Stress Center Peer Support

hello,
I really need some support, help and suggestions. I am going on a business trip in 3 weeks and this will be my first trip in a year. The last trip I went on I was extremely anxious and recently have been feeling the same anxieties if not more for my up comming trip. I am going to guatemala which is a place I ahve not visited before. I am having a lot of what if and obbsessive scary thoguhts about this trip. I am worried about the flight, the food (if i'll get sick), traveling around because I ahe agaphobia and dont like getting into other peoples cars and for the first time I am having extreme scary thoughts about my safety. I keep reading articles about how guatemala city is extremely dangerous in certain areas. i have been obsessing what happens if I get taken for randsom or if I get hurt. I know this thoughs arent realistic because many people go to Guatemala , all i have to do is be causious. When i go out of town i feel like my safe place is taken away. And that if something was to happen I wouldn't be able to cope. Can you pelase provide me with suggestions or some moral support to help me gain some confidence to actually enjoy this trip. I wont be travelign alone, my business partner which is my dad and an employee of ours will also be accompanying me on the trip. Please help me relax my mind because the anticipatory anxiety is really gettting to me. Thank you

Start today (try it as many times as you can in a day)visualizing your trip. Have as many details in your thoughts as you can. Like waking up and getting dressed the morning of your trip. Visualize yourself calm and happy. Stop thinking about your nervousness. Turn it around and think of everything feeling good and safe. Visualize the flight,(you feeling good on the flight)the hotel, the driving. By the time the trip comes your brain will think you already made the trip and you felt good there so your brain should send calming, relaxing messages to your body. I hope this helps, it has worked for me many times.Also do your relaxation tape often and make sure you bring it with you. Remember that you are your safe person and you are never alone. There are people all over the world that understand how you feel. Have a great trip (and start visualizing one.)P.S. Stop reading up on the bad of the place, look and read only positive nice things about your destination.
Erin

Visualizing is excellent. I'd also like to recommend that you take time to write out your "Best Case Scenerio" about this trip. How do you want this trip to look like. Write it out. Then read it everyday prior to your trip. Read it more than once a day if you have time but definitely no less than once a day.

Give yourself permission to have anxiety on this trip. "Yes, I may very well have some anxiety on this trip but I can handle it and it doesn't have to get in my way of my enjoyment. I will not fight it. I will soothe myself through it." And, when it arrives, say: Oh, I've been expecting you. Welcome. Come on with. We are just on our way to a restaurant." (Or wherever you are headed.) Stop fighting anxiety. It won't hurt you. Allow it and it will pass very quickly. Right now you are fighting it, ie: resisting it, and you are projecting. Projections are always worse than the actual event. Your scary thinking thoughts do not have a crystal ball.