I am back in Las Vegas for a momcation. You can read about the first momcation to Vegas here. If you have been a reader of the blog for a while, I’ve shared a few sporadic posts about my life with anxiety. Now that I am working with a therapist on cognitive behavior therapy, I’m mindful of things that make my anxiety ramp up.
One thing that has helped with taking control of my anxiety are momcations. I hope to continue to take momcations about twice a year. All moms need a little break for some spa time. When I’m on a momcation, my anxiety is really high, making me forced to work out anything that is triggering it. Why? Because I cannot let anxiety and phobias etc. continue to hold me back.
Like this trip, for example… I had to check my luggage (carry-on size) on my connecting flight because the plane ran out of overhead compartment space. Really!?!
Well, after I get off the plane in Las Vegas, I follow signs for baggage claim and ended up at the wrong baggage claim. I’m at baggage claim area for carousels 17-30. I need 16!!!! Yup, go ahead and cue in the panic. What if I get there and my suitcase isn’t there? What if I can’t find baggage claim carousels 1-16? What if?? What if???? It all came flowing in. Deep breath, I asked for help. I asked the attendant in the 17-30 baggage claim area “where is number 16 carousel?”. I had to go to terminal one, I was in terminal three. This required getting on the airport shuttle to get to another part of the airport. The panic is there, but I have to get to number 16 carousel. Because if I don’t… well, I’m not going to be without my suitcase.
I find terminal one, via the airport shuttle bus. When I get to the carousel, which has a majority of the passengers from the plane waiting to retrieve their belongings. My suitcase was coming round on the carousel just I step up to it. Sigh of relieve.
But with all the panic that took over, none of the what-ifs became reality. It was just my brain letting anxiety try to be the boss and get the best of me. That drill was good for my anxiety, it made me have to figure it out. I could not leave without my belongings. And the what-ifs were just the monsters under the bed. They were not real.
Taking a momcation is good for my anxiety. It makes me have to work through the what-ifs, obstacles and also see that most of the time its just my brain psyching me out. Even down to ordering food at restaurants, I have to do it myself. I have to speak up and say what I to order. If an issue did arise with my flight, room, etc. (thankfully none did), I have to take care of it myself. My anxiety has made me feel helpless at times. Where I couldn’t drive myself, ask for assistance in a store, or even order my own food. So, taking mom trips shows me that I can do it and I don’t have to let anxiety win.
A bonus of taking momcations… You can go to the bathroom alone. Yes, moms, you read right, you can GO TO THE BATHROOM ALONE. No kids, pets, or spouses in the bathroom or standing on the other side of the door asking where something is or what you are doing. You have total solitude in the bathroom. So enjoy a long hot bath.
Whilst I’m not a mum, I am an anxiety sufferer and can agree that vacations can help a great deal. On one hand you’re able to get away from the daily grind and put the things that are usually worrying you out of your mind, and on the other you’re faced with a bunch of new challenges, but it’s those things that help you grow as a person. Going on a plane was one my biggest fear, but I finally did it this year and found out I LOVE it. The luggage thing still freaks me out (what if gets stolen/broken/lost?), but hopefully each time things go right, I will become more relaxed when travelling.
Agree about the luggage. That’s one of my freak outs as well and missing my flight when I have a connecting flight.
Motherhood definitely upped my anxiety like crazy. I think that it’s really smart to challenge yourself and create obstacles for you to conquer on your own. I can certainly see how that would help. You get so used to never doing anything alone that you kind of forget how!
I agree 100% i need to do this more often … self care is sooo important to helping us stay on track 💜
Haha, going to the bathroom alone is definitely a perk! On a serious note though, it is so important to realize when you’re actually being anxious over “nothing.” It’s tough to fight through in the moment, but we always make it through!
-Jennifer
https://maunelegacy.com
Momcations or at the very least a mom’s night out is a must for me! I have actually wanted to take a weekend vacation somewhere all by myself and I think I just might do it this year.
Self care is so important! I’m not a mother myself but I can only imagine the amount of stress it can bring. Enjoy every momcation you can get!
Lynn recently posted…Advice I Needed: Dating From Different Colleges
Yes, self-care is important. For everyone! We all need to take time to rejuvenate.