Travelling, especially when there is a delay can be stressful and annoying. What really gripes the inner core of my being is 1) when parents let kids playing annoying asf games/videos without head phones. I know kids need entertaining and I’m all for an iPad but stick some kiddie headphones on them for crying out loud. 2) when people don’t abide by the queueing system. I know that queueing is a British “thing” if you like but it really fucks me off when I have queued and then people just jump it. Both of these instances are the equivalent of finger nails being dragged down a chalk board for me and I wouldn’t genuinely like some helpful advice because I travel for work quite frequently and it’s beginning to get me down .
16 comments
Get yourself some noise cancelling headphones and try to chill out with comfort things whether that’s a cup of coffee, a good book or a videogame. You can’t change other people’s inconsiderate behaviour.
Noise cancelling headphones with a fully charged battery bank. My best defence against the dreaded public.
I’m going to get special earplugs for things like this (the noise) because I can’t stand kids either
I have an air pint and look at expensive Lego.
I think you have to remember that everyone forgets the rules of civilised society in an airport! Excitement and nerves take over, and it’s really everyone for themselves. Business people and holiday makers have very different motivations!
Control what you can. And deep breaths for everything else. Move slower than usual and you’ll find you collide less with others. Scope out quieter areas of the waiting areas and beeline. Maybe get a pass to one of the lounges, might work out cost effective if you’re travelling lots!
I have anxiety and being super prepared for how I’m going to feel and how I can combat that (eg. Passports and docs ready, liquids bagged up for checking at security, stuff in easy reach, noise cancelling headphones, chargers etc) the day before I travel really helps. Then it’s a matter of putting it into practice.
Don’t queue for ages and wait until most people get through. Headphones. Don’t head to the gates until you need to.
Don’t try to bend the queue, that is impossible. Instead try to realise the truth – the plane isn’t leaving until you all get on it and you’re all arriving at the same time anyway. There is no queue.
Life is happier when you accept that there are things that will go wrong outside of your control
There is no point getting angry at the waiter who fucks up your service or the person who jumps in line
I’m not saying be a pushover, you can state your position rationally and assertively but if the other person is a moron or inherently selfish then that is just the way things go, your fleeting interaction with them will not change things
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No matter how bad you think it is for you enduring other people’s kids it’s infinitely worse for the parents.
Just stick your noise cancelling earphones on and zone out until you actually need to do something.
4 hours early even for short haul.
Never check in luggage even for long haul.
Get a lounge pass and go straight there to relax, eat and drink.
If you meet a talkative, overweight guy on your flight, please don’t accept his offer to share a taxi. I sense it will end badly for you.
If you’re travelling and you don’t have any kids to worry about/look after, you have nothing to complain about.
Travelling with kids is a misery.
Just chill out and remember to breath.
Book in at an airport lounge. They’re not the cheapest thing but you’ll get food and drink included and it’ll make the whole experience a lot more pleasant during the long wait between security and check-in.
These are things you have no control over. So if you’re encountering them frequently, it’s worth tackling the other end – why do they provoke such strong feelings in you, and can you soothe or mitigate those feelings somehow?
What thoughts do you have when you see/hear those kids? Or when you see someone messing around in the queue? Try and dig down into those thoughts to try and find something that makes you worried about yourself. It doesn’t have to sound rational – it almost certainly won’t – but this kind of feeling is often at the core of feeling angry when things are ‘wrong’.
For example, if you think ‘they’re not playing fair’ when you see people queue-jumping, you could dig down deeper and maybe find the following thoughts. If they’re not playing fair – they’re getting advantages I’m not – I’m getting screwed over – the world is full of people who screw others over – therefore I’ll get screwed over in many parts of my life – therefore my life is going to be rubbish and painful. There’s a clear logical path in those thoughts between a very minor action and a strong emotional response.
Once you can recognise those thought patterns, you can choose different strategies to deal with them. One strategy is to ask yourself if the thoughts are proportionate (e.g. the generalisation from ‘some people don’t play by some minor rules’ to ‘everyone’s going to screw me over’) and replace them with more nuanced ones. Another strategy is to reassure yourself that you’ve got things handled (e.g. ‘I’ll get screwed over in many parts of my life … except I won’t because where things are important I look after myself! Go me! And there’s lots of good things going on, like I have a job/hobby/partner I like …’). A third strategy is to refuse to engage with the thoughts at all (e.g. ‘They’re not playing fair – I’m not going to go down that path – kittens are really cute – is this the real life? is this just fantasy? caught in a landslide …’)
I am guessing you are new to travelling for work?
You will get used to it. I used to get stressed about missing a short connection but now I just keep it in my mind that I might not make the intended flight and so if I miss it or it is cancelled or delayed, I just grab a brew and have a bit more me time reading a book or whatever.