TRAVEL TIPS: How to keep calm with your carry-on

Fun fact: I have an extreme fear of flying, even though I have been flying on airplanes by myself since the age of 8. My grandfather and uncle were professional pilots who assured me planes are super safe, I’ve traveled to several countries, different continents but for some absolutely non-reasonable reason as an adult I cringe at the thought of getting on a plane. I’m claustrophobic and feel hot in super confined spaces like elevators. In the smallest of turbulence, I get a full on anxiety attack ( hello, kyle richards ) . Now that I am a mother, the thought of my baby being motherless if the worst happens...it’s honestly like “why even fly”? It’s just too much for me to deal with. 

These days, I find myself often going on small weekend mini-vacations so I have become an avid weekend traveler again. The truth is, I never let my fear stop me from getting on an airplane but I do struggle with it severely. Typically, I grab a glass of champagne to calm the nerves, even if it is 9 am. ;)
I’ve been telling myself, I need a few practice rounds before I make the move and travel on a plane with a toddler. So, I wanted to share some of my favorite techniques I’ve found that work, incase anyone else out there experiences this. Or if you suffer from other anxieties, this can help you, too.

• Challenge your fear by acknowledging it and accepting it. Then determine whether it is NOISE or a SIGNAL (this helps our brain to categorize & strategize) NOISE is caused by the situations that have no immediate solution. SIGNALS stem from the circumstances in which there are available action steps for a solution. Anxiety stems from our brain being confused about which of these two applies to your specific situation. The more quickly you clarify, the easier it will be to move forward. Breathe, and gently lead yourself to an honest assessment of your concern. .

• When you’re on a plane, you really have nothing but time to think. Play with your mind by looking at any situation from the perspective of “not only can I tolerate this, I want more of this”. Neuroscience tell us that when we resist, the resistance informs the amygdala to switch on “fight or flight” mode, which spikes our cortisol and intensifies our anxiety. Practice this by noticing when you’re resisting something you don’t want like “ugh. I can’t fall asleep” . Instead say, “give me more of these racing thoughts, it’s okay if I’m up all night”. Typically, this thought pattern eases your mind by bringing acceptance. You’ll probably end up laughing at it how silly your fear is anyway. 

• The 4:7:8 Breathing technique developed by Dr. Andrew Weil, one of my favorite health & wellness author. This deep pranayama technique can lessen anxious thoughts immediately. Breathe in through nose for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, breathe out of the mouth for 8 seconds. Repeat this 3 times.

BLISSFUL TRAVEL TIPS

When you arrive to your intended destination, you want to be calm, confident and refreshed, no? These days, every second of my vacation counts because it is my mommy time without my baby boy. I don’t have the luxury of wasting precious time, I want each moment to be fun and fulfilling. The last thing a blissful vacation needs is an anxious mind and overwhelmed soul. That means I now travel with intention & very specific travel routine that helps me stay centered and excited for the upcoming adventures. You know, I prepare myself with the things that keep me centered and calm.

TIGERS EYE CRYSTAL. With my severe fear of flying, I never travel without my crystals. I bring rose quartz for an open heart, citrine for good fortune and joy, Tigers Eye for protection. I wear 4 tigers eye crystal bracelets from my jewelry collection on the flight. I wear them on my left wrist, specifically because the hand that energy comes into the body is the left. I need all the protection vibes I can get. TIGERS EYE is the crystal for resilience in overwhelming situations and protection during travel. I never travel without them.

BULLET JOURNAL. Ever since I began using a bullet journal, I have found myself way more organized in the mind. The way the bullet journal allows you to create different lists, sections for brain dumping and future planning works perfectly with me. When I travel, I like to write things down to remember, make note of people I meet, and note moments to remember. When I’m on the plane, I always take my bullet journal and gold pen out of my carry on because I always get a ton of ideas on the plane.

EVERNOTE APP. This app has literally revolutionized my life. I was resistant to it for years but it recently was updated with a new user system. Now it is so efficient, functional and easy to use. It helps to organize all your notes, lists and things to remember. I have a travel notebook broken down by city with lists of restaurants, shops, galleries, etc. also, while you’re traveling, you can take & save photos of maps, business cards or menus for your files. It’s a life saver. Seriously.

WRITE AN INTENTIONAL ITINERARY. or at least write down your top 3 priorities of what you want to experience while on your trip. This helps with 2 things. 1) when you know before hand exactly what you want to see or do, it takes the pressure off of finding something last minute. 2) In a big town with a LOT of things to see & do, It can be overwhelming to decide. When you only choose your intentional priorities, you can relax and enjoy the impromptu events, interesting conversations with strangers & magical street performances.

ASK QUESTIONS. Don’t hesitate to speak up for yourself. Asking about flight upgrades may just surprise you, asking what you shouldn’t miss at a restaurant may get you an incredible meal or even asking your Uber driver for hotspots may help you get to know the city better.

BRING A BLANKET. Seriously, I will never leave home without my travel blanket again. Barefoot Dreams makes the softest and best sized blankets for travel, if you don’t have one yet I highly suggest you grab this one. They’re good for the plane, if you get stuck at airport on a long fight delay, freezing cold hotel rooms or anywhere with subpar bedding. Trust me.

If you have any favorite travel tips, especially for traveling with baby which I will be doing soon, please let me know in the comments, looking to enhance my experience even more.

Blissful Babe: A simple meditation ritual to reduce stress, anxiety & overwhelm

“It’s not selfish to take care of yourself. It’s the best way to take care of everyone else who counts on you.”

Life can be such a rollercoaster, right? Especially as a mom, sometimes it feels like things are going well and you finally get things down and then bam. All of a sudden, you’re anxious, worried, stressed over something else. And now, just as quickly as celebrity tabloids, all of your focus goes to the next thing.

This is why things on my blog have changed so much, I love sharing what I learn as I move through the realities of navigating life as a mom, business owner, creative, podcaster, etc. It is incredibly draining to have a full life. A few months ago, I began obsessively reading about health and wellness from my favorite guru, Kimberly Snyder. In her book, The Beauty Detox Power, I learned a lot about why so much of us hold on to fat, attract disease and sickness, etc. It’s that a lot of our daily habits in life cause our bodies cortisol levels to spike and tell our body to hold onto fat & other bad stuff.

HABITS THAT SPIKE YOUR CORTISOL:

Not getting enough sleep

Scrolling through social media

Societal comparison

Clutter in your home, purse, office, car

Toxic relationships

Lack of clarity on desires

There are so many everyday habits that are stressors in our lives and affect our overall wellbeing in a very negative way. The last thing we want is for our cortisol to spike. (Hint: even something small like putting flowers on your desk or eating on a gorgeous plate can help to lower your cortisol and keep you zen)

In the book, Kimberly teaches how you can regain the power and control over our health and wellness by focusing on your inner energy centers aka our Chakras. These seven inner energy centers receive, process and express your vital life energy. So, when your chakras are out of balance and alignment, its easier for our everyday stressors & toxic habits to take us out and launch us into moments of anxiety, overwhelm, depression, etc. All the things we are working so hard to get out of our lives. P.S. If you are trying to lose weight, don’t begin with a stressful diet and harsh exercise regimen, focus on lowering your stress, calming your mind and balancing your chakras. Then naturally, weight will fall off more easily when you do apply a healthy eating approach and exercise routine.

I began working on my chakras years ago but when I learned all the facets of chakra balancing and how to incorporate it with meditation, it really made such a shift in my life. So much so, that I created an entire jewelry collection dedicated to chakras and meditation. Each bracelet has a specific affirmation and stone that I use to meditate with. The affirmations help to remind me to stay calm, stay balanced and mindful. So when my mind begins running and creating 437329 scenarios…I can easily let them go, feel calm and get present. It especially helps to keep you centered when anxiety, doubt and worry begins to creep in. I wear them everyday so I have a constant reminder of the calm I want to create for my wellbeing.

A BREAK DOWN OF YOUR CHAKRAS

Take a look at this chart so you can see perhaps which chakras are blocked or unbalanced.

If you want to focus more on a specific chakra, get clear on what you need to let go of or what you need to implement, wear the crystals that coordinate with the chakra energy and repeat the affirmation/mantra that goes along with that specific chakra. On days when I really need it, I just work on all of them from Root to Crown.
Here is what the CHAKRA GLAMOUR collection looks like all together.

AN EASY TO DO CALMING, GROUNDING and CENTERING CHAKRA MEDITATION:

Okay, so here is how you do it. Side note, with a little one, meditation is always something I have to really focus on working in. So I have found this to really work with my active mom lifestyle.

1. I put on each bracelet, starting at the root chakra because this one is at the base of your spine. Imagine the color of each individual chakra ( I use the bracelets as reference ) and just imagine the light filling me up from within.

2. I say the affirmation for that specific chakra, over and over until I can feel that expression as my inner truth.

3. If this brings you to tears or you feel a resistance, it’s a sign that you need to slow down, accept your feelings. Being present with your feelings and not making yourself wrong for feeling them is all you need to do to achieve balance. Keep focusing on each chakra until you get up to the crown.

4. After doing this everyday for about a week, things should begin to change. You’ll have more confidence, be more at peace and probably have way lower cortisol levels. You will also become more in alignment with your life and start manifesting some really cool stuff.

Have you ever meditated? Do you have any tips or tricks? Feel free to share them with me in the comments below. I love learning more.
You’ll definitely have to stay tuned on the podcast, Bliss Vibes Only because I will be sharing more like this.