Why Do I Feel Anxious Before Vacation? Understanding Vacation Anxiety

Vacations are meant to help us relax.

They allow us to take a break from work, to be with the people we love, and to recover from the stresses of daily life.

So why do some people become more apprehensive when a vacation draws near?

If you feel stressed, restless, angry, or unable to relax before a trip, you may be suffering from vacation anxiety.

Vacation anxiety is not an official mental health diagnosis, but the feelings it brings are very real. Travel costs, strange surroundings, packed schedules, disrupted routines and the expectation to have a flawless experience all make a planned vacation another cause of stress.

What Is Vacation Anxiety?

Vacation anxiety is the worry, fear, or emotional strain that might develop before or during a vacation.

Some folks start to get anxious weeks before they go. They may obsessively check reservations, think of all the things that could go wrong, or feel overwhelmed by everything that has to be done before the trip.

Others are pretty calm planning, but get stressed once they arrive. The new schedule, new duties and new environment can make it hard for their nervous system to settle down.

Symptoms of vacation anxiety might be:

• Excessive worry before traveling

• Difficulty sleeping

• Irritability or restlessness

• Repeatedly checking plans and reservations

• Fear that something will go wrong

• Physical tension, headaches, or stomach discomfort

• Feeling guilty about leaving work or responsibilities

• Difficulty enjoying the vacation

• Wanting to return home early

• Feeling exhausted instead of refreshed

You can get anxious even if you want to go on the vacation. Excitement and fear can happen together.

Why Do Vacations Make Some People Anxious?

Vacations impact so many things in your daily life at once. Even positive changes can be stressful if there’s an element of uncertainty or loss of control involved.

The Planning Becomes Overwhelming

A trip can include transportation, hotel, budgeting, packing, childcare, pet care, bookings and schedule planning.

When one person feels responsible for handling all the details, the vacation can start to feel like another project instead of a chance to unwind.

And when that individual also feels responsible for making sure everyone else has a nice time, the pressure goes up.

You Are Leaving a Familiar Routine

Predictability is supplied by daily routines.

You know where you will sleep, what you will eat, how you will go to work, what your environment will feel like.

Travel takes away much of that assurance temporarily. New places. New food. New routines. New social norms. Exciting, but also a little less safe for an anxious mind.

You Feel Guilty About Taking Time Off

Some people find it hard to rest because they associate their productivity with their self-worth.

They might be afraid of work piling up, or that their co-workers will condemn them, or that something crucial will happen while they’re not there.

They still check e-mails and worry of undone duties. Their body is on holiday, but their mind is still working.

There Is Pressure to Have a Perfect Vacation

Vacations are expensive and take a lot of planning.

People feel that every minute has to be fun since too much time and money has been spent. A delayed flight, a wet day, a conflict, or a bad activity can feel like it ruins the whole trip.

This pressure reduces the ability to respond flexibly to typical problems.

Travel Involves Uncertainty

Travel takes a lot of critical aspects out of your control.

Flights could be delayed. The weather may change. Reservations are fallible. Kids can be too much. Family members can be in disagreement.

If you are someone who likes to manage their anxiety by planning and control, these options can generate a lot of anticipatory anxiety.

Anticipatory anxiety is the experience of worry or dread prior to an anticipated event, typically because the outcome of the event is unknown.

Family Dynamics Can Become More Intense

Vacations are generally times when we spend lots of time with spouses, relatives or friends.

The customary divide between work and daily life is gone, and unresolved tension can become more obvious. Disagreements can come up about money, timetables, child-rearing, personal space and expectations.

A trip doesn’t magically fix bad relationships. And sometimes it strains those relationships more so.

Financial Stress Follows You

Transportation, accommodation, meals, activities and unforeseen costs are among travel expenses that might make you anxious both before and during a trip.

You can look like you are having a great holiday when in your mind you are tallying up every expense or fretting about the expenses back home.

A trip that causes ongoing financial strain may not be emotionally healing.

Why Can It Be Difficult to Relax on Vacation?

Simply going somewhere else doesn’t always make it easy to relax.

If your mind and body have been in a state of stress for a long time, they might not realize instantly that it’s safe to slow down.

Some people get restless if they don’t have something to do. Without regular chores and distractions, they may realize emotions they’ve been ignoring.

This does not mean that you can't relax. Your nervous system may need time to come down from a high-alert condition.

Forcing yourself to relax can just make the problem worse. You can be worried that you are being anxious, or feel guilty for not enjoying the moment properly.

How Can You Manage Vacation Anxiety?

The point is not to get rid of every difficulty. This is to eliminate unneeded strain and to ready yourself to adjust when plans change.

Simplify the Schedule

Don’t fill every hour with an activity.

Leave margin for rest, for unforeseen delays, for sudden decisions. Adding more things to do to a trip does not make the vacation more meaningful.

Choose a few priorities, and treat the rest as optional.

Divide the Responsibilities

No one individual should be expected to plan, pack, organize and manage everybody's feelings.

Delegate particular jobs in advance. Planning together can help decrease animosity and prevent one person from getting mentally fatigued before the holiday even begins.

Prepare Without Overchecking

Planning might help relieve tension but checking and rechecking can heighten rather than alleviate worry.

Create a realistic packing list, double check the specifics and save all crucial information in a place where you can reach it easily. Once those processes are complete, look for when planning becomes an attempt to control all possible outcomes.

There is no amount of checking which can remove all uncertainty from travel.

Maintain a Few Familiar Habits

You don’t have to stick to your whole regimen when you’re travelling.

Keeping a handful of established routines might provide some steadiness. This can mean waking up at a normal hour, taking your medication as directed, eating regular meals, exercising, journaling or having some quiet time before bed.

The National Institute of Mental Health suggests caring for your mental health by getting enough sleep, eating regular meals, exercising, and maintaining supportive connections.

Create a Realistic Budget

Decide how much you are comfortable spending before you go.

Set some money aside for unexpected costs and indicate which activities are optional. A precise budget helps take the guesswork out of every purchase.

You don’t have to spend above your means to make a memorable experience.

Accept That Something May Go Wrong

A trip without troubles is hardly a successful vacation.

It is a holiday where the significance of the whole experience is not determined by everyday problems.

A late reservation, argument, or change in weather can be annoying but it doesn’t have to erase every good moment of the vacation.

Give Yourself Permission to Rest Differently

Not everyone relaxes the same way.

One person may love a busy schedule, while another requires calm mornings and alone time. Tell them what you want instead than trying to be someone else’s idea of a holiday.

Rest should not be another performance piece.

When Should You Seek Help for Travel Anxiety?

It’s normal to feel a little worried before you travel.

But if you find worry frequently preventing you from traveling, triggering panic attacks, disrupting your sleep, causing severe conflict, or preventing you from enjoying situations that are important to you, professional support may be useful.

Anxiety disorders can interfere with daily life, work, relationships and social activities, but effective therapy is available. A therapist can help you discover triggers, challenge catastrophic thinking and create healthier reactions to uncertainty.

You don’t need to wait until worry is taking over your decisions to seek help.

Final Thoughts

Vacation anxiety can be puzzling because vacations are meant to feel enjoyable.

But a change of place does not instantly remove stress, responsibility or dread. Sometimes it shows how hard it has become to slow down.

A meaningful vacation doesn’t have to be all-encompassing peace, or pricey excursions.

It just needs to be big enough for you to get away from your regular demands and get back to what refreshes you.

Be prepared for what you can. Allow space for the things you can’t control. Most of all, don’t be hard on yourself if you need time to adjust.

You don't have to 'do' rest right.