psychology

How To Ease Your Travel Anxiety

by Pooja G

As an international student, travelling has become a part of my life and as much as I actually do love travelling my anxiety does tend to mess with me sometimes. However, over the last few months I have learnt a few things that help ease my anxiety before and during my travels. I really hope it helps you guys too because travelling should be a good experience not an anxiety ridden one.

  1. Be prepared in advance– I usually try to finish all of my packing at least one day in advance so on the actual day I’m travelling I know I’m done with everything and I can relax. This gives you a chance to kind of relax your brain because once it’s all anxious it’s hard to calm it back down. I just have to go through everything and make sure I’m not forgetting anything and I’m done!
  2. Lots of chamomile tea- studies have shown that drinking chamomile tea helps calm you down and reduces stress levels so if you’re packed in advance you have a few minutes to sit down and have a nice cup of chamomile tea to really calm you down. You can also take some along with you or buy them at the nearest coffee shop to help keep you calm during your journey  Chamomile tea doesn’t help everyone but it has helped me so give it a try and see if it works for you!
  3. Meditation and yoga- like I said before if you’re packed in advance you have more time to do relaxing things and it really helps to do some yoga and breathing exercises. There are a lot of special yoga positions and meditations that are specifically for relieving anxiety and stress and I wasn’t a huge believer in either but they really do wonders for you especially if you do them long term! You can also do the breathing exercises while travelling to help you stay calm in anxiety inducing situations.
  4. Your carryon is important– This is crucial to your travel. In my experience what you carry with you on the plane/bus/train is very important to how your journey will go. Firstly, make sure to double check that you have your passport and any other documents you may need during your journey. Secondly, make sure you have a book or headphones or something to distract you in case you do end up getting really anxious or having a panic attack. I also make sure to carry food and drinks with me because I tend to get more anxious when I’m hungry or dehydrated and you can do this too.
  5. Don’t forget to breathe– at the end of the day you have to remind yourself that it’s just travelling and it’s really no big deal. Most of the time when anxiety takes over it’s hard to think rationally but you need to train your mind and make sure it doesn’t control you with irrational thoughts. Keep thinking calming things and just try to relax and enjoy the moment!

For more posts on anxiety click here.

For more posts on mental health click here.

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32 thoughts on “How To Ease Your Travel Anxiety”

  1. Good advice. Air travel is a necessary evil for getting to places. But the effort is worth it.
    My advice is to buy a few Opher Goodwin books and lose yourself in a good read.

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      1. I know I was the same when I lived in Spain, I always enjoyed the journey home more than the one going. If films are available I watch them otherwise I read magazines or books. I always take my own food unless I’m on a good airline 😊

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  3. Haven’t been on a plane for a while but last time I felt I was picking up the collective anxieties of other passengers. It was quite unpleasant. Like sitting trapped in a big tin can of conscious/subconscious fear. Just as speculation, I wonder how many so-called “Anxiety Disorders” are really more about sensitive people picking up bad vibes than about their own issues. Not many psychologists/psychiatrists would consider this possibility, which wouldn’t really help anyone, imo. 🙂

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    1. Other peoples anxieties always rub off on me so I totally get what you mean. I need to distract myself on flights and stuff because otherwise it really gets to me. I definitely think a lot of sensitive people tend to get second hand anxiety. I definitely get anxiety about stuff when someone else gets anxious about it.

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      1. Yeah I’ve become increasingly interested in what some call “transpersonal psychology.” I guess the key is to face our own stuff and pray/meditate for others’. I don’t know if flying would affect me like that today. It’s always changing… evolving. 🙂

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      2. Yeah it’s not possible to control other peoples anxiety and it’s on us to sooth our own. Flying effects me differently each time too depending on my circumstances but I’m usually always a little anxious.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Great advice. Turbulence gets me every time.Mine are usually Australia to UK flights and there`s always a few bumps or worse. Otherwise I love it.

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