Very bad travel anxiety..

[Panda22]

Today i travelled to my parents who live in a different country. But the anxiety during travelling is so bad.. It's a contant anxiety feeling like i'm on the verge of a panic attack all the time. With a heavy feeling in my stomach.. It's intense, even though i don't get an actual panic attacks anymore, i feel like i'm contantly about to have one. Like i'm on a rollercoaster and hanging on for my life.. that's the only way i can describe it.

I'm here for 15 days and wondering how i'm going to cope. i want to feel good and enjoy time with my parents, but the anxiety makes it so difficult.

Does anyone have this and how do you cope?

[Panda22]

Does anyone have this too? Not so much the anxiety when flying, but the being in a new area and really having to get used to it. My anxiety is still pretty bad, it goes up and down during the day

[Carys]

HI Panda,

I don't get this, but, can you put your finger on your fear. Can you describe your thoughts about being away from home ? Its clear that you are feeling a background stress response, that is there much of the time, but I was wondering if you could explain a little more about the fears.

[dorabella]

Sounds to me Panda as if you have a measure of agoraphobia that is causing all this anxiety.

I experience this constantly if I have to be away from my home ('safe space') even overnight, let along being away for a couple of weeks in another country. Have to mentally steel myself for days before a trip - talking myself out of the 'what if this or that happens?' - all the time knowing that I can't immediately get home if the fears overcome me. Usually the anticipation of the event is worse than the actual experience ... but it doesn't stop me getting wound up each time.

All perfectly normal feelings Panda when you are in an anxiety state - you just have to mentally calm yourself, taking each part of the trip in stages and getting through it. And you will do!

[adward7]

I have a travel anxiety as well. The more I'm far from my hometown the more I am nervous and feel alienated. I travel to a neighbor country in 2019 (before the covid pandemic) and while walking on streets a felt pressured and wanted to come back all the time. The thing that helped was talking to my friends and relatives via phone/chatting and listening to what's new in their lives.

[MyNameIsTerry]

HI Panda,

I don't get this, but, can you put your finger on your fear. Can you describe your thoughts about being away from home ? Its clear that you are feeling a background stress response, that is there much of the time, but I was wondering if you could explain a little more about the fears.

Sounds like being out of control of environmental factors. No safe zone. Maybe feeling the urge to flee like we do in supermarkets looking constantly for exits and worrying the more we go further in? Or like how we worry over a holiday or period where we may not be able to obtain help.

[merleahoms]

You have very strong anxiety. Maybe you should see a doctor.

[tammyglan]

Hello. Tell me, does it make you feel calmer if there is someone next to you who knows the place where you are traveling well? Have you tried traveling with tour groups or with friends?

[Lencoboy]

Like others have already said upthread, I reckon it's that fear of not being in control in a new and unfamiliar environment.

I often feel that sense of having to abide by the rules of individual establishments and the thought of being scrutinised simply for being a 'stranger' and making the slightest mistake to the displeasure of those already regular to said establishments can be rather daunting, but once all is familiar between the 'strangers' and the 'regulars' things are usually fine.

I used my first week or two at, say, my day centre as an example.

[panicface]

Traveling is HARD!
I love to see how people always include a 'love of travel' in their bios on social media. But actual travel is often not fun, and awfully distressing. Especially if you have anxiety, GAS, agoraphobia or other issues.

When I was a wee lad, my dream was to travel to 'everyplace that has a name'.... Sadly, I have often crippling GAD since I was 15yo. Everything about travel is stressful, from:
- Packing (knowing your leaving and not sure you'll come back)
- Leaving your comfortable home
- Getting to the airport early (and worried about time) (or just having appointments for me)
- The awful experience at the airport with lines of people, standing, heavy luggage, bright lights, silly-cops looking at your shoes, feeling like you're a criminal
- A claustrophobic period of hours stuck in a chair that's so tight you would NEVER sit like that in real life
- Knowing you're in a tin can 30k in the sky, with every airline disaster seen in a movie floating around in your subconcious
- Airlines lowering the oxygen level in the planes
- Immigration on the other end, dealing with luggage.

And that's where this stops for you - as you have family waiting. If you're someplace new - it just goes on and on - strange streets, strange people, everyone ignoring you, or watching you. Weird food, odd rooms, everything a hassle to get to - not to mention GIANT repercussions on your energy levels as you walk around constantly etc.

I also have agoraphobia - most people thing it's 'fear of crowds' - for me it means fear of 'space' - wide open spaces = panic attack, going up a very long set of stairs or down a very long lane with no crossing lanes (halfway = panic attack).. anywhere you can become metaphorically 'stuck' with more time to get back than go on..

I remember once starting down a LONG small residential street in Florence at night, all dressed up and happy to be finding a bar.. they weren't houses on either side, but big buildings and ther was no easy way out... by the time I got to the end of it - I was literally without my shirt (I took it off and was chewing on it), sobbing in tears, feeling my pulse every 1 min, and a total wreck.... I actually just laid down on the ground twice just to get me that far... 30 min later, sitting in the bar I was fine again...

So yeah, I get it - travel is stressful and not surprised your feeling like this.

One thing I do is take half a Xanax about 1hr before I take my flight - I think this sort of 'numbs' my brain - so all that cr*p doesn't build up.. I just get kind of sleepy and dull.

Having said that - I've visited over 130 countries and plan on visiting them all - but it really is just terrible. I would love to stay home, close my door, sit in front of Netflix and never go outside.

Don't let it defeat you. Understand it's 'uncomfortable but not unsafe' and carry on.