Time For Me To Fly...And Be Healthy While Doing So! (Part Two of Two)

"Airline travel is so exhausting...".  "It's hard being around so many people on an airplane...".  "I'm afraid of flying...".  "I hate when I miss my airline connection...".

It is VERY hard to miss one's connection.  Not just the connection of airplane-to-airplane to get to your destination, but in a more figurative sense, to be so stressed out by the rushed and crowded nature that airline travel sometimes represents that connection to life, to relaxation, to peace, to loving, gets missed too.  Stress, rushing, tiredness...all of that does certainly happen, but all of that can also be related to and worked with when it occurs to bring our lives back into balance, even on a crowded airplane or when running through an airport.  Below are some suggestions to hopefully catalyze reconnection, relaxation, and balance when traveling.

Stress!  Anxiety!  Irritability!  Overstimulation!  Fatigue! ~

• BREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEATHE.  BREATHE.  BREATHE.  BREEEEATHE.  When ensconced in stressful emotions, whatever they are...When in crisis, whatever it is... SIMPLIFY.  Just breathe.  All you need to do is slow down and remember to breathe.  Phew.  Your breath is always there for you, no matter what is going on.
• Guided visualization can help align the body and mind into greater peace and can be done while you're sitting waiting for your flight or on the plane.  If you carry a portable CD player or ipod with you, a helpful addition to your collection could be a recorded guided relaxing journey that you listen to.  The holistic publishing company Sounds True carries many of these types of CDs.  Intuitive psychiatrist Dr. Judith Orloff also teaches a simple, 3-minute heart-centered practice that can be done anywhere to increase your level of positive energy.  Take a few slow, deep breaths to center yourself and ground into your body.  Put your hand over your heart center in the center of your chest, and visualize/feel/imagine something that you absolutely love, that brings you joy.  Breathe with this, feel this in your heart, and allow yourself to emanate this feeling.
• Aromatherapy is the practice of the medicinal use of scents for various purposes.  Essential oils, which are volatile aroma compounds from plants, emit molecules into the air that we breathe in.  When these "scent molecules" interact with our bodily systems, our bodies respond in various ways depending on the qualities of the oil.  There are several essential oils that work beautifully to evoke relaxation of the body and mind.  Lavender is a wonderful essential oil to bring with your carry-on liquids.  It can be dabbed on the body or on a tissue and inhaled, or simply open the cap and take a few deep breaths to inhale the scent, and allow yourself to relax.  Note that when you are traveling around other people, many people have chemical sensitivities so that synthetic fragrances are not recommended as these scents can trigger allergic reactions in others -- make sure your oil is pure and essential which the label will indicate.  Pure essential oils are generally tolerated fine by most people, but if there is any question practice simply inhaling the scent occasionally from the bottle rather than wearing it on your skin.   Also note that many oils should be diluted with a "carrier oil", such as jojoba oil, before applying directly to skin to prevent irritation, although lavender is tolerated by most people.
• Bring earplugs for the flight to buffer noise, chatter, or the sound of screaming kids!
• Allow yourself to rest and nap on the flight if you need to.
• Drink extra water on the flight so you remain well-hydrated.
• Take gentle exercise breaks to stretch, walk and move the body.
• Bring relaxing herbs and remedies to take periodically, such as Bach Flower Remedies or herbs such as Valerian.  Follow the instructions on the bottle.
• Happy activities make traveling feel more light and fun.  Suggestions include playing an enjoyable game, whatever that is for you.  Sudoku?  Solitaire?  The iphone has many silly and fun game applications that can easily be enjoyed on a flight.  For some "old-school" fun, try playing Mad Libs with your travel companion.  One time my travel companion and I were both studying for a psychiatry board exam while on a long flight.  For a break, we played Mad Libs by randomly picking words to fill in the blanks from our psychiatry text book.  The resulting stories were hilarious!  Other happy activities include getting a mini-massage from an airport spa while waiting for your flight.  Aaah, relaxing.  I did this during a layover recently, and it was a lovely way to spend the 20-minute wait.  Reading a fun novel or magazine can be a happy treat.  Stopping at a cafe in the airport for a cup of relaxing tea or your favorite coffee blend can be soothing.  Watching a DVD on the airplane if you have a portable DVD player can be fun.  Some airlines provide personal t.v. sets on the seatback in front of you with free trivia games, shows and music you can enjoy with headphones.  By engaging in happy activities, traveling becomes a way to creatively release and relax.

May all your journeys through the air be happy, healthy, peaceful, fun, and safe.  Happy trails!  (See Part One of this article for airline travel guidance regarding dehydration, immunity, and motion sickness).

Healthy Body, Mind And Soul Blog by Marnie Burkman, MD is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.