Health and holidays

[Munki]

Hey guys,

I’m fine until I go overseas- that’s when I tend to get all sorts of panics such as heart racing - is it a heart attack, landed on my bum hard when snowboarding and it rattled my head - do I have a brain injury etc!

How do you guys normalise the panics when you’re abroad? How do you ‘reason’?

Any advice would be truly appreciated 🙌🏼

[ankietyjoe]

Hey guys,

I’m fine until I go overseas- that’s when I tend to get all sorts of panics such as heart racing - is it a heart attack, landed on my bum hard when snowboarding and it rattled my head - do I have a brain injury etc!

How do you guys normalise the panics when you’re abroad? How do you ‘reason’?

Any advice would be truly appreciated 


From your other thread -


If you're a complete novice you won't be going anywhere near a slope that could injure you badly.

Worst case scenario is bruised ass.

Get out there and enjoy it.

Slight lol.

Well this is really all about safety nets. At home you can run to the sofa and do what you usually do to calm down. When you're abroad, you can't do that.

[Munki]

From your other thread -



Slight lol.

Well this is really all about safety nets. At home you can run to the sofa and do what you usually do to calm down. When you're abroad, you can't do that.

Yes, of course it is. The logic is apparent but I'm wondering how people normalise it. How do you deal with it when the panic kicks in?

The snowboarding thread, I did read on the other post. This is more about generalised health anxiety overseas, they were simply two examples.

[ankietyjoe]

How do you deal with it at home? What's different about being on holiday that you can't normalise your anxiety there?

Personally I would use mantra's, breathing techniques and meditation. I would remind myself that I was there with (I assume) my family and wasn't about to let irrational anxiety ruin an (I assume) expensive holiday.

[LF87]

Typical unhelpful response from ankietyjoe :/ Munki I totally get your worry, my anxiety sky rockets without home comforts and I've read loads of similar posts about people going away and being worried about their health anxiety etc. I just try to establish where I can go and chill if I do start to panic about things. My last holiday I put the air con on in the room and just caught up with stuff on my phone, messaged my friends and watched a bit of TV until I settled. I've realised a big part of my fear is the uncertainty of doctors and hospitals when I am abroad but try to remind myself theres no difference and you would be looked after if anything did happen (but it wont!). I haven't read your other post but guessing you're into snowboarding and skiing etc, sounds fun! Just remember theres no difference you doing it here or away and try to enjoy x

[ankietyjoe]

How is suggesting what I'd do an unhelpful response? :doh:

That is what I used to do (thousands of times over 2-3 years), and I don't have anxiety any more. Helped me just fine. :shrug:

Also, there IS a difference doing it on holiday or at home, for the reasons I stated. Hence me asking what they did at home AND mentioning the difference between being on holiday and having home safety nets in place.

How do YOU think I should have responded?

[LF87]

I just think you come across a bit insensitive sometimes which I'm sure you dont mean to. I got the vibe the OP felt that too with his response possibly

[ankietyjoe]

If I do, it might be for a reason. I had two great bits of advice during my never ending search for a cure. The first was from my CBT therapist who often suggested I expose myself to the things that caused me anxiety and I always refused. Eventually he chuckled to himself and asked why I bothered coming every week if I wasn't going to do anything he suggested. That stuck with me. The second thing was my GP. He suggested multiple times I take AD's, and I always refused (which I still 100% know was the correct decision). The last time I ever saw him he simply said to me 'well if you're not going to take the AD's, stop coming in for appointments and find a way of living with it'. That also stuck with me.

Sometimes, people need a kick up the ass. Not always, and not often, but sometimes. Most forms of anxiety are self sustaining habits, and quite often people need to be snapped out of it in some way, the pattern needs to be broken.

[ankietyjoe]

And by all means if you think I'm being insensitive pull me up on it, that's not my goal.