Since I suffer from flight anxiety – particularly the anticipation of such travel events – I’m pleased that all five flights to, from, and in Peru were relatively smooth and anti-climactic. Besides one gut-dropping move during takeoff from Fort Lauderdale to Lima, that is.
When this travel anxiety kicks in, I have some personal tools for success that I’ve picked up from mental health coaches, friends, and media. As a note: I am not a mental health professional, these are just personal tools that I use that you might like, too.
5 Ways to Deal with Travel Anxiety
1. Set a worry time
Worry often comes at inopportune times. Negative thoughts become a distraction and interfere with our focus. This personally becomes a problem when I’m trying to do things like making sure I’ve packed everything I need and finding my gate.
One effective tool I recently learned from a by-phone health coach through a free service from my insurance provider (you might find it beneficial to look into whether your insurance offers similar free services) is to set a “worry time.” Let’s say it’s 7-7:30 p.m. Throughout the day, when a negative though train starts to arrive in the brain station, firmly say (in your head or out loud) “I don’t have time for you; it’s not worry time yet.” Knowing that you have a time designated for this worry helps to allow its dismissal. Some people really do make use of that “worry time.” They cram all stress into that little pocket of time and then at 7:30 on the dot, it gets shut down again until next day. Other people have had enough time to realize the worry wasn’t that realistic, anyway. For me, I’m usually too distracted at my designated worry time to even remember I was worried in the first place.
How to apply this to travel? Allow yourself a half hour to worry before you leave for the airport, if you choose. Then use your you’re grounded voice to let your worries know you won’t be putting up with it until your next designated worry time – after you’re scheduled to arrive in your destination.
2. Distract from anxiety
Nothing works better than distraction. If you forget you’re supposed to be nervous, then it can’t bother you! My motto is a standby from childhood scouting: Always be prepared. When flying, I usually have downloaded and ready to go an episode or two of my favorite podcast – Swish and Flick: An All-Potter Podcast; a catchy, calming Spotify playlist; and a book or two ready to go on Libby, an app that downloads audio and e-books to your phone through your local library. This trip, I even downloaded a few episodes of Lost in Space from Netflix. And, of course, a paperback copy of Bad Girl by Peruvian Nobel-winning author Mario Vargas Llosa. Why so many options? Because I never know which will hold my attention best. If one isn’t doing it, then I’ll switch to something else until I’ve gotten thoroughly sucked in.
3. Use grounding exercises for anxiety
When having a panic attack, I’ve been instructed to perform a grounding exercise. These grounding exercises can usually be done anywhere, even if you’re no longer on the ground. Here’s one anxiety exercise I’ve found helpful in the past:
- Identify 5 things you can see around you (if you are scared of flying and in the plane, perhaps focus on things inside the cabin)
- Identify 4 things you can touch around you (your shirt on your skin, hair on your face, or air conditioning all count)
- Identify 3 things you can hear
- Identify 2 things you can smell
- Identify 1 thing you can taste (At a loss? What does your mouth taste like?)
4. Stay hydrated
Hydration is proven to lessen the effects of anxiety. Avoid diuretics like caffeine before anxiety-producing activities and drink plenty of water. Airplanes are pressurized at altitudes higher than many people are used to, and higher altitudes are dehydrating because our bodies are working harder than usual trying to pump blood. In my experience, airports don’t always have the most hydrating atmospheres, either. So, drink what you can, when you can.
5. Breathe
Don’t forget to breathe. Breathe deeply, breathe calmly. If you have a travel buddy, breathe in time. Every takeoff, my partner and I faced each other for a moment and breathed deeply together, just to find a rhythm. If you don’t have a partner, I personally like this gif, which has made its rounds around the internet:
Use these tips above to help combat anxiety on the road — or in the air — and then share your favorite ways of dealing with anxiety in the comments.
The Scaredy-Cat's Guide to Travel 