By Amy Moore, Content Team Contributor.
One of the most horrible things that anxiety can do is turn something that is supposed to be exciting and fun into an awful experience. I always found that holidays were particularly difficult for me. Instead of being excited in the weeks prior to going on holiday, I could just feel a daily increase in anxiety as the days got closer.
I have been fortunate enough to have had a fair amount of family holidays in my life, often abroad, and I always felt so guilty that I’d approach these occasions with a feeling of dread and anxiety instead of excitement. I realised that airports, in particular, were major triggers for panic attacks. Between the manic queuing and the waiting around at a gate, and the impending anxiety of feeling claustrophobic on aeroplanes, airports were the physical embodiment of seemingly every anxiety trigger I had. However, over the years, airports have become much easier for me, and so I wanted to give three small tips that I have found have helped me significantly.
1. Keep Yourself Busy
I found that my most anxious moments were whenever I was standing still. Things like standing in queues, with only my mind to occupy myself, was a quick way for me overthink the situation and I was unable to calm myself down.
Now, I make sure that I have something on me to distract and tear my mind away from thinking about any and all anxious thoughts. I would always recommend carrying a book with you, especially one that you particularly love or are invested in. However, I have equally found books difficult to focus on when I am becoming anxious, and so I always carry crossword or sudoku books with me. I find that these are very good at distracting me because I have to think to work out the answers.
Generally, I found that keeping my mind busy during these slow moments of being at the airport, meant that I was able to regulate my own anxiety about the situation, and I would have an easier experience.
2. Do What You Need To Do
There is no set of rules of how to cope and manage anxiety, you learn from your own experience. I always felt so much guilt about feeling like I was being a nuisance at airports, that my attempts to try and be less anxious only made me more anxious. As I got older, it became so important for me to understand that I do have a voice in these situations, and I am able to advocate for myself. It took a lot of practice, but over time I felt so much more confident to actually speak that I could tell others what I needed in that singular moment, whether that be a distraction, or time on my own. Do not be afraid to speak up about what you need to do for your own mental health. It actually does help everyone around you to know what they can do to make stressful situations easier for you.
3. Give Yourself Time
The last thing you want to be doing is rushing around an airport. I would always ask that we would get to the airport at least half an hour early, because otherwise I would get so stressed over the possibility that we might actually miss our flight. Doing everything at your own pace may seem impossible when gates close at a certain time, and flights depart at a certain time, but I have found that taking it one step at a time really helps me.
However, this tip also applies to the mental aspect. Give yourself time to try and manage these anxieties. One of the hardest things for me to accept was that not everything can be fixed immediately. It has taken me six years to be able to eat before a flight, but the feeling when I was actually successful was indescribable. They are slow steps, but eventually, you’ll look back and realise just how far those steps have taken you.
Obviously this small list is not a cure to all airport anxieties that people may face. All I can do is to speak of the things that have helped me over the years, and made both airports and flying a much easier experience for me, and those that I was travelling with. Trust in yourself to know what is best and easiest for you to do.
If you have a fear of flying, you could book a course of Single Session Mentoring to coincide with the day of your flight.
