Does anyone else get REALLY anxious before going on holiday?

[ScarlettDarling]

Off on holiday on Thursday and the feeling of dread/anxiety I always get before I go away has struck. It happens every time I go away. I'll be fine once we're at the airport but the few days before I go are always horrendous.

I'm going on a walk in a minute to try and sort myself out but was wondering if anyone else gets like this?

Yes I do but I remind myself that it will lift as soon as we are there.

Yes. We go on August 3rd and I can feel the nameless dread starting to build! It's not the being on holiday that causes it, it's the prep and travel and worrying about awful things going wrong. I'm a homebody though.

Yes, everytime & regardless of where im going.

I think this is more of what could happen whilst im away with regards to my house & the well being of family members etc than the actual travel.

I also go away soon and right now, im putting off packing etc as i get so worked up.

Once im there, i generally enjoy myself apart from the last day....possibly anxiety of what could be waiting for me when i get home. I feel absolutely unreasonable about it!

Yes. I lie awake for the few nights before we go, wishing we'd never booked it.

I’m not even going anywhere this year because I feel anxious and panicky and the stress just ain’t worth it

Yes! I'm the same every year, once I'm there it completely disappears though. I love going on holiday but the build up causes so much anxiety. I think it's the worry that I'm going to forget something big like passports or something will go wrong with the booking or with the house or the cats while we're gone. Plus the stress of cleaning, packing and making sure everything is done on time.

Me too, generally kicks in about a week before we go. I cope by making extensive lists, packing early and taking an over the counter remedy that contains valerian-hope that helps!

Yes! I generally curse myself for booking it when it’s the night before and I’m in a panic about packing. Anxiously procrastinate for days beforehand about packing and every time I swear that next time I’ll be more organized. I always have a bad stomach and sleep really badly so by the time we get through check in at the airport I’m ready to crumple into a heap. Also feel ridiculously guilty for putting my children in harms way- in case anything were to happen on the plane journey - despite the fact I live in a place where the driving is pretty fast and furious and I’m sure there’s more risk on the roads than there ever would be in the air!
We go away soon and I’m already feeling a sense of dread. The good news is that once we get there it’s usually all ok...

yeah, almost always, and then i get a bit of depression when I get back too.
I do like it when im there though, and always have good memories

I'm really bad from a couple of days before til we arrive

Yes, I do. I hated this year’s holiday though. We were in the UK, it rained most of the time and the place we booked did not live up to expectation. It felt like money wasted.

Yes me, I’m a real homebody too. I struggle to get out of the house. I go around checking windows and taps and plugs a million times. Have I switched everything off? Will the water pipes leak or burst when we’re away? Are all doors locked? Have I forgotten something? Until I get on the plane I am so stressed, after a nice gin and tonic I’m good.

Never. I go on holiday/short break once a month so I guess I'd be anxious too often.

What are you worried about? Feeling as though you've forgotten something? You can always buy it when you arrive.

Holidays should be relaxing. Maybe try a meditation session on youtube.

Yes OP absolutely! We went to Majorca last year & it was DD’s first trip abroad. I was fine when we got there but it was a tough week in parts & DD’s behaviour was extremely challenging. I’m a worrier anyway though. Already fretting about the trips I’ve planned in the school holidays 😞

Yes. More so when we're flying off anywhere because of how faffy the airport is these days. Less so ferry / UK holidays but it's still there to a certain extent. Absolutely fine when I'm there but I also get it a bit coming home again.

I travel a fair bit with work and also get anxious then too, I could do with trying to do something about it really.

I hear you all. We got back from Turkey yesterday and I was a nervous wreck the week I was going.
I suffer from severe anxiety, OCD and insomnia and to top it off- fibromyalgia.

My anxiety was through the roof. Stomach was in knots, palpitations galore. I went to see GP in the end as I was struggling so much and my anxiety medication wasn't doing anything. He upped my propranolol which helped and I got a bigger dose of diazepam for both flights. This calmed me slightly until I realised how much I had to do packing wise.

What helped me in the end was lists, lists and more lists. I also used YouTube a lot for meditation and hypnotherapy.
I refused to go to sleep until I had completely finished the packing the night before and ended up being awake all night.

We left for the airport with me still having wet hair from the shower!! Once I got on the plane I was great and we had an absolute ball.

I recommend Dauschy mediations and Michael Sealey, both on YouTube. They have lots on procrastination, anxiety, stress etc. Good luck and enjoy your holidays

No, not really. Packing is really straightforward assuming you are up to date with laundry. And, even if you do forget anything you can always buy it when you get there. It's no big deal.

I do, but not in a direct and obvious way. I don't consciously worry too much about missing my flight or getting ill or what the accommodation will really be like - instead I buy stuff. Wayyyy too much stuff. Clothes mostly, and shoes, and beauty products, DVDs and games and gadgets. I spend literally hundreds of pounds and have deliveries arriving every day in the week or 2 before the holiday starts. Sometimes I wake up to how crazy I'm being and return some of my haul, but I've often spent extra on next day delivery and it costs to return things by post, so I'm still throwing money away.

I wouldn't say dread perse, but I get so anxious usually terrified one of us will get ill, car will break down on the way to the airport etc, once we are on the plane with no where else to go I relax! We've booked Florida for next May which is a huge expense for us and also really far in advance, DH is military so I'm on tender hooks hoping he doesn't get sent away anywhere!

It’s per se 🙂

Sorry but I can’t resist - it’s tenterhooks. I’ll get my coat.......

no - but that might be because we go to the same place and so I know the lie of the land. I'm not convinced that holidays with young children are the time for exploring new places and DD loves going back to somewhere she remembers from last year.

I get this, and also have anxiety until we get to the accommodation, then about organising food etc for the DC. Once am OK with those things it subsides and have a good time. Anxiety pre returning isn’t as bad.

Yes I get this and just at the time I should be really active getting ready, my feet feel heavy like they are planted in the ground. It's definitely the anxiety because I get it at other times too. It's awful.

I'm very much a homebody and would prefer to stay put really.

En route I have panic attacks about us being in a fragile tin box moving along the face of the earth like a tiny ant on the side of a massive rock and I feel really vulnerable. I know it's not rational

Ooh, this is interesting. My mother was an utter bitch every time we travelled anywhere, and in the run-up to it, for my entire childhood. We lived overseas too, so it happened often. To be honest, it ruined the beginning and end of most trips.

In the interests of constructive criticism, it may help your relationships with your DC if you sit them down a week before you go anywhere and explain that you are stressed about the holiday and that you will probably be snappy, that you realise this and that they will all get massive ice creams or similar to make up for it. I'm pretty sure that would have got me on side and sympathetic - as it is I just can't remember ever enjoying any trip I made with her.