Sure,
First of all, I had planned out what I would tell myself if I found I was starting to panic and what I would do incase I did.
So if I had started to panic I told myself, okay, I'm panicking, I became really good at telling myself it was just anxiety. For example instead of thinking oh no, its this or its that, it was just, no! this is anxiety only, nothing else and I have to tools to cope! Being on holidays in a relaxed environment helped though..!
The first day driving was extermly hard and tiring and I had to take some Valium from time to time throughout the trip, it wasn't totally anxiety free all the time. But I didn't hide away, I was outside with my panic and I didn't care about anyone else, just me. Okay, I would tell myself, I feel really panicky, okay I feel really disorintated but thats okay its just anxiety, oh I'm starting to feel paranoid... well that happens when I have anxiety and it will go away eventually, just take it easy we are in no rush type thing.
Being on the tour bus with about 36 young loud people was probabaly the hardest cause it was a three day tour and we we're there day and night, but in the bus, I got really good at doing my deep breathing exercises without anyone even noticing it at all, then when it came to free time, I would swim out into the lake by myself or find somewhere quite, alone to just chill and take in some quite and relax.
When it came to going out at night, that was really scarey at first, cause I hadn't done it in about three years but as you do with most things you get use to it. The strobe lights did get me though cause when they were flashing I got abit scared and disorientated, felt like anxiety but I just told myself that thats what strobe lights are suppose to do, its not anything wrong with me, I'm fine, its just the lights, etc.
So you could say I got good at self talk but I have to say now that I'm back home, things are starting to feel abit like they use to, I really just want to pack up and go away on another holiday, maybe a longer one for a year or so....
Bye for now,
Angela :)
