Travel Anxiety and feeling of dread

[ohheycpk]

Hey guys, i'm new here and after reading bunch of different posts, I thought i would post here.

I have OCD and general anxiety and generally get really anxious about travelling. Not necessarily worried about flying, airports or any of the typical, just a general feeling of dread or anxiousness and can't wait for it to be over.

I desperately want to be able to look forward to trips instead of dreading them for 2 weeks prior to ever stepping foot on a plane or in a car. Some of it is my fear of getting sick, some of it I can't even figure out why I am anxious which is the tougher part.

I've recently been working on my OCD and have made good strides, but as soon as some travel comes around I revert back. I just want to travel with my friends and not just look forward to the end of the trip every time.

Anyone have any tips?

 

[Cuchculan]

Anticipatory anxiety. Something a lot of people would get over various things. We worry in advance of things. Then when nothing bad does happen, we wonder why we worried so much. Is a very common thing. I suppose the best you can do is ask yourself has anything really bad ever happened before after all your worry in the build up to something? Or have you gone on these trips and just worried the whole trip? With nothing ever really happening that is bad. Only you worrying. That is just something I do. I tell myself that nothing bad has ever happened before and I can stop myself thinking something bad will happen. All about trying to change how you think. How about thinking that you might have a really good time and enjoy yourself. That would happen if you allowed it to happen. All in the mind and in our way of thinking.

 

[ohheycpk]

Anticipatory anxiety. Something a lot of people would get over various things. We worry in advance of things. Then when nothing bad does happen, we wonder why we worried so much. Is a very common thing. I suppose the best you can do is ask yourself has anything really bad ever happened before after all your worry in the build up to something? Or have you gone on these trips and just worried the whole trip? With nothing ever really happening that is bad. Only you worrying. That is just something I do. I tell myself that nothing bad has ever happened before and I can stop myself thinking something bad will happen. All about trying to change how you think. How about thinking that you might have a really good time and enjoy yourself. That would happen if you allowed it to happen. All in the mind and in our way of thinking.

I usually worry the whole trip and just waiting for something to happen. As I’ve gotten better with my OCD, I feel like I’m letting my guard down which feeds this type of anxiety even more.

 

[gadamsgrega2]

I don't know much about OCD but I do know about Travel Anxiety and Anticipatory anxiety. I support what Cuchculan is saying. The idea of trying to determine what it is specifically causing the anxiety.

For my travel anxiety, that just started in this past couple years ago was the fear that I'd have this problem with anxiety on the plane and be unable to turn the plane around... Once you're flight is off... it's off... I'd feel horrible about 2-3 weeks before the trip... I'd start losing a lot of sleep which made the issues more dramatic.. Then on the day of the flight I didn't sleep even one hour... But I knew I had to still go... If I cancelled the day of the trip I would have showed my subconscious that I can't do it... I wanted to show myself I could do it... I didn't need to be perfect and sure... I'd probably be a mess at times, but ... as long as I went....