Advice for traveling with OCD

@Dreamydream My trip actually went pretty well all things considered. It definitely triggered my OoCD quite a bit but that gave me the opportunity to be put outside of my comfort zone and react in a productive manner that didn’t encourage my compulsions I did end up getting sick on the way back like I was afraid of but I recovered and it wasn’t as bad as the thought of getting sick is.

@Nicomars That’s amazing, proud of u! Where did you go?

@Dreamydream I went to Europe for the first time. Visited Greece and Italy

@Nicomars Love that!! I have a big trip planned end of September/ October. I just made a post about it. Having anxiety bc it’ll be my first time to Europe/ Asia.

@Dreamydream If you would like to ask me specific questions about how I felt during the trip feel free and I can try my best to answer

@Nicomars Thank you 🥹 since my relapse started in march I haven’t been on a plane and I’ve always had a fear of long flights. The most I’ve done is 6 hours. I don’t have a fear of planes or something happening it’s more of feeling stuck? And then being far away obviously i can’t just go back you’re kinda stuck to deal with it and be uncomfortable. Plus not sure if the time change/ being tired / jet lag will heighten my anxiety and all the traveling around?

@Dreamydream That all makes total sense! I also had some of these issues. One thing is would suggest is packing a blanket if you have a favorite one. It’s a bit of a waste of space but it really helped me feel more at home in a hotel which helped me sleep better. As far as planes go my issue has also been germ related on them but I know that for long flights the flight attendants let us walk around the plane and stand as long as the seatbelt sign wasn’t on so it might help if you try doing a few laps to feel less confined? I’m not sure if that would help though

@Nicomars That is a good suggestion, i should deff pack something comforting. Definitely could walk around and bring activities and things to keep me occupied ( and hopefully some sleep if i can lol). Was the jet lag super bad for you?

@Dreamydream I have diagnosed insomnia so it hit me pretty rough. I was going to sleep around 2:30 AM (local time) and consistently waking up at 5:30 AM I wish I had brought something to help me sleep cause I used all of the sleep meds I had brought with me. I was also sharing a room with a family member which also contributed to my lack of sleep between the snoring and trying really hard not to wake them while I was still up and trying to pass the time

@Nicomars Aw man I’m sorry /: was ur ocd / anxiety bad the whole trip? If so, how did u deal w it and still enjoy and not want to leave?

@Dreamydream I tried to focus on how grateful I was to be experiencing all the sights. And I tried to focus on the individual good moments. If I were to describe the trip it would probably sound like I had a bad time because of everything going on but I managed to stay in the moment as much as possible and made the most out of the trip.

@Nicomars Thank you i love the positive energy!! Do u live in the USA?

@Dreamydream I do, I live in California which means that the way back I was essentially in an airport/plane for 26 hours which was difficult to manage because I have never been able to sleep on planes

@Nicomars Wow that is crazy. Well you made it through! I forgot la is a lot further for international. I live in NJ so it’s not the worst but I still hate sitting on there for so long 😆 ru on medication for ocd?