Do you ever feel like you can’t stay sane at the airport? Us, too. Are you sometimes so stressed that you feel as if you’re to going insane? Yeah, that’s also us.
As fun as it is to travel, it can also be utterly challenging to our mental health. A lot of worry and anxiety hit us as we experience new surroundings and situations – and then you have also become a stressor for yourself.
Here are some tips on how we like to use to stay sane at the airport.
5 Ways to Stay Sane at the Airport
1. Don’t count the minutes.
Airports are guilty of giving us time-crunch stress. It’s that overwhelming feeling that you get when you’re waiting for a flight. But instead of just waiting, it feels like you’re running a race! It’s a feeling that most of our priorities are clashing and it gives us the sense that time is moving faster.
Counting time can cause worry – and this will lead to self-induced anxiety. It solves nothing and blocks the possibility of dealing with things more positively.
2. Don’t get drunk.
When we’re stressed, we do what we can to detach ourselves from the anxiety. At the airport, people tend to drink as a way to take the edge off.
Rather, remain active by walking, working out an airport gym or seek positive outlets such as airport spas, massage chairs or some live entertainment,
3. Find love.
There’s something about airports and the thrill of travel that can send butterflies into anyone’s stomach. Or maybe even the prospect of meeting, quite randomly, a complete stranger who may be “The One”.
Check out our posts about the best places to meet, flirt and discover your own airport romance or our “Love at First Flight: A Guide to Airport Dating Apps.”
4. Mentally prepare yourself for the hustle.
There are many factors out of our control at airports that can lead us to feel powerless. Delays and gate changes are unfortunately not under our control.
Globetrotterguru cites a whole long list of things that cause our sanity to slip up. For instance, “The Crowds; Security – Will I get through in time for my plane? Will they confiscate my make up? Will they make me take my shoes off? The Bag Carousel – Will my bag come out?”
Daniel McGinn, author of Psyched Up: How the Science of Mental Preparation Can Help You Succeed, writes that “people who engage in certain behaviors before stressful activities or high-stakes performances will do better.”
5. Stay active.
When stress affects the brain, with its many nerve connections, the rest of the body feels the impact as well. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “exercise may be the one most recommended by health care professionals”.
There are many places in airports that can take care of your body such as airport gyms, napping rooms, yoga rooms and green places to get get some quiet time. When you’re on the move in a busy airport it can seem more difficult to find the opportunity to get some fitness on-the-fly.
First and foremost, stay sane at the airport by taking care of yourself. If you want to keep your cool while traveling for work or pleasure, you’re going to have to learn not to give in to stress. With a little self-care, you’ll feel on top of your itinerary and ready to hit the ground running upon your return!
