Blog #504: Transitional Anxiety

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As I sit here in Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia after my winter retreat to Sanibel, Florida, I am writing this blog in the aftermath of a major panic attack I had last night around 5pm. The context is that there is a major winter storm coming to Massachusetts and we all agreed to cut the retreat by one day.

You might be wondering just how I was feeling that led up to the panic attack that was at level 3. On one hand, it was a smart move to return home ahead of the storm, but at the same time, it was somewhat upsetting to me that I had to leave a place that I hold near and dear to my heart.

You might also be interested to know that I had been dealing with mental stacking ranging from trying to eat better as a result of my fatty liver diagnosis two months ago, to being overstimulated on Captiva Island that nearly caused a panic attack there, to having to try on new sandals while we were down there.

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While all these were all contributing factors, there is a level of anxiety that was also a major contributor to my meltdown yesterday and that is transitional anxiety. Transitional anxiety is a type of anxiety that occurs when we are transitioning to something else, whether its travelling to a new destination, transitioning to a new school, surrounding or whatever. Look at it this way, you might be wondering that transitional anxiety is something that shouldn’t even be an anxiety to begin with.

The fact is for neurodivergent individuals, some will view transitional anxieties as a major shift in their routines. Part of the routine I had was to stay in Sanibel until Sunday February 9th and then fly home. But when mother nature came knocking on the door, we had to adjust our plans and that invoked the transitional anxiety.

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For some people, transitional anxiety isn’t worth bothering, but it’s there and we have to try and reduce it as much as possible. Some of the tips include trying to distract ourselves as best we can whether it’s listening to music on the iPod, watching a funny show or cartoon, or just trying to talk about something positive during the vacation or event.

In fact, airports like Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport sometimes cause unwanted transitional anxiety when they change gates around like pairs of underwear. Of course, it’s all part of the program at an airport like Atlanta. In fact, as I write this blog, I have had my connecting Delta Airlines flight to Providence gate changed three times. How do I cope and prevent the transitional anxiety? I give myself plenty of time to make my connection and avoid tight connections as much as possible as an example.

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In conclusion, Transitional Anxiety is one of those anxieties that are part and parcel of being neurodivergent and sometimes transitional anxiety takes a lot out of of you much like it did to me. All I can do is advocate for myself and share the message that you aren’t alone when it comes to something like transitional anxiety.

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Catch you all later!!