From the outside, traveling with USWNT to a brand-new country to play the sport you eat, sleep, and breathe may look effortless. What people don’t see and don’t always talk about is the anxiety that can come along with being constantly on the move. In this blog, USWNT Athlete Phia Gladieux opens up about her struggles with travel anxiety – what it feels like and how she copes - in hopes of bringing awareness to something so many people deal with.
I lay awake the night before my big trip with the national team. Something I have done many times before. Nothing new. Nothing different from the last. And yet, there I was again. My heart pounding. My chest tight. My mind spiraling through every worst-case scenario that could go wrong.
I have always envied the people who genuinely enjoy traveling. The ones who love the thrill of flying thousands of feet in the air. The ones who brush off flight delays and cancellations with mild annoyance rather than panic. The things that cause the average person slight stress or frustration can send me into a full-blown spiral. For a long time, I thought something was wrong with me. I thought I was weird or not normal for feeling this way.
But then I realized something important. I am not alone. So many people struggle with travel anxiety, far more than I ever imagined, and there are real and accessible resources designed to help with this exact thing.
Truthfully, I have never enjoyed traveling for as long as I can remember. On the very first plane ride I ever took, I got sick, and I think that experience, unfortunately, set the tone for every flight after that. While most people stress about security lines, delays, or being late, those things do not really bother me. What triggers my anxiety most is the lack of control.
Once the plane takes off, I am no longer in control of where I am or when I can leave. We are stuck up there, and that trapped feeling is what gets to me. Add in traveling to a foreign country with a different language, different food, and different customs, and it becomes even more overwhelming. Routine is everything to me, and so is the comfort of my own home. When that routine disappears, that feeling of being out of control creeps back in.
The anxiety does not always end once the travel does, either. It tends to linger until I establish a routine in the new place. But once I do, the anxiety slowly fades. It always does.
One thing I have learned over time is that focusing on what I can control makes a difference. Packing my bags a few days in advance. Double-checking my passport. Choosing an aisle seat. Making sure transportation to the airport is planned ahead of time. These things do not eliminate my anxiety, but they give me a sense of organization and stability. Sometimes, that is enough to take the edge off.
On our most recent tour to New Zealand, I finally decided it was time to truly help myself and lean into the resources available to me. I accepted the fact that travel anxiety may always be something I deal with, but that does not mean I cannot manage it.
I started by looking online to see what others with travel anxiety were doing to cope. One of the first things I came across was the idea of an anxiety travel bag. The concept was simple. A small bag filled with items that help ground you when anxiety hits. I figured, why not try it?
I ended up using a Sideline Bag from Longstreth. It is the perfect size and comes in so many color options. Inside, I packed things that help me when I am anxious. Instant ice packs, gum, a stress ball, sour candy, alcohol pads, and last but certainly not least, my prescribed anxiety medication for flying.
This was the first time I had ever used medication to help with my anxiety, and honestly, I wish I had done it sooner. I think I avoided it for so long because I felt ashamed. I wanted to believe my anxiety was not that bad and that it would eventually go away on its own.
News flash. It does not.
The relief I felt once I was prescribed medication was almost immediate. Even just knowing I had something I could lean on brought me comfort. I did not feel trapped anymore. I knew that if I needed help, it was there.
That said, I did not want to rely solely on medication. I wanted to learn how to calm myself using other tools as well. One of the most helpful practices I discovered was identifying my anxiety and pinpointing what was triggering it. From there, I began journaling. Writing down my anxious thoughts and then countering them with facts.
For example, I am feeling extremely anxious about being on this 13-hour flight right now. But the truth is, this plane will land. I will not be stuck on it forever. That is a fact.
Writing these statements grounded me. They brought me back to reality when my mind and body were spiraling elsewhere. Once I realized how effective this was, I felt a wave of relief. I had found yet another tool to add to my toolbox.
I also took time to research my specific anxiety and its triggers. That is when I learned I experience situational anxiety. It is not something I struggle with every day. It is tied to specific moments and environments. Realizing this helped me understand that the fear is not permanent. It will pass when the situation passes.
Another important thing I learned is that anxiety, as terrifying as it feels, cannot actually hurt you. At its peak, it may feel unbearable, but it is not dangerous.
So now, when I feel the tightness in my chest, I acknowledge it. I identify it. And instead of fighting it, I let it exist. I remind myself that it cannot hurt me and that it will pass. I use my tools to stay grounded, but I do not battle the feeling anymore.
This time, I let it come and go.
This time, I choose to be the bigger person.
