That One Time at the Airport

Ah, the airport.

The haze of over-priced tourist shops and angry travelers never seems to get old. Every time I go to the airport, I experience several emotions throughout the whole ordeal: excitement, boredom, and, of course, anxiety. Although the airport is pretty self-explanatory and there are people who are actually there to help you, the whole process is highly anxiety-inducing.

The worst part? Security. To some security is just another annoying checkpoint that they have to inconveniently remove their shoes and put all of their possessions in a box. Possibly getting pulled aside for wearing a necklace. To me, it's literally the absolute worst place for an anxious person to go. There are many reasons to be nervous at the security checkpoint:

1. Holding up the line when you can't seem to get that one converse off.
2. Messing up and forgetting to put something in the box.
3. The alarm going off after you walk through the metal detector. 

I understand that probably a lot of people share these same worries, but every time I am pushed through the line to walk through the nefarious metal detector, my heart rate increases 10000x and I almost cry. Every. Single. Time. 

That being said, I had one experience with security that will forever stand out as one of the worst. Kahului Airport, Maui. June 10, 2015. The whole trip, on both security checkpoints, we had the quick check passes where we didn't have to take our shoes off to go through the detectors. I don't know how we got them, but we had them. Anyways, on our way home from Maui, we were just about to go through security when a worker stopped us after checking our tickets. Apparently, only my dad, brother, and sister had the quick checks. Mind you, it was almost 11 pm and I was really sad that we were leaving Maui. My emotions were elevated. I freaked out. I would have to go through the regular security and take my shoes off. The world was ending.

My dad said that they could come with us, but my mom told them to just go through the quick check. So there they were, not having to take their shoes off, while my mom and I were. There were so many people around us and I was holding my tears with all my might. My lip was quivering, my heart was racing, my breathing was shallow.

This might seem like a petty situation, especially for people who don't have to deal with anxiety. For the people who do, you probably understand why this was so stressful for me. I was all fine and dandy until the plan was changed.

I dealt with this sudden acute panic attack by doing breathing exercises I was taught. As I was sitting on a bench retying my dirty converse, I breathed deep and slowed my heart rate. (The breathing exercise is breathe in through your nose for 4 counts, hold it for 7, and breathe out of your mouth for 8. It works wonders!!!)

If you're every caught in a situation where you can't leave and calm down, do the breathing. Tell yourself that there is nothing to be stressed about, that you'll make it through, and trust me, you will. Tell me about a time that you dealt with your anxiety in the comments. I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks for listening,
Danielle