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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Travel / Hodophobia (809 Views)
Hodophobia by tobiboss(m): 10:21pm On Jan 02, 2014 |
This is a topic I have wanted to touch on for a long time. There are so many people that deal with this fear on a day to day basis. Hodophobia is the fear of travelling. Unable to travel out, take vacations, or just drive to another city a few miles away. The physical symptoms that come with the fear of travelling and anxiety in combination can be overwhelming, and frustrating, making it impossible to travel anywhere, or do normal everyday activities or daily tasks. I would like to begin by talking about a fear that I had, which was personally very hard, was the fear of travelling by car or "travel anxiety". The thought of being to far away from home was terrifying for me. The second I was a certain distance away from familiar territory, I lost it. All the physical symptoms would come, shortness of breath, feelings of loss of reality, sweaty palms, racing heart, upset stomach. I would just feel horrible until I reached my destination. Once I reached my destination, and became familiar, and relaxed where I was, the anxiety would begin to loosen it's grip and I would begin to feel better. But, not completely. The panic and anxiety was always just seconds away at any given time. Please know that any trip I could not do alone, or I would really be overwhelmed with fear and panic. I always had to be accompanied by someone. This is just a horrible feeling. I was scared, but at the same time so disappointed, and frustrated that I was feeling this way, and everyone else was ok. I was scared, and worried of the fact that I wasn't going to be able to live a normal life for myself. I remember thinking, "How in the world am I going to be able to go to places I've never been before, take for example, victoria island in lagos or my dream of going to the U.S, when I feel so crazy?" I may never be able to see anything the world has to offer, except for this kaduna which I kinda find boring. I learned that there is a way to overcome this! I want to share with you some tiny steps you can do that may help you with your fears of travelling. 1. Once you leave home, you need to remember your safe place. Remember that you were fine there, and nothing has changed from that point to where you are now. 2. If you are not driving, relax, kick your feet up and enjoy the scenery. Set your mind free of any negative thoughts, and look around at the positive. 3. Always have a relaxation tape or cd with you so you can play it at anytime. You should also have with you a breathing technique. At the first sign of any tension, listen and breath. 4. Try to recognise and to affirm to yourself that it is just a behaviour. Yes, it is a very uncomfortable and very inconvenient one but it is, nevertheless, just a learned behaviour. And what you have learned you can un-learn! There is little value in wasting time and money trying to discover the original cause of your fear of car travel. This may satisfy your (or your therapist’s) curiosity but it is not particularly relevant to getting rid of the condition. Now, as with all phobias, examine how you do it. Yes, of course you don’t do it deliberately but you do do it – even though the process occurs automatically. It is your brain, your body, and your emotions that are involved – so you do it. 5. Personally, prayer helped me tremendously! Whenever I feel discouraged or scared, I pray. For some, this is not an option, but for many it is. No matter who you believe in, carry a prayer with you at all times. Thanks for reading |
Re: Hodophobia by tobiboss(m): 8:48pm On Jan 03, 2014 |
You can share your views and ways in which to overcome it |
Re: Hodophobia by tobiboss(m): 6:18pm On Jun 27, 2014 |
Hmmm |
Re: Hodophobia by sasazed: 5:14pm On Jun 29, 2014 |
Thanks for such an insightful read. Though my fear is slightly different as it is a fear of driving on the highway/freeway, I can relate to all the symptomps you mentioned. My fear developed after a traumatic birth experience.I went to see a psychologist but it didn't help. So I agree with you that the therapist will only use the info to satisfy their curiosity. |
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