Anticipatory Anxiety

[Sydneyroses]

I am looking for help with dealing with anxiety leading up to a trip. Once I go on my trip, I do great with distractions and when I get to my destination I forget all about it.  Right now it's brutal thinking of all the what ifs. What if I have a panic attack and can't get home quickly? What if the car breaks down? What if I get claustrophobic on the plane? It's just ridiculous. Anyone advice/suggestions are much appreciated.

[Sydneyroses]

I have been diagnosed with anxiety/panic disorder for about 12 years. I do take medication and very rarely Ativan. I think your right, I should just take my Ativan right before the trip and as needed. I am going with a relative to watch my son play college football so it's an exciting time! The trip is about a week away. We have a combination of flying and driving.  It nice to know that someone else experiences the same worries as myself. I'm sure once I get there I will be fine and coming home isn't usually much of a problem for me. I am going to work on saving some of my games and special magazines for the trip to help distract me. I also just ordered the anxiety phobia workbook per a post I read written by you. I appreciate you taking the time to comment on my post and giving such great advice! :)

[nursegirl6572]

Hello there!

Anticipatory anxiety is a real bear, it's usually far worse than any anxiety we end up having during the times/events we're worrying about.  

Traveling is also definitely an anxiety inducing occurrence, as for us anxiety sufferers, there is so much to "what if" over, and also, it takes us away from our "safe place", which is usually home.  The farther we go from home, the more anxious we become.  I'm the same way you are, I worry and "what if" from the moment I find out about a trip to the time the vacation starts.  Then I usually do fine once there, minus some worrying about the trip home (although that anxiety is never as bad as the initial anxiety going TO the destination).

Have you been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder?  Do you take any medications, partake in therapy?  There are certainly different things you can do to help with that anticipatory anxiety.  Do you have any anti-anxiety meds, like Xanax or Ativan?  Those meds can be a real Godsend on a trip.  I know even if I never end up taking one of my Ativan, just knowing they're there makes me feel a bit better.  If you're prescribed a medication like that, you could take is prophylactically as well, like 30-60 minutes before your departure.  If I've been particularly anxious, I will do that and it helps.  Just make sure you're careful about the timing of your dose if you have to drive.

Distraction is HUGE.  Download some of your fave upbeat songs that make you feel happy, or in today's age, you can watch reruns of your fave sitcoms on a smart phone or iPad type device.  Those kinds of things always help me to feel better as they distract my mind.  Puzzle books are great also.  Anything that will both distract your mind and make you feel good, things that are funny, lighthearted.

When is your trip?  Are you traveling alone?

[birdie0907]

Perhaps it would help if you wrote down the trip details and the what ifs, so they are in front of you. Once you see the whole list, and I hope it isn't too long, then it may be easier to think about your trip without repetitively going over and over into all the details that likely will never happen.

Otherwise, if you can't find a way to avoid all this frustrating worrying, perhaps you could also post this issue on the ocd forum because it is repetitive. I am not saying you are ocd but this is a bit of a repetitive issue so you might get some help there.

[weiss311]

How often do you have panic attacks? I'd be worried to, but I've never been out on my own and had one. I went to europe last year, couldn't sleep on the whole trip over. The pillows on the plane are really thin. Plane blankets are ok I guess, it gets really cold up there at night. I wasn't actually nervous about going, I was too focused on escaping my life.

Have you heard of ASMR? They are videos you can watch on youtube, and other forms, it kinda works for anxiety, but you have to be tuned into it I guess. You can watch someone talking to you in a quiet voice or whisper and it might make you calmer. To me it feels like I am purring. Could be the kind of distraction you can use to get your brain out of panic mode, I wouldn't go overboard watching them though. I think it is possible to overdose.