New to nmp forum,g.a.d.sufferer/travel anxiety

[Davy 53]

Hello l,m davy 53 from south east England. I 've been suffering from g.a.d. ,mainly predictably always brought on by the prospect of a planned travel trip/destination. I,'ve come to realise that I,'ve had this from early childhood. (Even though I have only sought help,professionally and personally the last ten years. When in 2005 my life reached 'crisis' point after the deaths of my parents. I found out that I couldn't even travell overseas (France-spain) without either being too panicky to actually drive onto the ferry, or once there felt the incredible overwhelm ing desire to rush back !!! and for a man that 'lives' just for the lovely warm comforting sunshine , this was/is a very big problem . Anyway thank you for reading this . My reason for joining the forum is to gain insight into my particular form of anxiety/panic........and hear from others whom have similar problems. Thanks again ,Davy.

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya Davy 53 and welcome to NMP :welcome:

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way :yesyes:

[aphobic]

Hello, Davy. I am so glad to read your post as I feel the exact same way. You are definitely not alone -- I dread all trips. My family and I are planning to travel a short distance (2 hour plane ride) next week and I am already terrified and feeling sickly from just thinking of it. Why must we feel this way? It must sound so strange to others who are excited to travel and go on vacation.

I have been doing nothing but preparing myself for this trip by reading, finding podcasts and videos I can watch/listen to on the airplane and on the trip. In my case, the anxiety/panic doesn't go away when I arrive -- it continues, and it usually at it's peak on the first evening, when I realize that I won't be sleeping at home, in my comfort zone. :( It's a very scary prospect.

Please stay in touch and let's help each other. Do you take any medicines for this? Believe it or not, I'm actually anxious about taking anti-anxiety medication! I'm hoping to take this trip without relying on meds, but we'll have to see.

From what I understand, taking trips periodically and pushing through our discomfort is the only way to free ourselves from this problem. Easier said than done, however...

Take good care.

[Davy 53]

Thank you for yr reply , like I said I am new to the site and also new to computers !!! Hence my late reply. I do take a small amount of medication when traveling. Particularly when going overseas. Or rather trying to get overseas! I take diazepam. I find this a relaxant. It helps , but isn't the cure. Like you say in your reply , it's basically just by pushing the boundaries and constantly taking on new challenges that will beat the travel anxiety. Basically , I know that if I did the journey every week it would become almost automatic. Good luck on your 2 hour plane flight.......just by talking about it (the problem) means that you are winning the battle.!