Hi, I have been wanting to travel to see someone for a while now but I have not been on a plane ever since last year when I experienced extreme anxiety that resulted in me barely leaving my hotel for the duration of that trip. I would be traveling by myself so I have no one else to rely on when anx strikes. I would love to hear from other anxiety sufferers how they deal with situations that involve traveling by car or plane.
I have already tried out homeopathic remedies (Rescue drops, bach flowers, st john’s wort) but they had zero effect. Xanax helped a bit. Then again I never tested it in an extremely stressful situation. Did anyone have any success with tapping? I have to say I find it a bit embarrassing to do it in public. Wanted to do it once but my anxiety was so strong that I forgot where I was supposed to tap and what I was supposed to say
Other things I have tried but only with limited success is progressive relaxation, stretching/moving around if I can, carry a perfume with a calming scent (lavender) in my bag, direct my focus to other things (asking myself how my hands, legs, eyes etc feel or looking around) and before going into a stressful situation I try to envisage it so that I feel like I am somewhat prepared. Something that also helps me is texting a close friend. The world feels less scary when there is someone who cares and it puts everything into perspective. Also putting my feelings into words tends to have the effect of bringing me back in touch with reality and it usually helps me calm down. Of course that wont be possible when Im on a plane. Another thing is keeping the breathing under control. I tend to overbreathe and that usually leads to other unpleasant things. It would be very helpful if others could share what they do to keep the anxiety under control. Thanks!