Freaking out about train trip tomorrow...

[JackInTheBox]

Hello everyone!

I'm totally freaking out about a business trip I have to do tomorrow! You guys have seen the tragedy that happened in Spain?? Well my trip is to be done via high-speed train (similar to that one)! After that accident and the one in france a while ago, I don't think I can get myself into a train anytime soon!

Anyway, I'm very anxious about the whole thing. I know that if I take the train, I'll spend 2h30 (or 3h) in complete and utter suffering, allways obsessing about having an similar accident and dying. Of course it wont end on going, there's also the return trip which will be more of the same (obscessing, anxiety, no life quality).

Truth be told, I am a frequent traveller on high-speed trains and It's allways hard for me to make the trip (I think I have a thread here from one time I was scared out of my pants about it), I allways feared that something like what happened in Spain could happen to my train. When I read the news today my first thought was "crap, now I'm never going to be able to use a train again", and the second was "what a nightmare...", Images of my loved ones going trough that suffering ordeal while looking for dead-old me where racing through my mind, and then images of me all twisted and dead covered by a random blanket on the side of the track... Not a very confortable prospect for traveling.

I am however aware that I'm having a very stressing week due to the bussiness meeting I have to attend, which makes me more paranoid than usual, but even so I'm having difficulty in handling this situation.

So far I've considered the following options:

1-Re-schedule the meeting, which can have very dire consequences for my business (so, most likely no)

2-Go by car, but the only available car has a tire that keeps getting flat, I'm not sure it can handle the drive. However I do feel more confortable with this option, although I have a lingering concern about crashing due to a flat tire.

3-"Man-up" and suffer 3 whole hours of anguish by taking the train. Although this is the more "rational" and "reasonable" solution, I don't think it's good (in anyway) to put oneself through the suffering of spending 3 hours fearing for your life.

4-Go in a "slower/safer" train, which would suck because it takes as long as driving there (if not longer), the seats are terrible (no reclination, no leg room). However my paranoia level is quite low for that one, so it's contender as well.

So people of the forum, any ideas? Or any suggestions that might help me handle this without going trough a box of xanax? What would you do?

Thanks!

[Speranza]

I sympathise with that fear, but it's one I have had to conquer in order to get the train to Paris to see my daughter. Logically, there have been many more crashes in other vehicles (even other sorts of train) than the high speed ones...

tbh I just had to get to the point where I realised everything we do is a risk, and that I didn't want to let fear stop me doing things. I can't tell you what to do for YOU, but I do believe that even panic and anxiety are at least partly a matter of choice - by which I mean, you can either focus on an accident and panic, or focus on the panic and say, "Oh here YOU are again! Well you aren't stopping me this time!"

[Annie0904]

Our trains go a maximum of about 125 mph. The train in Spain today was allegedly going 220 kph on a bend were he should have been doing 80 kph. My son is a railway maintenance engineer and he said the chances of anything going wrong is very low. The chances of what happened in Spain happening here is highly unlikely. Our train network has very high safety controls in place. I would say going by train is safer than going by car. I am going on a train journey myself on Monday.

[JackInTheBox]

Thats a really good advice Speranza. Thank you!

I know that shifting my anxiety will be hard on such a short notice (I usually need a week to prep for this kind of things), but I'll keep your words in mind and maybe focus on the practical aspects of my trip, such as travel time, confort, and logistics (I'm going with quite a bit of luggage/cargo) to make a logical choice of transportation.

[Annie0904]

I find it helpful to take an MP3 player with relaxing music or a good book to read. The time usually goes by quickly.

[JackInTheBox]

Our trains go a maximum of about 125 mph. The train in Spain today was allegedly going 220 kph on a bend were he should have been doing 80 kph. My son is a railway maintenance engineer and he said the chances of anything going wrong is very low. The chances of what happened in Spain happening here is highly unlikely. Our train network has very high safety controls in place. I would say going by train is safer than going by car. I am going on a train journey myself on Monday.

Thanks for tip Annie, good to know that on the UK we have things covered! :) Unfortunately I'm abroad at the moment (but in Europe at least!), so I don't know if they have the same levels of safety on their trains around here. From what I've noticed sometimes they seem to "fly by the seat of their trousers" a bit, not at all as thorough as our engineers back home.

Don't get me wrong, I think their trains are rather Ok, I take the highspeed one every other week since my assignment here (2 years now) and never had scary/life-threatening experiences, the worst I got was the time when one of the passenger cars had a malfunction and "wobbled" the whole trip, making everyone inside seasick :P

[Annie0904]

I am like Speranza and have the attitude "just feel the fear and do it anyway!"

[JackInTheBox]

I find it helpful to take an MP3 player with relaxing music or a good book to read. The time usually goes by quickly.

I do agree, I'm more of a book-reader myself on my travels. Usually it helps me to forget about my concerns and the ride itself. Other times I take the opportunity to get some work done. But in times of great anxiety and stress I find it hard to focus on reading or working.

I'm aware that I'm having a hard time with this particular trip because I'm already edgy/anxious due to the business commitment (it's an important one) and the Spanish crash just gave my paranoia it's final push :(

[Annie0904]

I hope it all goes well for you. Don't let the Spanish crash worry you though, that is a VERY rare event.

[K-OSS]

I think you should try to go, it's better to face situations which create anxiety rather than to avoid them. You simply have to face your fears. FEAR = False, Expectations, Appearing Real.

Please See this: youtu.be/kDaqiI9-7zY?t=1m25s

[JackInTheBox]

Thanks everyone for the tips/advices/support, I'll keep them in mind on my future travels and try to look my paranoias in the eye!

I ended up doing the trip by car due to practical reasons, I had to bring some items to our local office, and by car it was easier to do so. It was a interesting drive, as I expected the tire punctured and without a proper spare a lot towing and fixing was required, but eventually I managed to get back on my way and reach my destination :)

My stress about the business meeting was also pointless, since it went very well and we used only about 30% of the materials we prepared for it. I guess I should be more confident about our work, on the other hand over-preparing is a bit exhausting but nothing is left to chance. Maybe the solution lies somewhere in the middle? I guess it's something for me to figure out on my quest against anxiety!