Wednesday I travel to Crete – a beautiful island off the coast of Greece to lead a creativity retreat. That’s 15 hours of flying from San Diego International.
I have a little Anxiety Thing. I’ve had it since I was nine years old when everything from a thunderstorm to the film, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken sent me hiding in my parents’ bed.
My anxiety comes in several varieties, including but not limited to social anxiety, fear of losing/neglecting details/forgetting/ throwing away important stuff, and… travel.
Preparation for the trip took a more stressful-than-usual turn a month ago when I noticed that my passport has expired. My Port of Entry card doesn’t expire until 2024 which is what I was looking at, thinking it was my passport.
Port of Entry cards don’t work as passports no matter how creatively you think about them.
The "Neglecting Details" anxiety is actually fueled by a series of events where not paying attention brought real calamity. If you have my brand of ADHD, you are familiar with overlooking important details which cause undo complications, hair loss, and laying in bed face down.
Hi, Anxiety
Passports take 5-7 weeks through regular channels. My travel at that point was in THREE weeks away. The get-your-passport faster channels require waiting until 2 WEEKS BEFORE travel to make an appointment and getting an appointment is not guaranteed. Real not imagined anxiety was my companion until I secured that appointment.
After a few hours of panic, I took out all my mindfulness tools to move into a less frazzled moment with a LOT of meditation. I put the anxiety in a separate mental compartment so it wouldn’t further sully my sanity and fed it Oreos. I got my passport. Most of what we fear, doesn't happen, might as well enjoy the ride.
Travel Variety
One of my favorite paradoxes is that I follow and teach creative mindfulness, and yet I forget, neglect, and lose things. But I am also fortunate enough to know how to inhabit and celebrate the majesty of moments and all they have to offer in terms of creativity, beauty, and wonder. We all have flipsides. Those with ADHD often have a remarkable ability to see ideas, imaginings, and amusement in details others may miss.
Rewiring Anxiety to Wonder
As the trip draws closer, the usual free-floating travel anxiety ramps up.
Noting anxiety with equanimity can neutralize it I never experience anxiety 100%, it’s more like 30% of my emotional preoccupation.
I also love travel, the feeling of the plane taking off, being captive to a good book, clouds outside the window, landing in a new place, people watching, food from different countries!. I have a Wonder Thing in addition to my Anxiety Thing. It’s about 50% of my awareness – 20% more than anxiety. That leaves 30% for habits, on-line shopping, and applying facial cream.
Plugging into the Wonder Thing with awareness feels MUCH better than focusing on the Anxiety Thing. It comes from reframing my experience which is one of the most important uses of creative thinking. How can we think differently?
How's your Wonder Wiring?
Let me know,
Jill
The Muse is IN Creativity Prompts
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Writing Prompt:
Use the word OCTOBER as an acrostic (different from an acronym).
Use each letter as the beginning of a sentence that weaves together a poem. Here's more about acrostics.
Let it DRY and add the veins with a thin brush.
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And save the date for Omega Institute of Holistic Sciences in the forest at Rhinebeck, NY. I'll be teaching Wild Abandon Creativity again October 1-6, 2023.
More workshops and trainings here