How to Travel With Anxiety

I have a confession to make.

I suffer from anxiety, mainly brought about by claustrophobia. I'll find myself feeling trapped on buses or busy stores and suddenly I'll have a panic attack. Full blown panic attacks don't happen often, but when they do they suck. It's something I can feel coming on so usually I can remove myself from the situation before it becomes anything serious. However, being a constant traveler means I put myself in situations where sometimes I can't remove myself immediately to calm down. I know I am not alone in dealing with anxiety, so I thought I'd share a few tips that help with my traveling lifestyle!

HOW TO PREVENT TRAVEL ANXIETY

1 | PACK LIGHT When I'm bringing a carry on or trying to pack a car, I am almost guaranteed to stress out if I have too much to handle. Keep it simple, don't pack a million and one things in a carry on unless you have to. The bare essentials are all you'll need until you land. 

2 | BOOK IN ADVANCE Save yourself the extra stress of paying for things in an unfamiliar place. Book transportation, book events, book anything and everything you can before so you don't have to worry about coming across any problems later on.

3 | LEAVE EARLY Not too long ago my friend and I were headed from Bristol to Bath to catch a bus tour of Wiltshire. What should have been a 10 minute journey turned into 2 canceled trains. We had left an hour early and STILL ended up being late. It was not the most ideal way to start the tour, and my anxiety was through the roof. Prepare yourself for the worst case scenario and leave accordingly. 

4 | EAT Hanger is real y'all. Eat to avoid the stress that comes with hanger and you'll thank yourself later on. 

5 | REMEMBER, THE FEELING WILL PASS If you do end up with that bit of anxiety just breathe. Remember that whatever it may be, it is NOT the end of the world. Take a second to focus on calming down before dealing with whatever situation you need to take on. 

Travel is a huge part of my life and I refuse to let go because of an occasional attack. Learn what works for you and stick to it. It is completely normal to get nervous, anxious, or panicky when you throw yourself into unfamiliar settings. Don't let a little bit of anxiety get the best of you!

Happy Friday!
xoxo