Lived Experience Forum

[petrichor]

Hi,

i need to take an interstate flight on my own. I don’t know how. I don’t know how I can deal with all the people, the stress … I can’t even manage shopping in a small supermarket. I live in a small town so getting to the airport itself will be hard. There’s no way around not taking that flight, long distance and I can’t drive and a train or bus trip would be horrendous. 
Is there anything I can prepare before I go? I have a couple of months. Thanks.

[pjc1965]

I do deep breathing exercises. 3 minutes. Breath in deep. Breath out deep. Then I do a 10 minute meditation. This calms my anxiety. Fidgets from Target, kmart. A waited lap blanket. 

[TuxedoCat]

Hey @petrichor so nice to see you again ❤️ I'm sorry you're feeling so stressed about this flight, I also feel overwhelmed by the process of flying. I think it's so awesome that you're thinking so far ahead to make sure you can reduce your stress. It's a great idea!

What are your usual activities to reduce stress? Can any of them be adapted to be on a plane?

For me, I like to

• Get to the airport early and if I'm especially anxious, I let the staff on the plane know. I know lots of people also talk to the airline beforehand to get support with check-in, getting to the gate and arrival
• I make a comforting playlist to listen to on the plane or download some tv shows on streaming apps like netflix
• I also write down breathing and mindfulness exercise for when I'm in the air. I write them in my phone because I often forget them

And I really like @pjc1965 idea of a lap weighted blanket! Such a great idea

Is there anything where which might be useful for you @petrichor? 

[wellwellwellnez]

Therapy emu. Assuming the emu likes to fly. Though I'm not sure how to find that out. Maybe with some sort of therapy-emu-friendly flight-simulator.

[Eve7]

Hi @petrichor , I am flying interstate this weekend on my own .

I get to the airport early, always leave home 3 hours before my flight so I can check in etc if I haven’t done so already.

I like sitting at airports and watching all the interesting people, maybe even spot a celebrity.

Take earphones and music or a film to watch so you can move your mind away from intrusive thoughts.

I always get an aisle seat so I don’t look out the window (although Sydney Harbour is magnificent from the air as is Uluṟu).

Flight attendants are usually very kind to nervous travellers so tell them.

All the best 💙

[Gwynn]

Maybe just really getting into mindfulness - starting with lovingkindness (I found it was easier to start with) and then getting into body scans, putting your thoughts onto leaves and letting them float downstream, knitting, mindful dishwashing etc. When you feel like you're starting to get the hang of it, maybe try a 'meditation to deal with difficulties', and see what that brings up.

[pjc1965]

Get in earlier than everyone else. Get a window seat. I had anxiety with a guest this owning. I looked out the window this helped. 

[pjc1965]

@petrichor how about puzzles. I enjoy search a word,  code breaker and fill ins. Not crossqoesa or suduko which was invented by an American but took off in Japan instead. They changed the name.

[TuxedoCat]

Hello again @petrichor, I'm not sure which airport you're flying our of, but I just discovered a "hidden disability" program at Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide, Brisbane and Gold coast airports.

This program allows for a range of conditions to have more accessibility in terminals including going through security, check-in, waiting in the terminal. 

I thought it might be useful to you ❤️ 

[petrichor]

Hi everyone

thank you for the suggestions and the info.

I’m not going through with it. Decided it will be worse for my mental health to go to a city than bunkering down at home. I’ll manage somehow I think. I don’t know how people do it to be honest, leave their safe space 😞 I’ll just live with the consequences. Not my fault.