Hi I'm wondering if anybody else has travel anxiety. I have a trip planned in early March and I'm already having anxiety about it. My therapist says I have some thing called catastrophe thinking where I think everything is going to end in the worst-case scenario. Im only going to be two hrs ago by plane for four daya yet I feel Ill be gone forever and all my pets will die. I know sounds way out there but its very difficult. I want to be able to enjoy vacations with out having horrible symptoms and thoughts the whole time. Any suggestions?????
Travel Fear: Hi I'm wondering if... - Anxiety and Depre...
Travel Fear
Hi GemBec. I'm brand new on this site - literally just signed up. But I am dealing with exactly the same thing you described in your post. I'm traveling out of town for 4 days, two-hour flight, leaving my cats behind, and am battling a lot of anticipatory anxiety. I travel about once a month for work and go through this every time. It drives me crazy and drives my friends and family crazy, too! I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone in your catastrophic thinking. As far as what helps... I over-prepare. Make sure all the 'I's are dotted and 'T's are crossed well in advance of the trip. I have a friend who I pay to pet sit for me and I ask her to send me photos and videos of my cats each day. It makes me feel better to see that they're fine and being cared for. Pets are amazingly resilient... more so than we are, I think. I take anti-anxiety medication and have a special prescription for times when I have to travel. If you have a psychiatrist, you might want to talk to them about a prn medication for travel. I hope some of this is helpful to you.
Thanks LunaGrace i too make everyone crazy with my travel anxiety. I do have a pet sitter who is aware of my anxiety. I also installed cameras in my house so i can monitor my pets, two dogs one cat, this is a blessing and a curse because I spend a lot of time monitoring instead of enjoy my vacation. I usually only go away once a year and an occasional overnight in the city. I do take a low dose of Xanax when needed but i get over anxious so far ahead of the vacation. Im glad to hear that Im not alone not that i wish this on anyone ever. Thanks for sharing your experience just reading your response has helped me not feel likea "freak show." Thanks glad u joined the site.
I have had this fear since I was kid, as an adult and as part of my job I had to travel a lot, I developed a ritual where I completely relax the day before and have all my stuff packed a week before, and on board I pop a sedative and sleep