This June is our 15th wedding anniversary and my wife wanted both of us to go on an Asian Cruise. She is so excited planning about everything for the cruise and I just couldn’t tell her that I am too anxious to be on a cruise for days. This is going to be our first cruise together with our three kids. My wife and our three children are all so excited about it that I really find it hard to refuse such plan. I don’t want to disappoint them but I also don’t like the feeling of being in a ship, in the middle of that very big blue ocean. It scares me. I couldn’t tell my kids about this because I don’t want them to have the same feeling too.

I am too afraid about feeling too dizzy and pass out in a ship at the presence of my kids. I don’t want them to panic.

The feeling of those waves hitting the bottom of the ship sends shivers to my bones. It feels like the end of the world for me. Yes, I know I sound funny and ridiculous. But, it’s true! I know my anxiety has no logical foundation. But, what can I do? Nothing would ever seem to stop me from feeling this way.

I don’t want to ruin their excitement as well. I already told my wife about all these anxiety in me. Although she never stops to comfort me and make me believe that everything will be alright but no amount of comforting words would seem to dissipate my anxiety by the time I am on board that huge ship.

A few days more to go and it’s going to be the month of June. I’ve been counting the days hard….and wishing...and hoping...and praying that I won’t spoil that special moment with my family.

As early as today, I can already imagine myself feeling too uncomfortable, nervous and fearful the whole time. Will I ever manage to smile?

On the other hand, I am also hoping that during that cruise with my wife and kids, I will be able to overcome my anxiety about traveling on a ship. The last time I was on a ship was when I was in high school. It was such a terrible experience I thought I would die in that very moment. But, here I am still living with that same anxiety I experienced decades ago.

If I refuse to go on a cruise with my family just because of my anxiety, I think it would be the worst thing that I would do for my family. I may feel worse but I have to be on that cruise.....because I know it would be my wife and my kids’ happiest moment of their lives.

I hope to be stronger this time. I need to. I have my children now and my wife. I need to be strong for them.

So, once again..I have to face my fears! I’m ready..ready to travel on that ocean!

I’ve never been good at traveling. How I envy those people who find too much excitement in traveling from one place to another. But, for me traveling is such a dreadful experience. May it be a land travel, air travel and much worse if it’s aboard a ship! Sometimes I wonder why people enjoy the wind while onboard the ship’s deck while I find myself getting nauseous. All throughout the travel I couldn’t help but wish the ship would just stop sailing but to my frustration it just wouldn’t stop moving. My mind is filled with apprehensions about whether I will reach my destination safe and sound. Add in the worries of whether I will be able to adapt to the culture of that foreign land I’m about to go to. Will I be able to like their foods? Will I find the place relaxing and worthy of all this tormenting cruise? All these anxious thoughts never seem to leave me alone. Wish I could just easily get rid of these negative thoughts so I could enjoy my trip even for just a day. But, then again everything is easier said than done for me.

Ooops. There it is again. That huge wave is sending shivers to my bone. Each time the ship moves it’s like my whole being, like physically, mentally and psychologically are also being shaken. I don’t know why. There is just something about traveling that makes my body and whole being refuse to relax. But, how should I overcome my anxiety while traveling? Well, I have read tons of articles online but it all boils down to one thing. Anxiety is just a stubborn enemy. But, I believe it is not impossible to conquer. This is why I never lost hope trying out new tips to be able to prevent anxiety from ruining the best cruise of my life.

They say that the secret to a relaxing travel is to plan ahead. Yes, I certainly do this. Unfortunately, no amount of preparation could spare me from the symptoms of anxiety. But, visualization techniques sometimes work wonders in making me forget about my ruminating anxious thoughts.

To be able to enjoy a few moments of my travel, (only a few moments because I couldn’t enjoy the entire trip!) I make it a point to bring with me my favorite novel. This time it’s another interesting story from my favorite author John Grisham. However, when my eyes began to feel tired, my anxiety will start to creep in. This makes me have difficulty falling asleep. Now, you know why I do not like to travel. But, then again I need to. Traveling is part of my work.

When distraction, visualization and preparation fail to conquer my anxiety, I find myself once again wallowing in anxiety. I hate it when they say “It’s all in your head, just get rid of it!” Other people just don’t have even the slightest idea of how difficult it is to conquer these symptoms of anxiety. Other tips which I believe are worth trying are the following:

• Prepare a mantra that you can recite in your mind over and over again.
• Bring a journal with you and write down all the positive things that you see while traveling.
• Be ready with your playlist of favorite upbeat songs.

Most of all, remind yourself that traveling is supposed to be a rewarding experience!