Feeling anxious about upcoming trip

[Nikonninja]

Hubby and I are taking off for 4 days to quebec city to celebrate 17 years of marriage..SANS kids or pets,but for some reason I am anxious about the trip.I believe it has to do with looking over the railing into the water and worrying about me falling.I plan to avoid the railing and take pictures with my zoom lens instead.And yes I am afraid of heights.But how do I deal with my "impending doom" thoughts?

thanks

 

[Retired]

Re: Feeling Anxious About upcoming trip

I believe it has to do with looking over the railing into the water and worrying about me falling......I plan to avoid the railing

You have two options when dealing with an anxiety provoking situation, in my view. You can either avoid the situation, as you have indicated, or you can figure out ways for that situation to have less of an impact on you.

Avoidance is not always possible, so lessening the impact is usually what we need to do.

I find if I have too much planned in too little time, I become anxious. The only thing to do is to allow more time or cut out some of the planned activities.

Perhaps the combination of travel, traffic, accommodations, visiting an unfamiliar place, and your fear of heights all combine to make you feel anxious.

Modifying some of your plans might help, but also some proactive non medication strategies might also help, like progressive muscle relaxation exercises, and deep (diaphragmatic breathing <- my personal favorite) might help settle you down.

Some suggestions on the these exercises are posted HERE on the Forum

You may also like:

How to Relieve Anxiety Without Medication | LIVESTRONG.COM

as well as

Anxiety Symptoms - Diseases and Conditions - Mayo Clinic

 

[Nikonninja]

Re: Feeling Anxious About upcoming trip

hi Steve

I think you are right in that,too little planning brings about anxiety,so I am going to make my usual list of what I want to do before I leave,as well as a list of what to bring.As for the railing and avoidance,well I do not tend to avoid things,even when they cause discomfort,so I am going to deal with this head on...thanks for you input