How to Not Go Feral on a 10-Hour Flight (UM Edition)
Hi everyone, ok so… I’m moving to the USA this Friday. Like for real. Cuz reasons. And the weird part is I’m moving BEFORE my parents, so I’m gonna live with another family in Oregon for probably at least like 6 months (maybe more) before my dads can come after. I’m super nervous and my brain is doing that thing where it runs in circles and then trips over itself. And now the flight… I need help. Like serious ADHD survival tips. The travel is: Sweden → Amsterdam about 2.5 hours, then I’m flying as an Unaccompanied Minor so I have to sit in the UM waiting area in Amsterdam for like 2 hours. In my head it sounds like they’re putting me in a little “kid cage” or like a holding pen. I know it’s probably normal and safe but my brain is like “welcome to Airport Jail, tiny gremlin”. Then Amsterdam → Portland is like 10 HOURS. Ten. Hours. Sitting. Still. I hate sitting still. I literally can’t. My body starts screaming and my brain starts doing parkour and I get this urge to move or I feel like I will explode. I’ll have my phone + tablet + Chromebook + Nintendo Switch, and my dads turned off the time limits just for the travel days cuz the new family will put their parental controls on my devices when I arrive. So entertainment is not the problem. The problem is me being trapped in a seat and my ADHD being like “nope”. So yeah… how do you survive something like this? Any tips that actually work? Like what do you do hour by hour, what should I pack, what helps with restlessness, what do you do when you get that crawling-out-of-your-skin feeling? And how do I not become “that UM kid” the whole plane remembers forever. Thanks. And sorry if this post is cringe, I’m just trying to handle all this as good as I can right now.
Take a notebook and write about your experience. How you feel, what’s going on around you, use grounding as as write. What you feel (touch), what’s you hear, what smells are there, what do you see and what can you taste. When you feel anxious write about it. What do you notice in your body. Where is it holding the anxiety? What thoughts are showing up? Write about them. What can you tell yourself to feel better? You control your thoughts. If you are telling yourself this is terrible and i can’t sit here for hours, you will have trouble. If you tell yourself this is a once in a life time experience and I’m having the best time of my life, and you pay attention to the experience in real time, you can make it be a great experience. Mindset is everything. Change your thoughts of being anxious to being excited and you change how you perceive the situation, the situation changes. Best of luck to you and we are all here cheering for you. One other thing you can do is close your eyes and imagine you are in your happy place. A place where you feel calm and confident and safe. Use grounding while you image being there. What do you see, hear, feel, smell and taste? Are you with your grandpa? If he is a person that makes you feel secure take him with you in your mind. Imagine he’s sitting with you, feel his arm around you comforting you. Your mind is powerful, use it. (And sleep as much as you can. It makes the time pass faster) 🫶🏼