Category: vacation

Dealing with Travel Anxiety

A few weeks ago I flew to Palm Springs to attend my sister’s wedding. I was excited to see her and my family and to have some sunshine during a very gloomy few weeks here in Idaho. One thing I knew I would have to deal with is travel anxiety. It has been a long time since I flew and even longer since I did it by myself. I was nervous about being on my own but over the weekend I came up with a few tips to help myself and hopefully others when traveling.

One of the most important things to remember about anxiety is that no one else knows you are nervous. Although it feels like the anxiety is shooting out of your body and everyone should be able to tell you are freaking out they really can’t tell. My family are the only ones that have an idea that I am having an anxiety attack. So don’t worry about what other’s may be thinking, it really doesn’t matter anyway.

As much as you can while you are traveling get in some movement. If you have time between flights walk around. Being able to move your body will help to work some of the nervousness out. Plus it is good for you and helps when you have to sit for long periods of time in cramped space.

I always bring way too many things with me to “work on”. I have finally gotten a smaller purse that I can’t carry books and my lunch in. But when I travel I carry a lot of stuff. I have a notebook for writing down thoughts I want to get out of my head. I bring a project I am working on, usually a crochet project. The repetitive motion helps to calm me and I have something besides my own thoughts to occupy me. I always have lotion and essential oils with me. My favorite right now it tangerine. You can see why I usually carry a big purse. Oh and of course something to read. Having a Kindle has drastically reduced the size of my bag.

Finally, when I have gone on long trips I have brought notes with me. I have notes from family and friends that I bring to remind myself that I am loved and that I don’t need to believe the negative thoughts. If you need a letter like this please message me. I would love to send you a letter to help strength you.

The trip was wonderful. The wedding was beautiful. I was able to enjoy myself and I made every flight I needed to. Although it is scary to do something out of my normal routine it is good for me too. It reminds me that anxiety doesn’t control me.

Don’t look down!!!

Sky Trail Navigator Comes to Wahooz

Our family vacation this year was spent at Wahooz!  They have changed a lot since the last time we visited.  One of the changes was the addition of a ropes course.  When I first heard about it I thought it would be a little course with a couple of different things to do.  But the reality was very different, it was huge!  It is two levels the first level is about 20 feet off the ground with different paths going every which way.  It kind of looks like a spider web.  Then there is a second level another 15 feet up.

 

I was so excited to try this out.  I have rock climbed and repelled and it is so much fun!  I thought the ropes course would be something like rock climbing.  My husband and my niece where the first ones on the course and they looked like they were having so much fun.  They were walking around on the different levels no problem.  So we went and got the safety gear on and started up the stairs to the first level.

 

All of the kids scattered to the different paths and were having a blast!  The landing that you come up on has three different paths coming off of it.  I went to step off onto one of the paths and remembered that I really hate heights!  I could step off with one foot but I couldn’t get the other foot off of the landing.

 

My hubby came down to help me.  His first advice was to look ahead to where you are going not where you put your foot right now.  I listened I did but I still couldn’t move.  Finally I decided that I had to move onto one of the paths even if everything in me was yelling at me to get back down on the ground.  I have fought too hard to let the fear win.  So I moved!

 

I decided to go across the path that was a rope that you walk on and a rope that was just above chest height that you could hold onto.  As I worked my way across the path every muscle in my body was tensed.  Every time I moved the ropes would start swinging.  When they would start swinging I would react by moving in the opposite direction.  I was trying to control the ropes but all I did was to make the swinging worse.  I finally got control of myself and the ropes and made it across to the next landing.

 

My husband helped me across the rest of the paths and as I got more comfortable each path was easier and easier.  We spent about an hour on the ropes course and then went and did the other fun things that Wahooz has to offer.

 

Later that day my youngest wanted to do the course again so I went up with him.  This time because I had done it before I was much more relaxed.  Getting my second foot off the platform was still hard but I was able to do it without help this time.  We did end up doing that first path again and I learned something.

 

I learned that if I just relaxed into the swing instead of fight it there was much less swing. I slowed down and enjoyed the journey across.  Especially because our youngest is hilarious and always has something funny to say.  As I finished the course the second time I started to think about what I had learned.  

 

First, my husband taught me that instead of looking at where I am and stressing about how scary it will be to move forward I should look to where I am going.  He told me to look just a little way ahead on the path.  This helped so much when I finally did it because it made the ground blurry and I could really focus on the rope.  But it also took the pressure off of  what I felt I HAD to do right now.  All I had to do was move forward to the point ahead.

 

Too often in life I look at this huge goal I have and it so overwhelming I have no idea how I am ever going to accomplish it.  Aron taught me that I just need to look at the next step while keeping the big goal in mind.  That way I know where I want to get to but I focus on the steps to get there not this huge scary thing I’m trying to do.

 

Second, I learned that when I relaxed into the scary parts it made it much easier.  Instead of tensing every muscle in my body I tried to relaxing into the harness and waiting for the ropes to stop moving.

 

In life there are times that are so hard!  When I was in the middle of the anxiety I reacted to an anxiety attack much like I did the first rope path.  I tensed up got angry and scared that I was having another anxiety attack which made the attack even worse.  As I have learned more about anxiety and how to handle it I have realized that I need to just relax into it.  Now when the anxiety starts I acknowledge it.  I let it take its course through my body and I find something else to do or think about.  Before I know it the anxiety is gone and I didn’t have to suffer.  

 

I know that life is hard and there are times that are just ugly.  But I also know that those times are NOT going to last forever.  Relax into that time when life is hard.  Look to your next step.  Look to what needs done right now then the next right now.  Slow down.  Take care of yourself.  Ask for help from people you trust.  Say no to things you don’t want to do or can’t handle right now.  Know your limits and respect them.  You are OK right now.  You don’t have to do anything to fix you because you are perfect!  Right Now YOU are perfect!  Just the way you are!