I was up, up and away! ✈️ I went on a trip to London to launch my fabuwellness
brand there last week. I was so excited! And tired….
BBYG
Except for the Busyness Before You Go… Is anyone ever relaxed before they board a plane? Is it just me or do the schools find out and pile all the homework, projects and sports into those few days before you leave? My passport always goes missing. My notes for the home are like NASA launch plans. And then I worry anyways….do I need to defrost the freezer before I leave…. And sure, I may as well strip and remake ALL the beds including the one I’m not even sleeping in! All this before I’ve packed. One time I forgot to pack underwear… easy now fabulous people 😆
Modern Travel Is Rush-Rush, Line up, Line up!
Airline travel is not easy. It causes most of us to lose the plot and a lot of us have pre-flight worries. We tend to prime ourselves for disaster. We imagine the worst-case scenario
Below are some tips & info for a calmer flight:
Plan Your Travel Wardrobe 👗🕶️
You deserve to dress up when you’re away so lay out all the clothes by each day of the trip. You can probably double up on evening outfits and a couple of t-shirts can be reworn too. I find laying out everything- including my knickers!- helps me see what I need and what I don’t. Otherwise, it’s packing free for all.
Many of you found the restorative effects of my fabÜ R&R RELAX made the busyness of life and the pre-flight worries easier to handle. It's a beautiful blend of premium grade botanicals, including Ashwagandha, L-Theanine, Magnesium and B vitamins. I always pack that on my travels!
What if we let go?
What if we decide to let go of worry, to observe the things in front of us now instead of worrying about all the things we IMAGINE could go wrong? What if we saw our journey as an adventure instead of an ordeal? Meditation Helps You IMAGINE Better
This is where you can rehearse better outcomes. Flip the script to imagine the BEST case scenario. Try sitting quietly at home (or in the car or bus, wherever), close your eyes and dream up all the fabulous steps to your trip.
Here’s a mental script to try:
- You have checked in your bag and you have your boarding tickets in hand. Smile. Deep breath in for four beats, deep breath out for four beats.
- You have a lovely new book or magazine to read on the plane. Smile. Breathe in and out for four beats each.
- You are sitting on the plane and marvelling at the magic of flying, you imagine the pilots easily lifting you all up into the sky- just like when you were a kid - the magic! WHOOPEEEE!
- You KNOW when you get to your holiday hotel that you’ll love the fluffy towels or the beach chairs…. The smell of sunscreen…
- If you’re travelling with your kids, notice how excited they are and really share their excitement. You could be at home putting out the bins again!
Meditations…. Now Boarding…
Many of you remember the meditations I offered through the Facebook challenge we did in February. I’ve done a few on my Instagram lives as well. Lots of you found them helpful, especially before bed. Meditation is something I used to kind of roll my eyes at. Now, I wouldn’t be without it and I notice when I have missed out on a few days as I find my nerves feel more frayed.
Meditation DOES not empty your mind.
Meditation gives you pause, a moment to reflect, through breathing and noticing your thoughts. That’s it. It trains you to notice your thoughts and not react to them. The way I like to think of it is that your thoughts are like clouds and the background blue sky is your mind. Thoughts, like clouds, come into your sky and pass by.
Neuroplasticity and Meditation
Doing the meditations in the week or two before your trip, or longer if you like, retrains your brain’s neural pathways so that your reactivity calms. Navy Seals have long used breath meditations, or the box breathing technique, to calm heart rates and nerves of their soldiers. It’s a simple 4-4-4-4 technique. Think of the image of a square with four corners- each corner represents 4 seconds to breathe in, 4 seconds to hold, 4 seconds to exhale, hold for the last 4. Try this and notice how your heart rate feels calmer.
Please Fasten Your Seatbelts…..
Many of us get a little rattled when the plane moves into bumpy air. Except those few lucky ducks who manage to sleep THE WHOLE FLIGHT 😡, most of us get a little uneasy. I once asked a pilot if they ever get nervous. He smiled and said nope- turbulence is like potholes in the road. It’s just another day at the office. I have to say I found that comforting.
So, maybe next time you encounter bumpy air, use your box breathing, your meditation might also be on your phone (there’s so many now to choose from!) and think of the calm pilot.
Let me know what you think and what gets you through the busyness of travel.
Bon Voyage Fabulous People!
Laura x
