• Replies 5 replies
  • Subscribers 26 subscribers
  • Views 90 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Travel anxiety

L

I went through a bad mental health experience a few years ago, largely caused by anxiety and masking due to my lack of understanding of my autism. I've come out the other side now and things are good, mentally.

Since my episode I've had terrible travel anxiety and for the last 5 years I haven't travelled further than 30 miles of where I live. It's made travelling to see family all but impossible unless they come to me.

For the lats 3 years my mum has gone away on holiday with my sister, they invite me each time and I say yes but the nearer it gets my anxiety spikes and I get panic attacks.

I'm fine with going in town but it's only 5 minutes down the road, it's further afield that triggers the anxiety and for 5 years i havent been able to get past this.

I'm 30 in a years time and it scares me that so much time is passing and I'm not able to do the things I want to do.

Parents
  • L said:
    I'm 30 in a years time and it scares me that so much time is passing and I'm not able to do the things I want to do.

    Have you considered working with a therapist to help you overcome the phobia? This is something they get trained to help with and so long as you get one who understands autism as well then it is a great way to beat it if you want to.

    Another option that I know some people have used with success if hypnotism, but I don't have much experience with this personally so can only flag it as an item to research - just make sure if you decide to try it that you take someone you trust with you as you are vulnerable while under hypnosis.

    My approach has been to tackle my fears head on and prove they have no hold over me but this may not suit your temperament or even be a particularly healthy option, but for me I can demonstrate that I can overcome whatever was scaring me.

  • in reply to Iain

    I haven’t tried hypnotism before but I need to try and find a decent therapist. I was referred to one on the NHS but he wasn’t that understanding imo so I’ve requested another but there is a wait time, could be 5 months or a year, no way of telling.

    Good on you for facing your fears. I know it's not an easy step to take. Does it always work for you now? I’ve read before you can condition yourself to basically slam all your irrational fears. I did try confronting my travel anxiety in 2021 but it resulted in quite a bad anxiety attack and a really bad panic attack, during which someone called an ambulance. I think they thought I was having some sort of seizure or something more serious than a panic attack. It was a terrible time and the experience really scared me and has put me off from trying to confront it again.

    That’s the trouble with anxiety and bad experiences, they sort of reinforce each other. I got myself in such a rut with it and now I don’t know how to get out of it.

Reply
  • in reply to Iain

    I haven’t tried hypnotism before but I need to try and find a decent therapist. I was referred to one on the NHS but he wasn’t that understanding imo so I’ve requested another but there is a wait time, could be 5 months or a year, no way of telling.

    Good on you for facing your fears. I know it's not an easy step to take. Does it always work for you now? I’ve read before you can condition yourself to basically slam all your irrational fears. I did try confronting my travel anxiety in 2021 but it resulted in quite a bad anxiety attack and a really bad panic attack, during which someone called an ambulance. I think they thought I was having some sort of seizure or something more serious than a panic attack. It was a terrible time and the experience really scared me and has put me off from trying to confront it again.

    That’s the trouble with anxiety and bad experiences, they sort of reinforce each other. I got myself in such a rut with it and now I don’t know how to get out of it.

Children
  • in reply to L
    L said:
    Does it always work for you now?

    It is second nature to me now - I tend to get some grief from family for allowing myself to be in situations they would never put themselves in (eg in a dangerous part of downtown Sao Paulo at night) but I will assess the risk and so long as it isn't silly (eg people visibly with knives / guns) then I will walk to my destination.

    It helps that I am quite capable of defending myself so unless it is someone with a gun I have no concerns and if they do have one then I will surrender my wallet to them. Masking can play a big part in facing down someone trying to rob you and showing no fear and looking like I am going to attack them has always made them turn and run.

    Not something I would recommend for others.

    Mindfulness and critical thinking are the tools I use to consider the approach to the things I fear - it strips away their irrational power over me and I can see just how real the risk really is, then it is a case were I take a deep breath and go do whatever is scaring me as if it were any normal task. No time for worry or rhumination.

    My most recent one was my fear of getting back into the dating scene. Fear of rejection and low self image were contributing to it so I spent 6 months getting fit, getting myself in good health and looking good, worked on my weakenesses then worked out what I wanted from a partner and last Friday I bit the bullet and signed up to Tinder.

    One week on it is now familiar and I'm onto facing my next fears / anxieties of having dates with people who you have limited language skills with, but that is a different story