Vacation

Why? Well, where to start? How about the plane. In truth the prospect of jumping on an aircraft of any kind is only marginally preferable to leaping into a fish tank full of piranhas. I guess it’s because I’m claustrophobic. And agoraphobic. This is somewhat problematic when your fiancé happens to be Australian and you live in London! Given the distances involved here this could only be worse if she lived on the Moon.

Second, there’s being in a strange place. I live in a city. A big city where there’s around eight million people at hand to help you should you have a medical mishap or run into any kind of trouble. A place where a hospital is no more than five minutes away, a place where there’s always a cell phone signal and good public transport links. You might say I’m picking the wrong destinations to travel to, but I can guarantee wherever I go it’s rural, remote and seems to be trapped at some point in the 1950s.

Perhaps the final thing that gets to me is the fact that I’m out of my comfort zone. When I’m at home I have my friends and family around me. I have familiar landmarks and should something going amiss then I know where the hospital is, I know someone who lives nearby.

In the past I’ve avoided putting myself through such an ordeal. But before you do the same consider a couple of things. One: how will you ever get over your phobia if you don’t give it a go? Well, you won’t. Believe me I’ve tried all sorts of miracle ‘cures’ and giving it a go is pretty much the only way. Having said that, there is no need to book a ticket to Timbuktu right away. I started with short, local breaks. Maybe a weekend at the local beach or a city break. Then build up, try a week. Then perhaps get an internal flight somewhere.

But perhaps you’re thinking, why bother? There’s a whole world out there, that’s why and just because you have an anxiety problem it doesn’t mean that you don’t have a God given right to enjoy and experience it, that’s why! And if you stay static the world of the anxiety suffer can shrink very, VERY quickly. By forcing yourself a little out of your comfort zone you make your normal, day to day life much easier.

Of course, there is another reason why trying to take a vacation is a good idea: your partner. They’ll need a break and they want to experience new things even if you don’t. By challenging yourself and by getting the proper support from the person you love you are strengthening your relationship and hopefully creating a few happy memories along the way. And think how proud of yourself you’ll be! (That is possibly the soppiest paragraph I’ve written in my life!).

I’m off on holiday myself next week – so wish me luck!