London tubes AIBU?

With some 4-Million passenger journeys taken on the London underground daily, I think that statistically you will be fine.😐

What a lovely post @pudseypie, much more helpful than dismissing what is a real fear for the OP. Not everyone has travelled on the tube before and OP will be alone.

OP, for what it is worth, I had to navigate the tube alone for the first time not so long ago, and you will probably find it is a lot easier than you may expect. Once I got my head around checking the boards for which 'side' of the platform I needed to be on to go in the right direction, I enjoyed it.

Have a good journey!

My DS has taken it to school since age 11- about 45 min journey. If lots of kids can manage it every day, you’ll be grand! Just don’t do what I do and get distracted, miss your stop and reluctantly have to go back to previous stop so you can go to work!

I love the tube - so easy.

My DD takes it daily when at home. Do it this time and you’ll see 100s others doing it and you will get your confidence back.

Actually worst parts are trying to get a seat, hoping you’ve not sat on a seat someone has peed on, someone sitting next/opposite to you:

• eating smelly food
• broadcasting music/ programme/call on their phone
• sniffing constantly
• coughing and not covering mouth
• Smelling of stale sweat

At 7.30am in the school holidays you should be fine - the Tube won't be that busy at all. Just make sure you have a bottle water and headphones/book so if you do get held in a tunnel, so you've got something to occupy you. And remember, if a train is held, it's rarely for more than a few minutes. Because I'm claustrophobic I always go in the carriage where the driver is – I have this mad idea that if I panic I'll just bang on the driver's door for help! I mean, I wouldn't bang, but the idea of it just keeps me calm.

Thank you, I didn’t clock the update

I used to be scared too. It's absolutely fine. You will feel so confident after you manage it tomorrow.

2m people take it every day. I have taken it since I was a child. Some of us have no choice but to take it to work daily. YABVU.

Oh good, another thread painting a picture of London as a terrifying dystopia where you’re on the brink of a terror attack at every moment.

Must have been at least a day since the last person expressed that London is a crime ridden sewer.

Some of us live here and manage to get public transport to work too… imagine.

To summarise from the OP’s posts so far, she’s getting the Bakerloo from Charing X to Paddington, is familiar with the route & doesn’t have time to catch a bus instead.

The Bakerloo line. It is the grossest one to be fair 😂

London tube map is so easy to follow & the staff are helpful if you ask. Thousands, including children going to school, use it every day. It's just like a normal train.
Just remember to stand on the right of the escalators, so people can walk past you if they're in a hurry. It's a crime against humanity to stand still on the left! 😀

You’ll be fine.

The worst thing you can do with this kind of anxiety is indulge it. Just do it once and then you've done it and it will no longer have a hold on you. Think of it as freeing yourself of an irrational fear.

What line are you getting, and where from?

Although if it is terror incidents that OP is worried about then buses have been targeted previously.

ETA: I am a frequent tube user so it doesn’t bother me

I take the tube all the time but I often stop and think about how many hundreds of tube journeys there are each day and how many thousands of people taking them. When you think about it it’s such an amazing system. I get the Victoria line usually and one comes every minute, which is quite a feat.

Anxiety can be really overwhelming, but I wonder if it’s possible to think of it like that- that thousands of people are getting about safety every day, and you’ll be one of them?

The tube is fantastic; it can be daunting, but statistically you’re safer there than in a car or crossing the road. If in doubt, just pause and give yourself space to think and get your bearings.

You’ll be fine.

I think the worst thing that could go wrong is that you stand on the left of the escalator. As long as you stand on the right it'll be fine.

Not unreasonable for being anxious. You can't help how you feel. But it will be totally fine. I get the tube every day. But I get that it's easy for me to say and that it's scary to you because it's unfamiliar. I get irrational fear about driving on unknown routes or country lanes!
It's an easy journey though. As others have said it's good to face irrational fears and enjoy feeling good at the other end.

It’s OK to feel anxious when doing things by yourself for the first time. Especially on the tube, I can see why it would feel overwhelming. I get the tube daily with no problems and regularly use it with my 3 year old.
As other posters have said, allow plenty of time for your journey, especially at rush hour. Worst case scenario, you’ve got plenty of time for a coffee or something stronger at Paddington.
Sometimes, if a tube is busy but there’s another close behind I will wait for that one. It’s easy to get stressed in the bustle and tapping in/out, but if you ever need to stop just step to the side and take a deep breath.
TFL staff are super friendly, there’s usually plenty of staff in the ticket halls and occasionally on the platforms if you need help or directions. Contrary to popular belief, so are Londoners. If someone is asking directions there’s always someone in earshot who will be happy to advise. It’s also really common for strangers to offer help with cases and prams on stairs.

if you need a seat, just ask politely if anyone is able to give up a seat. You’ll find plenty of people will jump up for you.
if you have health anxiety, wear a mask and carry antibac. It can be a bit dirty, but not that different to National Rail trains.
if you’re worried about terrorism, you’re going between two major stations and there will be plenty of British Transport Police about.
You’ll be fine and so proud of yourself for doing it!

Why not get the bus (number 23). Will take 30 mins but maybe you would feel better being overground?

or controversially it’s an hour’s walk. Depends on how much time you have