Travel anxiety
I get anxious every time we travel, part of it stems from having three kids and making sure everything is accounted for during the travel but my mind always goes to potential problems during the trip and it gives me high anxiety. We have a two day drive as we move 1000 miles to a new state and I do not know how to stay calm and stop thinking about everything that can go wrong. I have GAD and normally I do fine except in times of high stress for me that
@patientHuman4475
Hi!
First thing that comes to mind - you mentioned you had GAD; how have you managed GAD in the past? A lot of managing travel anxiety really falls into the same boat as managing general anxiety; being able to challenge and identify some of those unhelpful thoughts, relaxation and breathing techniques, distraction, support..
You mentioned too your mind goes to potential problems during the trip - what sorts of problems? Are these in your control/out of your control? Are they likely/unlikely to happen? Being able to think about things from a more logical point of view can sometimes help.
@romanticthi3f
thanks for the response. I have done therapy in the past for GAD and it really went far in helping me calm my fears but its been several years since I have had a good therapist and I seem to have forgotten the tools that worked before. I think my fear is having a panic attack while driving, hitting traffic, car breaking down, to like really silly things like losing one of the kids at a gas stop or something crazy, my dog getting loose at a rest stop. I know the scary stuff is unlikely but my mind just goes there. Always has, GAD was diagnosed after severe health anxiety when every little physical symptom made me think I was dying. Therapy really helped put things in perspective. I am hoping this app and community helps me out things in perspective again. :-)
@romanticthi3f
thanks for the response. I have done therapy in the past for GAD and it really went far in helping me calm my fears but its been several years since I have had a good therapist and I seem to have forgotten the tools that worked before. I think my fear is having a panic attack while driving, hitting traffic, car breaking down, to like really silly things like losing one of the kids at a gas stop or something crazy, my dog getting loose at a rest stop. I know the scary stuff is unlikely but my mind just goes there. Always has, GAD was diagnosed after severe health anxiety when every little physical symptom made me think I was dying. Therapy really helped put things in perspective. I am hoping this app and community helps me out things in perspective again. :-)
@patientHuman4475
Sure! It sounds like therapy was really helpful before; is that something you've considered trying again? I don't think that you've forgotten the skills - just maybe need a reminder and a tune up! Being able to manage anxiety is a totally ongoing thing.
Do you remember what sort of stuff you did in therapy? Was there things like thought challenging (how likely is this fear/how would I cope), or breathing exercises? Those are the two main things that come to mind whenever I hear about anxiety.
Reading about your fears (no matter how likely they are), they all sound like ones people have faced before. If these were to happen to you, I have no doubt that you would face them too! Pretty sure I've had to face about 90% of those too at some stage! I feel like for me it's important to know that even if your worst case scenario were to happen, it would suck - but you'd still get through it. You'd still be okay.
@patientHuman4475 I wonder if maybe something like Google Earth is available to you so you can "see" your trip before it happens. Will there be any interesting sites along the way? Maybe some sighteseeing to give you something to look forward to?
@ReadBooksDrinkTea
i hadnt really thought of that. I think I am in such a rush to get the drive over with because Im worried that the idea of stopping to explore is just too much for me right now. I feel like theres just so much to do once we arrive to our home that I just want to get there and get started. This is our 7th and final move(military family).
