Currently panicking about going on holiday next week. Any tips and advice welcome!

[Lynz]

Hi everyone.

As the title suggests, I'm due to go on holiday with my partner next week to Greece for 1 week. This holiday has been booked for a year now and it's the first time we've been abroad in 7 years.

I've been looking forward to this holiday for so long, and a nice break is long overdue as I've had a particularly stressful year. However, right on cue my OCD (i.e., "me") is doing everything in its power to try and ruin it for me. My health obsessions have come back with a vengeance and I've been constantly worrying about getting seriously ill while I'm away. I think this has been triggered by the story in the news of that couple who died after becoming ill in that hotel and loads of other holidaymakers fell ill too, despite it being a highly regarded 5-star hotel. My health anxiety has been pretty bad lately before this though, I just think it's gotten worse as I'm due to go on holiday.

Another issue is my OCD theme about my relationship. I have quite severe "relationship OCD" that focuses on doubts about my feelings and level of attraction for my partner, and I think going away on holiday with him is stressing me out as it brings those worries to the centre of attention.

I've been working through my CBT self-help book to try and get a handle on this, but I understand that it will probably take time as I think I've been too accommodating to the OCD for a while now without fully realising it, so I was just wondering if anyone has any tips and advice to help me at least get through this holiday without being an anxious mess, and advice on how to try and relax and enjoy it as I've paid a lot of money for this holiday (£2,000 of my savings), and I've been looking forward to it for so long.

[PolarBear]

Figure out what compulsions you are doing and stamp them out. I'm sure you spend a lot of time ruminating. That's a big one you have to wrestle under control.

[taurean]

The OCD focusing on that one incident in one hotel in one resort in one country is classic Lynz. What a load of absolute nonsense it is trying to sell to you. 

It's a nasty issue, but an isolated incident and the connection OCD is making, and putting under its magnifying lens, is typical of OCD. 

OCD used to hit me like a right hook when I went on holiday. It seeks a mental vacuum then looks to fill it. 

I found that, if I kept nicely occupied, it would marginalise the OCD. 

So, instead of simply spending hours on a sunbed, I would do some of that - but whilst reading an interesting novel - and have a structure of interesting, attention -demanding, activities going on through the holiday. 

This might be just doing puzzles, playing beach volleyball, but also meals out, shopping, chatting. 

Time spent purely alone is when I was most at risk of OCD and carrying out thinking compulsions. 

Hope this helps. 

[ChrisB]

You clearly recognise what's going on and why, so I think you probably know how best to handle it too.

As far as how to enjoy the holiday goes, try not to be taken by that part. Don't see enjoying the holiday as some sort of gauge that you have to keep checking, to see if you're getting the most out of it or not. Take it as it comes. Putting a holiday on a pedestal before you go isn't necessary, better to reminisce on it when you're back.

[njb]

7 hours ago, ChrisB said:

You clearly recognise what's going on and why, so I think you probably know how best to handle it too.

As far as how to enjoy the holiday goes, try not to be taken by that part. Don't see enjoying the holiday as some sort of gauge that you have to keep checking, to see if you're getting the most out of it or not. Take it as it comes. Putting a holiday on a pedestal before you go isn't necessary, better to reminisce on it when you're back.

Very insightful and something for everyone there.

[Lynz]

On 29/08/2018 at 03:43, PolarBear said:

Figure out what compulsions you are doing and stamp them out. I'm sure you spend a lot of time ruminating. That's a big one you have to wrestle under control.

Thanks PB. I do try to do that all the time but some compulsions (I.e. ruminating) are often hard to spot when you're actually doing them as they feel almost automatic.

On 29/08/2018 at 04:07, taurean said:

The OCD focusing on that one incident in one hotel in one resort in one country is classic Lynz. What a load of absolute nonsense it is trying to sell to you. 

It's a nasty issue, but an isolated incident and the connection OCD is making, and putting under its magnifying lens, is typical of OCD. 

OCD used to hit me like a right hook when I went on holiday. It seeks a mental vacuum then looks to fill it. 

I found that, if I kept nicely occupied, it would marginalise the OCD. 

So, instead of simply spending hours on a sunbed, I would do some of that - but whilst reading an interesting novel - and have a structure of interesting, attention -demanding, activities going on through the holiday. 

This might be just doing puzzles, playing beach volleyball, but also meals out, shopping, chatting. 

Time spent purely alone is when I was most at risk of OCD and carrying out thinking compulsions. 

Hope this helps. 

Thanks Roy. Yes you are so right it is classic OCD. I agree when I have nothing to do that creates a mental vacuum which OCD is so keen to fill. In fact the reason for my current bad relapse at the moment is precisely because I've broken up from university for the summer. I broke up on the 19th July and I'm off until the 24th September, and since I've been off my OCD has been horrendous. I know I'll be a lot better when I go back to uni, but I'd also like to be able to enjoy my free time too!

12 hours ago, ChrisB said:

As far as how to enjoy the holiday goes, try not to be taken by that part. Don't see enjoying the holiday as some sort of gauge that you have to keep checking, to see if you're getting the most out of it or not. Take it as it comes. Putting a holiday on a pedestal before you go isn't necessary, better to reminisce on it when you're back.

Thanks for this. It's so insightful and helpful as I hadn't realised this was going on but it's so obvious now once it's been pointed out.

[Dragonfly]

My OCD always gets worse before a holiday, or big event. I worry about everything going wrong. Then I find I check a lot once I’m there. 

On my last holiday once I made sure I was sleeping enough, joining in with activities, going for walks and gradually was able to get in to a book I’d taken, things improved. When I could feel OCD worries coming on walking particularly helped me though, really helped me get some ‘space’ in my head. 

Easier said than done I know, but try and do little activities each day like the above if you can, but also try and keep in mind, this is your holiday, your savings and OCD isn’t going to ruin it! X

 

[taurean]

Agree with that - OCD doesn't have a ticket for this holiday, it will find "access denied"