Traveling can be very stressful as no one wants to face the common problems of missing your flight, losing your luggage, flight delays, etc. This can cause someone to develop panic attacks at the airport which can lead to more problems. It is important to think ahead of all of the worst possibilities that can happen at an airport and to use mindfulness techniques to calm down.

Anxiety can intensify when you least expect something to go wrong. You should first acknowledge that things have the possibility of going wrong when traveling to ensure that they do not. You should also try coping skills in advance like deep breathing techniques, visualization, or meditation before you travel so that you can enter the airport with a clear head. You might have a lot of worries speaking loud in your head as you are waiting for your flight to be called. Instead of focusing so much on these thoughts, distract yourself and focus on something else. Read a good book or an interesting magazine or play a game on your phone or a puzzle to get your mind off things.

Because you know how stressful an airport can be, imagine yourself in a place entirely different. Close your eyes and imagine that you are in a place where you feel the most calm like you are at the beach and you can hear the sound of the waves instead of planes taking off. To better help you, you can listen to the sound of the ocean on your phone as you close your eyes. Think happy thoughts and only focus on that visualization until you hear them call your flight. Focus on your breath, steady it, and relax your body.

To prevent yourself from being even more nervous, look at the itinerary of activities that you will enjoy at your destination. It will make you look forward to going when you think about the restaurants you will eat at, getting a massage, exploring the attractions, and more. Allow your panic symptoms to run its course because if you resist, you will feel like it is a medical emergency or you will lose control. Surrender to what you feel and tell yourself that these symptoms will pass. It may even help to get a family member or friend to come with you on your trip. Make traveling enjoyable and keep your worries aside.

Located in Tacoma, Washington, Bayview Center’s mission is to offer clinically-driven programs and services to treat a number of substance abuse disorders along with anxiety and depression using cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, trauma therapy, yoga therapy, and more for a successful recovery. For more information, please call us 888-570-7154 at as we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.