I recently went on a holiday in Spain which was nerve racking for me because I suffer from social anxiety but all I thought was I need to ensure this trip was relaxing as I was in desperate need of a relaxing holiday after this past year.
So before I started prepping for this trip I wanted to make sure I had learnt lessons from my previous trip to Morocco on what triggered my anxiety during my time there. I created a list of things that affected me and how I can stop it from triggering off my anxiety. So my trip to Spain I started preparing early on to make sure I was to prevent my anxiety from ruining my holiday and I wanted to share my tips with you guys so if you suffer from social anxiety or anxiety overall please stay tuned. I’m not going to say this is going to be a cure but it will help possibly keep you control your anxiety.
Please listen to the podcast for the full listen on my tips and advice.
Everyone is affected completely differently by anxiety. For me personally I get anxiety in brand new crowded places and also when it comes to public speaking which is weird because I public speak but throughout the years I’ve managed to manage my anxiety so it doesn’t affect me in situations but we all have moments where we trip up and I don’t deny I do sometimes.
My anxiety tends to give me nausea so to tackle this I tend to keep something in my backpack to help me when I feel like I’m going to puke up. I usually keep tictacs as they there’s so many in a little box and it’s easier to put in your bag than anything else.
As part of my anxiety I also get high temperature that can lead to feeling extremely hot and sweaty in my surroundings so to control this temperature I tend to wear Lightweight clothing
Try and do more than enough research on your travelling journeys from hotel to airport etc as it just stops you from freaking out. As part of controlling your anxiety it is a great idea to have control of your surroundings
Plan for when things go wrong. Write down all instructions and helplines so you are aware where to turn to for help
Watch youtube videos of tourist places so you have more of an idea on what to expect in regards to crowds. I didn’t like the overcrowded places mainly due to consistently having to watch my bag for pickpockets and just constantly getting bumped into. I preferred the less touristy places as it felt like I could actually breathe.
Save money aside for rainy days. Make the most of the safe in the hotel. I set aside money to make sure I had cash incase something went wrong during the holiday. It just gave me peace of mind rather than finding a cash machine because finding a cash machine in a foreign place can actually set off your anxiety. We were in a small town in Spain where there wasn’t a cash machine nearby.
Remind yourself why you are travelling