor of Business as an escape away from football. When he is at the club and when he's on the field he describes himself as a "student of the game".
Garland played perhaps his best game of the season against the Giants. His drive and overlap run from defence was prominent, and he says he has been working diligently with defensive coach Jade Rawlings to take the game on more.
It's a coaching directive that has spread across the entire playing group.
"Where we probably struggled in thefirst couple of games was more about guys getting in to their structures and trying to get everything right from a structural sense, rather than getting players to play with their natural instincts," he said.
"You have that one or two seconds of thinking too much in AFL footy and then the moment's lost. And then you do look slow or you do look unfit."
Criticism levelled at the Demons, over the past couple of weeks, has centered around a perceived lack of fitness. Garland said there was a "stark" contrast in the players' fitness levels this year, when compared to last.
"At first it was embarrassing to see players that you play on or play in a similar role to, to see what they were doing (fitness wise)," Garland said.
"But our fitness is definitely up to an AFL standard now and it's about implementing that in games now."
The Demons hope they can play with boldness, but standing in their way is their recent poor interstate record. The club has lost 10 of its past 15 games on the road, including six of its last seven.
Garland said he believes that discrepancy would change as the team gained more experience.
"Hopefully as our group matures, our record on the road can improve."
Follow AFL.com.au reporter Ben Guthrie on Twitter: @AFL_BenGuthrie
