Hey all, I am new here and this is my first post. I have been dealing with anxiety since 2010 and and have got it to a manageable level for the most part. One thing that I have never been able to overcome is the anxiety I get when I am traveling. I have been limited on where I go because of it and just last year I finally felt good enough to make the leap and take a trip to the beach which was a 6 hour drive and it was great. But over this past winter I have backtracked in my anxiety, I figure it was due to all the rain and darkness we had, and have been fighting to get comfortable again. I have a 3 hour trip tomorrow and my anxiety is starting to go through the roof. I have made this trip many times but it still gets to me. It’s not the driving that gets me worked up it’s the thought of being stuck on the interstate if something happens. What if I have a panic attack or worse, a heart attack while driving, and I am 45 minutes from the nearest EMS or town. The closer I get to exits and towns while driving on the interstate the calmer I get because I know that I can just turn off their and be around people. But it’s the thought of 45 minute stretches or even 20 minute stretches between houses or towns. I feel like I am crazy for thinking this and it has really limited where I travel. I just want to feel normal while traveling and not be so stressed out, I am really looking forward to getting where I am going but the trip there is freaking me out. I know someone else out there has to be dealing with the same thing and I was just wanting to see how other people deal with this. Thank you all so much for letting be vent and get this off my chest!
Traveling anxiety
- Thread starter Jarburr91
- Start date
I have anxiety before trip or vacations but its bc I start worrying that I will have bad anxiety and worry constantly during the trip and not be able to enjoy myself.
What I did on my last vacation was set worry appointments to keep me from anticipating the worry. I knew I was going to worry for half an hour every day and it took the edge off. I did it on the way to the airport and then when I was on my vacation when we would get into the car for the first time each day I would set my watch for a 30 minute timer and just worry away.
I ended up enjoying my vacation better than I have ever enjoyed one before.
What I did on my last vacation was set worry appointments to keep me from anticipating the worry. I knew I was going to worry for half an hour every day and it took the edge off. I did it on the way to the airport and then when I was on my vacation when we would get into the car for the first time each day I would set my watch for a 30 minute timer and just worry away.
I ended up enjoying my vacation better than I have ever enjoyed one before.
Hello and welcome Jarburr. Sure hope your trip goes well for you today. Not having control of our environment or knowing we won't during a future situation coming up creates much anxiety for those of us with anxiety disorders. It's so great that the driving itself doesn't cause you any problems. I'm not as fortunate as I have so much trouble concentrating while driving I become an unsafe space cadet behind the wheel. Again, welcome and let us know how your trip went.
Thank you all for the responses and kind words. The trip went a lot better than my crazy mind thought it would. There was only one instance on the way up there that I had the tunnel vision and death grip on the steering wheel. I just focused on the drive and quickly overcame it. Again, thanks all!