Travel is exciting. Getting away from it all- the weather, no work, friends, beaches, family, new sights, languages, the exotic. It would be great if you could also take a vacation from bipolar disorder. Unfortunately this is not always possible. You may be someone who responds well to vacations and you actually get better mood wise. But for many, the stress of even the greatest vacation can create bipolar disorder symptoms. Luckily, there are strategies you can use to prevent these symptoms to ensure that your travels are the best they can be.
Bipolar disorder symptoms are triggered by outside events, especially those that affect sleep.
Travel can condense so many bipolar disorder triggers into a really short space of time. The triggers that may affect you over a year at home can all be present in just few weeks of travel. Our concept of travel as something positive often gets in the way of reality as bipolar disorder doesn’t really have a concept of positive. For this illness, a trigger is a trigger whether it’s in Paris or in the mountains of Montana.
Bipolar disorder doesn’t like change and it doesn’t like stimulation.
This sounds ridiculous doesn’t it! How can an illness not like change? The concept is odd, but it’s our reality. The minute our routine is upset, our brain can get upset. This is why having a plan ready before you travel is essential for your stability.
The Past Predicts the Future
Ask yourself now- have you successfully traveled in the past? Is your health the same now? Then you are fine to keep doing what has worked for you. But if you’re like me and travel has always caused problems, you need to change now so that your next vacation isn’t ruined by mood swings. When your excitement is stronger than your reality, trouble happens. Be realistic. Is Las Vegas the best for you? Or would a quiet trip to the coast be better. you will have to decide.
Here are questions to ask yourself before you travel:
1. If you take medications, how will you manage the pills if you’re flying for example? I ALWAYS take more meds than I need and put them in separate bags. If I lose one bag, I still have meds. What if you need a prescription when in a foreign country? Talk to your prescriber about this before you leave. Have an email process in place in case you need help when you’re away from home. Think of every single thing that can happen with meds when you travel and prepare ahead of time. A friend of mine traveled half way around the world and realized she had counted her meds incorrectly for her stay. Luckily, there was a doctor where she was staying and her prescription was filled easily.
2. What will you do if you get sick in the airport? Panic attacks are a common reaction to travel preparation. Many people are fine once they reach a destination, but wow, getting there can be a pain! Be ready for the chaos of today’s airports. I arrive HOURS before I have to. I would rather make it through the process without anxiety than have to rush through customs while trying not to pass out from a panic attack.
3. Who will be your travel companions? Do you get along? What can you do in advance to create smooth sailing for your trip? If you’re visiting people, how do you get along with them? Have you had problems in the past with these relationships? Remember, the past predicts the future with bipolar disorder. Who you travel with is as important as where you’re going.
If you’re traveling soon, what can you do now to ensure a successful trip?
These questions will get you started. I lived in Europe for five months this year. It was a challenge. I planned it all very carefully and I still got sick. But I survived and am now where I want to be.
You can do the same.
Julie
Click the following for my travel writing and videos for Bp Magazine.
Julie A. Fast VIDEO: Bipolar Disorder & Travel—How I Use Sleep to Stay Stable.
Blog: Bipolar Disorder and Travel 1: The Europe Diaries
Bipolar Disorder and Travel 2: Pole Axed in England
Thank you for all these tips, Julie. I love to visit new places, but the anxiety it stirs up in me has ruined many a vacation for me and my poor family.
One thing that helps me sleep better when traveling is to take my own bed pillow along…the one I sleep on every night at home. That might not work too well if you’re flying to your destination, but it makes such a huge difference in my ability to sleep and stay sane that I’d consider packing an extra bag just to accommodate that pillow!
Thanks again for your blog, your books, and your website. They are what have helped me get off to a successful start to my bipolar recovery journey. My husband is grateful to you as well. 🙂
Thank you so much for your helpful tips and strategies for managing this illness! Sometimes I get so excited I forget to prepare for challenges that might arrive.
Thanks, Julie. Am leaving in 2 days and it was helpful to read your reminders. Yes, I leave lots of time and take taxis. I’m going to a family wedding, which means it will be a happy family reunion but I always find weddings a bit over the top or stimulating… and as a 62-year old spinster, I feel unloved! Also the wedding day falls just 2 days after the UK’s EU referendum and I fear the outcome and the chitchat, since I live in Brussels and used to work for the EU. The recent murder of MP Jo Cox has really depressed me. That’s a whole bunch of triggers for 6 days!
I have told people for many years, the simple statement “I do not travel.” For one thing, I live in a beautiful place. There are zillions of places to visit, any season, many accessible via public I have told people for many years, the simple statement “I do not travel.” For one thing, I live in a beautiful place. There are zillions of places to visit, any season, many accessible via public transit, all within a one-day car or train trip. I love 1-day trips. Two people want me to travel with them overnight, or for 3 days, and I’m feeling pressured. I do not want to go. I know what you mean, Julie and all, that there are so many triggers all at once. I’m overwhelmed most of the time anyway. I used to love fairs, for example, but now that I am a lot older, I stay away from something I used to love (fairs) because they are frenetic.ransit, all within a one-day car or train trip. I love 1-day trips. Two people want me to travel with them, and I’ feeling pressured. I do not want to go. I know what you mean, Julie and all, that there are so many triggers all at once. I’m overwhelmed most of the time anyway. I used to love fairs, for example, but now that I am a lot older, I stay away from what I used to love (fairs) because they are frenetic.
Why would anyone with bipolar WANT to travel anyway? It’s just inviting massive triggers, right?
When I was in college, majoring in a foreign language, I had the opportunity to be an exchange student. I could not possibly have done that, much as I loved the idea and wanted to go. I had not been diagnosed with bipolar then, but knew something would be terrible for me if I went. I felt in my bones that I’d have a serious emotional upset, or a rage — I felt like somebody would “grab” me, if I did that. So I “missed” that opportunity that so many youth benefit from and enjoy. In other words, I KNEW something was different about me, but I didn’t know what it was. I knew I would get seriously out of control.