Anxiety is something that all of us have experienced at one time or another. A situation such as speaking in public is enough to make most of our hearts race and palms sweat. For some people, including my daughter, anxiety disorders can cause anxiety to make an appearance much more often, sometimes daily. A Disney vacation, as magical as it is, can be filled with anxiety triggers for some people.
While every person’s situation is different, over the years we have learned what works for our family to make sure that our day at the parks is filled with pixie dust and not panic attacks.
Before your trip:
- Videos: One of the most helpful things that we have learned to do for our princess is to find videos of the parks and rides for her to watch before our trip. For her, knowing what to expect is crucial for keeping her anxiety levels low. Researching rides ahead of time helps her feel more confident and prepared and also helps her decide what rides she wants to avoid altogether.
- Talk, talk, talk: Another important part of preparing for a day at the park is to talk about what we will encounter during our day. The night before we visit the parks, we talk about what we will see, the noises we will hear, and all of the of the people that will be around us while we are in the park. This allows her to prepare herself for the day and helps her feel more in control and less anxious about the next day. We also talk about what she can do if she starts to feel anxious such as, deep breathing or finding a quiet spot for a break.
It isn’t a big secret that Disney is having trouble selling some of it’s itineraries out of Galveston right now, so they have decided to change things up a bit to intice you to sail with them.
