To be nervous about travelling on public transport?

I find train travel far more relaxing than cars, glad it went well

Well done OP - glad you had a good journey 😁.

That’s great news OP!

Well you've had some spectacularly unsympathetic replies 😂

I get it. You're not actually worried but your body and brain have decided between them that yes actually you are worried in a general kind of way.

Last summer I did a trip abroad on my own - I was fine in my head but somehow this huge anxiety appeared that was almost crippling. I couldn't think it away. I just had to fight through it and it was fine.

But all those saying what in earth could go wrong...I did get on the wrong train in one part of the trip and ended up in completely the wrong place with limited time to get where I needed to be. I still can't work out how I managed it 🤦🏻‍♀️

Take it one thing at a time OP and treat yourself when you can, make it as fun as you can. And you'll feel great afterwards having got through it and knowing you can do it again.

Leave yourself plenty of time so you’re not rushing.

Ask for help and be honest. If you say to staff, you’re not sure where you’re going and you’re a bit nervous about crowded spaces, they will most likely fall over themselves to help you. As will most members of the public.

🤣

Didn't think you'd be able to answer either questions

See, I haven’t evolved to respond to other people’s disingenuousness.

Trains when not busy or delayed are fine.

However an incident caused many delays and massive hold ups at a major London terminus recently - Thousands of people jostling surging and literally jumping to try and get through the crowds to get to a train that was rammed, all down the aisles.

People with a small child or dog, or physically slim and frail in that melee are actually in danger of being trampled.

Being a strong, tall, fit young man {the main pushers and jumpers} are at an advantage in thick crowds.

Then please correct my ignorance for my benefit and that of others reading the thread who may have the same misconceptions

Before you know it the day will be over, any you will be thinking - hey that wasn't too bad - just make sure you have plenty of time about you, take it easy and take care. I have a passionate hatred of public transport, probably through fear, but my kids do it all the time. You will be fine

Given that you have a child at university, could it be possible that you are experiencing peri menopause anxiety? I found some situations that I would have been easily able to manage became quite nerve wracking for no apparent reason. I would overplan packing, journeys, even housework!

Anyway OP good luck for today. Hope you enjoy it and the journey passes uneventfully.

That’s laughably untrue.

Surely this is obvious. The OP is not used to doing it. If she did it every day she would not be nervous as it wouldn't be out of the normal.
No different to people who get nervous about driving a new route or people who are nervous about public speaking if they don't frequently do it.

You will be fine, and I would say this is a useful wake-up call that you may have retreated too much into a quiet life where you don't have to deal with normal stuff (travel, airports, new cities). Hopefully you will enjoy your day and want to expand things a bit, but even if not I would make a point of occasionally using public transport just to know you can.

I will never forget the day of the Countryside Alliance protest in London. Swarms of people utterly confused by ticket gates - it was like a car crash.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/app/start/?platform=pwa

Live departure boards showing platform information.

Write out your itinerary on a piece of paper, so that you are not relying on your phone.

Look at the indicator boards at each station, including the little ones on each platform.

There are sometimes toilets available on the platforms (eg at Bristol Temple Meads) so you don’t always have to go to the main concourse.

If in doubt, ask!

The national rail website will tell you which platform you need

People will probably be nice, as long as it's not rush hour
Don't get off your train and just stand directly there in the way though like people do on my commute, move down the platform.

Will all be fine though

We evolved in the direction that was the best fit for the environment.

You didn't answer my question

When visiting from the US recently, a Dsis took a train journey that involved changing trains at a particularly busy station with umpteen platforms. I told her to allow plenty of time to find the next platform - she told me that the app told her which one she needed!

That was news to me. I don’t know which app, sorry - it could have been TFL, but worth checking.

What's the worse that could happen?
You might have to stand for a period if the train is very busy?
You might miss a connection and be a bit delayed?
As a regular commuter in the past - I''d recommend you to just get on with it, accept that a few things might go wrong, but nothing you can do about it so try not to worry.
And in my experience it's usually all fine anyway.

I sometimes worry about making connections, but what I like to do is use the train apps to look in advance which platform I'll arrive in on and what platform my next train leaves from, so once I'm at the busy station I'm not stressed working out where to go from the digital signs. I also sometimes take note of which train I would get if my current train is delayed and I miss the connection. I find if I have all that information I can relax, get a coffee and a paper and actually enjoy it!

I don't see the OP as being withdrawn from the world. Where does it say she does? I don't go on public transport normally either because I drive everywhere.