Busy train journey anxiety

[Fay13]

This Saturday I have to go on a really busy train for about half an hour. I'm going to Ascot with some friends, and they went last year and have told me that the train was completely packed with people heading to Ascot, no room to move at all etc etc. and I am really panicking about it. I travel on trains relatively frequently (once a week) but for about 15 mins and never on a busy train and even so I still feel anxious on trains, have to have water with me, listen to music, and I also always like to sit near the toilet.

Thankfully the forecast isn't for it to be too warm on Saturday, so hopefully the train wont get too hot, but I really don't want to panic and have it ruin my whole day; if its too packed I'm concerned I wont even be able to force myself to get on it at all. Does anyone have any tips for very crowded trains?

Thanks

[Catherine S]

Being claustrophobic this would be my worst nightmare. I've refused to get on trains in the past that are already full when they reached my station and waited for another one. Thankfully I didn't have to travel by public transport every day when I was working. Now I'm retired I have the luxury of choosing a time in the day when most trains will be relatively crowd-free.

If I couldn't avoid it though, I prefered to find a place to stand near one of the exit doors rather than sit in the middle of the carriages, and focused on looking out of the window instead of towards the people around me. Being with your friends should take your mind off it a little i'm sure. But if it's only a half hour journey is there no other way to get there, could you not get a lift from a friend or family member and meet up with the others once there?

Hope you do make it, have a great day if you do :)