Travelling With Anxiety: Tips for the Plane

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! Hope you have enjoyed the week and are ready for the weekend.

This summer I have done A LOT of travelling. Being in a long distance relationship and having a flexible schedule has meant that I have spent a lot of time on a plane. Also add in a family vacation and my sister moving to a different country, which means even more time this summer and more in the future. Some people love travelling, but when you have anxiety it can be a very daunting experience. Take a couple experiences I had this summer for example. One was when I went through security and not only did they make me go through the security machine that checked for bombs and they see you naked but they also patted me down. On top of it all the lady wasn’t the least bit friendly. Another was on my first flight by myself when pulling away from the terminal I had a full blown panic attack. The most panic I had felt in months. These experiences sucked, but the point is, I made it through them. Dealing with anxiety isn’t easy, especially when travelling. I also know I’m not the only one that has to deal with these hard situations, so here are some tips on how I have dealt with anxiety while travelling:

1. Keep Yourself Busy: this is crucial. When you have time to think, you have time to worry, which means adding fuel to your anxiety. Take for example my experience of having a panic attack on the plane as it was pulling away. In that situation I decided that I needed to stop thinking about what was happening and get my mind lost in something else. This moment was when I pulled out magazines that I had brought along and started reading them. Some other ideas of things to keep you busy are a book, some sort of game, movies (one’s you’ve brought or ones provided on the plane), colouring, listening to music, sleep, or any other hobby you can bring on a plane to enjoy. The major point here is, when travelling, come prepared with things to occupy your time.
2. There IS a Way Out: this is a big one for me. It is important to tell yourself that there is always a way out if need be. If things get out of control, the plane can make an emergency landing. In my case, as the plane was pulling away from the terminal, I could have always asked to get off. Just telling yourself this will decrease your anxiety and help you feel less ‘trapped’.
3. Call Someone: after my traumatic experience after airport security, the first person I called was my boyfriend. He immediately knew how to calm me down and make me feel more relaxed. It is definitely okay to lean on someone close to you for support if it will help you in a time of need. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone.
4. Self-Talk: I have mentioned this one in previous posts of dealing with anxiety in general, but it really is important. When I had a panic attack pulling away from the terminal, this is what I used to help me calm down. It takes a lot of practice for self-talk to be effective, but don’t be discouraged. It really does work. I remember when I was first diagnosed with an anxiety disorder I thought self-talk was the craziest and hardest thing that would never calm me down, but now it works all the time. Here are some examples of self-talk; ‘You are okay’, ‘You can do this’, ‘You are fine’, ‘You are strong, you CAN handle this’. Keep self-talking!
5. Medication: I have also talked about this in my previous posts about anxiety. Just knowing that you have medication in case something happens, in my experience, is enough to reduce your anxiety significantly, even if you don’t take any. If you think this will help, talk to your family doctor about options for anxiety medication before travelling.

I hope some of these tips help if you are travelling with anxiety. They are just some of the ones I’ve used that have really worked. If you have any questions about this post or comments about future posts you’d like to see, leave them down below! Also comment with any other tips you use to combat travel anxiety– I’d love to hear from you! Thanks for reading! xo A

PS: photo courtesy of- http://www.findahappyplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bees-plane-anxiety.jpg

 

Haul: Shoppers DrugMart

Hey everyone! Hope you all are having an enjoyable Monday 😊 One of my favourite things to watch vlogs on or read blogs on are hauls, so I thought I would start documenting them for you guys to read. I recently went to Shoppers DrugMart and restocked on some of the necessities I use on an everyday basis. Shoppers DrugMart is one of my favourite stores to buy cosmetics and skincare because you get optimum points, which really add up (my last trip I had $85 worth of points!!!). With that being said, it is a bit expensive so going in there’s can be dangerous to your wallet!!! Anyways, here is everything I recently got:

  
The first are these two bottles of vitamins. I take the Centrum Women everyday with my dinner. I’ve noticed that ever since I started taking a multivitamin, I get sick wayyyyyy less and when I do it is never horrible. So take your multivitamins!!!! The vitamin B complex is something that I’ve recently started taking, and I take it at the same time as my multivitamin. I’ve read a bunch of articles and literature on how vitamin B is really good for decreasing anxiety. I even talked to the pharmacist at Shoppers and she said that its great at keeping you calm and helping you get a good nights sleep. I also confirmed with her that the two vitamins were safe to take together and I wouldn’t be overdosing on anything!!! I just started taking those a few nights ago, so I’ll let you guys know if I notice a difference.

  
The next few things I got were skincare. I always use Clinique products for my skin because I know they work and they’re good quality (in my opinion, skincare isn’t something to be cheap about– the time to take care of our skin is now!!!) I got the big bottle of the Clinique 3 Clarifying Lotion, which I use after I wash my face and before I moisturized, and a small pot of the Clinique All About Eyes eye cream. I swear by this stuff. Even though it’s a bit expensive ($38) it makes your eyes feel so refreshed, appear less puffy, and makes your concealer go on so much smoother. Next, I got the Glysomed  hand cream in a travel size because there’s nothing worse than getting dry hand and having no hand cream (especially in Canadian winters). This hand cream is amazing– it’s super moisturizing and works after one use. Finally, I got Pond’s Exfoliating Wet Cleasing Towelettes. I use these to take off my face makeup, before I wash my face with my Clarisonic. I love these because they get all of your makeup off, but exfoliate at the same time.

  
Finally, the last thing I got (which was actually from Walmart) was this blackhead remover. One of my friends told me about it so I decided to try it. You essentially take one of the ends, press it down over the blackhead, and then move it over so the dirt pops out and you scrape it away. So far I’ve tried it once. It did remove a lot of blackheads, but it was a bit painful and left my nose red and sore. With that said, I am willing to try again to see if I can master a better technique that yields less pain!!!

Hope you guys enjoyed this post! Comment if you use any of the same products or know better alternatives. Also let me know if you’d like to see more of these kinds of posts. Thanks for reading! xo A

4 Ways to Deal With a Panic Attack

Hey everyone! Sorry I’ve been missing for a while. School has been getting the best of me and I spent my reading week relaxing up in cottage country 🙂

I thought I’d write this blog post because dealing with panic attacks is something I still have to deal with regularly. I’ve accepted that anxiety is going to be a part of my life forever, but I’ve also realized that I do not have to succumb to it. I have definitely had lots of practice dealing with panic attacks, and I can truly say that it gets easier over time. One tip is to learn strategies to keep you calm that work for YOU. Once you’ve done this, all it takes is practice and actually believing in yourself. With that said, here are four ways that have helped me deal with my panic attacks:

1. TALK about it: When I first developed my anxiety, I wasn’t one to talk about it. Whenever I was feeling anxious I would completely close off and keep all of my thoughts inside. I have now learned that this does NOT help. It makes my anxiety ten times worse. So now when I have a panic attack or feel myself getting really anxious, I talk about it. Now, this does NOT mean you should go on Facebook and tell everyone your issues. Instead, find someone who you trust and who knows about your anxiety to vent to. For example, for me, this is my boyfriend. Sometimes I don’t even explain what I’m anxious about. Just telling him I’m anxious and having him hug me and tell me everything’s okay is enough to make me feel calm.
2. Practice self-talk: Again, when I first developed anxiety I was horrible at this. I would get physical symptoms of anxiety and chalk them up to everything BUT anxiety. This just made my anxiety even worse. What really helped me was talking to a therapist and realizing that what I have IS anxiety and nothing else. This helped me to actually believe myself when I was practicing self-talk during a panic attack. Some things that I say to myself that help are; ‘You are okay’, ‘This is just anxiety’ & ‘You’ve made it through every time before, you can make it through now’.
3. Grounding: These posts about ‘grounding’ are very popular on social media (I’ll post one below!), but they actually do help. For me at least, my anxiety stems from my thoughts so it helps if I can get out of my own little world. The suggestions made in the post below are helpful, but I tend to make myself more present by doing some other alternatives. One way is to connect with someone. Have a conversation with them and really focus on what they’re saying. This will bring you back into the present moment and out of your thoughts. A second way is to stay busy. I find if I’m watching TV or just sitting on the couch on my phone I’m still just thinking. Do tasks that take you away from your own thoughts. For example, cooking, baking, or doing homework (I know homework is not fun but its win-win…less anxiety and being productive!) are things that have helped me.
4. Stop what you’re doing and breathe: For me, when I have a panic attack it always helps to stop what I’m doing and breathe. For example, if you’re at work or in class, politely excuse yourself and take a minute for yourself. If you have medication, takeit then. Regardless of this, practice breathing. Also, this would be a good time to practice some or all of the three points above! I have just found that, instead of trying to stay in a situation and stick it out even though you’re panicking, it is better to leave. I know at first I felt like I was stuck in these situations and could not get out, but you ALWAYS can. Your health is the most important thing and teachers or bosses will understand; we’re all human.

I hope this blog post helped! Again, these are some of the strategies that work for me. They may or may not work for you; everyone is different. But either way, they’re worth a try because I know they have worked wonders for me and many others! Comment below if you have any other strategies for dealing with a panic attack. Thanks for reading! xo A

PS: photo courtesy of www.goodtoknow.co.uk

5 Ways to Cope With Anxiety

Those who deal with anxiety know that it’s not something you can just ‘turn off’. Anxiety can occur for a number of reasons and can range from moderate to severe. For some, anxiety is as little as being nervous for an exam or going on a date. For others, anxiety is a major part of life. In these cases, anxiety is considered a mental illness and should be treated exactly as that; an illness. Either way, anxiety is a part of life and there are many things that can be done to cope with it. Through my own personal experience with major anxiety, I’ve made a list of things that have helped me cope along the way. Here we go!

1. Fitness, fitness, fitness!!!: I can’t exaggerate enough how important this one is. Having some sort of fitness routine really serves as an outlet for anxiety. You may not realize it at first, but after a week or so you’ll start to feel more calm. Having a fitness routine will also benefit other areas your of life. Just a few include, shedding those extra pounds you’ve been worrying about, toning your body, and increasing your heart health. There are literally no downsides to introducing a fitness routine into your life! Having a fitness routine also involves eating healthy and clean. There has even been evidence that this reduces the symptoms of mental illness significantly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dqXHHCc5lA
2. Surround yourself with people who understand: This is one that I’ve recently figured out the hard way, but is extremely important. Anxiety is not something that is commonly understood or wanted to be understood. For those with anxiety this is hard because they’re usually told by friends to just ‘get over it’. This does not and should not be the case. Those with anxiety need those around them who understand (or at least try to understand) what they’re going through. It’s not an easy thing to let go of friends who don’t understand, but in the end it’s for the better. If you hang onto friends just to please them, you’ll end up making yourself unhappy, stressed out and even more anxious. It is way better to have a couple friends who understand than many who don’t.
3. Find things that make you happy: For me, these include, playing with my puppy, reading a good book, watching some reality TV, going to the gym (another reason why you need a fitness routine!!!!) and shopping. Whenever you’re feeling anxious, consider doing one of the things that really make you happy. This will take your mind off whatever you’re feeling anxious about. When I was at one of my worst points with anxiety, I started an obsession with the TV show Friends. As dumb as it sounds, it really helped me through some rough times.
4. Eliminate caffeine & alcohol:  I know for many this is a scary thought, but trust me it helps. When I first got anxiety, I eliminated all caffeine. This definitely did not get rid of my anxiety, but it prevented it from escalating. After about 6 months of having it under control I went back to small doses (e.g. the amount tea and lattes), but nowhere near the amount to get my heart racing. Eliminating alcohol was also a big turning point in my anxiety journey. I was extremely hesitant at first for a number of superficial reasons. First, I’m 21. Literally all social events with my friends revolve around drinking. If I stopped, I felt like I wouldn’t belong anymore. Second, I didn’t want to be thought of as ‘lame’. As much as I try to not care about what other people think of me, it somehow seems to creep in. Even with all of my insecurities, I decided to eliminate alcohol. I did it for two reasons (which definitely out-weigh the reasons to keep drinking); One, I was put on medication that is not a good idea to drink with, and two, there’s nothing worse than having a panic attack when you’re drunk. This decision did change my lifestyle and caused me to lose a few friends (again, another reason why it’s so important to surround yourself with people who understand), but it has ultimately made me happier than I’ve ever been.
5. Get help: Only you know when enough is enough. If you’ve done all that you possibly can to help yourself, it’s time to take a different approach. By no means does this mean that you are a lost cause and can never be helped…this is NEVER the case. It’s just time to look in a different place. One place I would recommend starting is a family doctor. They can recommend you someone to talk to (e.g. wellness coach, psychotherapist) and this may be all you need! They can also prescribe you medication, if need be. Another place to look for help, recommended for university students, is your universities’ student health centre. They should have a team of professionals extremely equipped to deal with the issues you are having. A couple things to remember when you are getting help are; one, do not be afraid (people WANT to help you and see you get better), and, two, you are not alone/crazy/weird (there are millions of people going through the same thing you are).

I hope this post helped! All of these things still help me cope with anxiety everyday. Comment if you would like to share your story/ have any other ways of coping with anxiety! xo A

PS: photo courtesy of @wearyourlabel on Instagram