Next week I'm going away with my boyfriend for a week, but it requires a long road journey (about 7 hours). I'd prefer to fly but he doesn't have a passport and I find airports too stressful and confusing to go on my own.
I don't mind going in the car, but the last two times we have driven such long distance, I came over unwell in the car. I don't mean just nausea, but also I felt lightheaded, bloated, shaky and my body temperature changed rapidly.
I think it's anxiety, because I get really anxious when stopping at service stations, but we need to stop at those places at least once to go to the bathroom and get something to eat. They make me anxious because they are very crowded, with noisy kids running around, and lots of obnoxious teenagers too, and I feel like everybody stares at me in those places. So that might be why I get worked up.
The last time I went on a long road journey with my boyfriend, I ate toast for breakfast, took 2 antisickness pills (which are also a sedative so are also supposed to relax me), and bought a bottle of water to sip in the car. But despite all that preparation, I still felt ill. I tried to fall asleep but the anxiety made me restless and even more nauseas. Maybe it's panic attacks? But when I have these moments, my bladder keeps filling up, and also I get an urge to poop too. It's all very unpleasant in the car, and I've got to keep asking my boyfriend to stop at those busy service stations to use the bathroom.
What can I do in this predicament? Does anyone else get this?
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Female