Whew! I should have known that you'd step up to the plate with a great question.
How do you keep from going insane on your very long road trips?
Usually I'm so busy that it precludes the insanity; I have no time to be crazy. I keep my mind focused on "What is happening next" and that is my surefire method of keeping sane.
See, for many years I would obsess over the little things, and I would build myself into a fever pitch because of some upcoming event. The anticipation (and resultant tremendous anxiety) would end up eclipsing the actual event.
Now, I try to ignore the event. I try to pay attention to the positive aspects, instead of the negative, which is a HUGE leap for me--I usually get caught up in the "wah" portion of things and that's what starts causing the anxiety. I just concentrate on what is going on that day, what should I do, etc., so that I don't overload and HULK SMASH when big things come up.
It doesn't always work, of course. Before my big trip this year, I ended up bawling my eyes out (I wasn't feeling well, so that was part of it) and having a total meltdown in the car on the way. Once that had passed, however, I felt better, and even though I was on the road forever, I just stepped off and did it. Not getting caught up in thinking about it is the best thing.
Do you find yourself craving more personal contact?
I am a bit of a hermit in RL, so the solitude of the road can sometimes be wonderful. I listen to music, I think about writing, and I find that I have "space" to really imagine a lot of things. I get very motivated, but then when I get back to cramped reality, it doesn't always work out.
As far as personal contact--I get anxious about it, sometimes, and then when I do hang out with people, I enjoy it. Later I wonder why I was worried in the first place, lol.
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Date: 2007-09-11 03:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-09-11 05:17 pm (UTC)How do you keep from going insane on your very long road trips?
Usually I'm so busy that it precludes the insanity; I have no time to be crazy. I keep my mind focused on "What is happening next" and that is my surefire method of keeping sane.
See, for many years I would obsess over the little things, and I would build myself into a fever pitch because of some upcoming event. The anticipation (and resultant tremendous anxiety) would end up eclipsing the actual event.
Now, I try to ignore the event. I try to pay attention to the positive aspects, instead of the negative, which is a HUGE leap for me--I usually get caught up in the "wah" portion of things and that's what starts causing the anxiety. I just concentrate on what is going on that day, what should I do, etc., so that I don't overload and HULK SMASH when big things come up.
It doesn't always work, of course. Before my big trip this year, I ended up bawling my eyes out (I wasn't feeling well, so that was part of it) and having a total meltdown in the car on the way. Once that had passed, however, I felt better, and even though I was on the road forever, I just stepped off and did it. Not getting caught up in thinking about it is the best thing.
Do you find yourself craving more personal contact?
I am a bit of a hermit in RL, so the solitude of the road can sometimes be wonderful. I listen to music, I think about writing, and I find that I have "space" to really imagine a lot of things. I get very motivated, but then when I get back to cramped reality, it doesn't always work out.
As far as personal contact--I get anxious about it, sometimes, and then when I do hang out with people, I enjoy it. Later I wonder why I was worried in the first place, lol.