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Flight of the Aggravator: Expert Tips On Stress Relief During Airport Delays
December 23, 2008 7:53 AM
By KIRK FERNANDES, ABC News Medical Unit
Like many other Americans, I'm planning to travel for the holidays. I'm also planning to get stuck at the airport.
With the way the weather is working, things aren't looking good for a smooth flight to the middle of snow country -- Michigan, in my case.
But there are things you can do -- no matter where you're going -- to help relieve the stress you know is coming. For example, several stress reduction experts say simple things, such as making sure you get enough sleep the night before your flight, could improve your stress response the next day in the midst of a delay.
"At holiday travel time, expectations should be realistic, which often means lower," says Kim Lebowitz, director of cardiac behavioral medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Ill. "Expect to arrive late and try to save the rest of the arrival day for something low-key, something that won't be too upsetting if it gets eliminated from the vacation because of travel delays."
We asked some of the experts from the ABCNews.com OnCall+ Stress sections for their stress relief tips for airport delays. Here are some of their suggestions you might consider:
TIP #1 -- Plan on getting delayed: Anticipating the challenges that may develop when you're facing a major negative event will help organize your response, explains Jeffrey Janata, a psychologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
Some experts suggest bringing enough books to read, making sure the laptop is charged, distracting the kids with a portable video game, or staying in touch with family and friends via cell phone.
"When somebody is in a stressful situation, if they can feel they're in control of some of the parameters of the situation, it greatly reduces their stress," says Phillip Levendusky, associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School.
TIP #2 -- Expand your toolbox of coping skills: Some people appear less stressed because they have better coping skills, says Katherine Muller, director of the cognitive behavior therapy program at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y. Muller offers several coping tips in the OnCall+ Stress section.
In addition, several experts we talked to recommend using headphones (even noise-canceling headphones) to reduce noise stress.
TIP #3 -- Seek out comfortable seating: Stuffy heat and too many strangers nearby could activate stress responses in your body, says Dr. Charles Raison of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga. "If you are going to have to wait for a long time try to find an area that is not hot and overly crowded."
TIP #4 -- Get moving: Exercise is "one of the best things people can do to reduce the physiological response to stress," says Janata. While that's typically true "over the long haul," according to Janata, you may benefit from periodically walking up and down the concourse or just moving around.
TIP #5 -- Make an escape: Raison recommends leaving the airport during long delays: "If you have the financial means and are going to be stuck for more than a day, try to get out of the airport and hang out in town. This is the ultimate way to beat airport stress and can sometimes turn a trip-wrecker into a novel vacation."
TIP #6 -- Get a massage: Those airport massage stations are there for a reason ... and a growing amount of scientific evidence confirms what you probably already know -- massage reduces the body's stress response, says Raison.
TIP #7 -- Beware the bar: Lower levels of alcohol can be a relaxant, but if you stay too long at the bar, you're likely to create more problems. "Refrain from overdoing alcohol because it actually is likely to make things worse, not better," said Janata.
So, what are your tips for stress relief during airport delays?
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Cold & Flu season is here! Visit the ABCNews.com OnCall+ Cold & Flu Center to get all your questions answered about these nasty viruses.
December 23, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (9)
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I just finished speaking on the phone with my 86 year old mother; she had just flown back to Colorado from the Barbados. I am always amazed at her resiliency. Delayed leaving the Barbados...connection in Miami was delayed. She spent the night at the Miami Airport, so she got her shawl and travel pillow, a good book, and a cup of tea and chatted with others, found a comfortable place to nap...next morning sshe flew to Atlanta...flights were iffy, so she helped a young mum with three children get to the right gate..finally she got her flight to Salt Lake City. The biggest humiliation, of course, is security. One lovely young security person, quite abashed at having to ask Mum to remove her shoes, even helped her untie her shoes and put them back on for her, apologing all the time for having to make Mum (a true lady in all situations)
undergo such treatment. Once in SLC, it was an easy jump to Grand Junction, CO,
but by then she had been in transit for 50 hours on a trip that should have taken 20 hours. Her tips; always have a pillow and a good book, help others when you can, accept that the USA has lost the war on terror whenever they ask a sweet little old lady to take off her shoes, and always know where the restrooms are.
Posted by: wmp | Dec 23, 2008 9:08:18 AM
You know, people try to make this move every year, every holiday and we hear about the same old thing every year about people getting stranded. STAY AT HOME!!! IF they don't want the stress and strain of travelling, then STAY AT HOME!!! I mean, its totally rediculous to try to fly or get anywhere mobile this time of YEAR!!! CAN'T YA'LL GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEADS... IT SNOWS ALL THE PLACES WHERE THESE PEOPLE ARE TRYIN' TO GO, SO THEY NEED TO PACK A SLEEPING BAG ALONG WITH EVERYTHING ELSE. GOOD GRIEF!
Posted by: DEB | Dec 23, 2008 9:09:39 AM
WMP, that is great. Its nice to see someone else who thinks the USA has lost the war on terror. Al Quida won people. When we have to go through so much security, not allowed to bring much liquid on board, and not even allowed nail clippers, terrorists have won. So sad.
As for stress relief, Americans are pathetic. Learn to just let things go. People get so upset over things. You know travel is hard this time of year, get over it. Kid is screaming? Tune it out. Know that kids aren't good travelers. Your kid is screaming? Learn to discipline, and learn how to stop them from screaming. My twin girls, 2.5 y.o., stop crying on command. No it was not beaten into them. It's taken a year to teach, but is a life saver. My 4 y.o. is the same way. Plane delayed? Thats the price of air travel. Weather, maintenance, and on occasion ATC delays. Things happen, trust me, I was a pilot. They are out of the pilots control, same with the airline ticket people, so yelling at them accomplishes nothing. And finally, get rid of your instant gratification complex. A good old military phrase comes to mind: Hurry up and wait. Things are not going to happen instantaneously. They never have. Get over it.
Posted by: Lawrence | Dec 23, 2008 11:14:15 AM
Lawrence, thank you, as well. As a Canajun, I truly understand the vicissitudes of winter travail..uh...travel. At least our travel within the country isn't as beset with security stupidities as our neighbours to the south. I agree with your remarks about children...I used to fly from Edmonton to Denver with regularity with my five children, who enjoyed travel and made it a pleasure for all around them. Of course, this was pre 9-ll. They each had a back-pack with colour books, games, and snacks and kept themselves happy. The secret, though, is simply to accept situations as they come with as much good will as possible!
Posted by: wmp | Dec 23, 2008 12:33:29 PM
It sometimes helps to get to the airport earlier than usual and ask if there's a seat on an earlier flight that's been delayed; some of the passengers may have made other arrangements, freeing up their seats. Also, if you're on the last flight of the night and it's cancelled, RUN to the counter and (1) reschedule on the earliest available flight of the next day (2) try for a hotel discount voucher and (3) request the overnight kit they give stranded flight personnel - it includes a toothbrush, razor etc.
Posted by: MVG | Dec 23, 2008 5:25:07 PM
i have to say i agree with STAY AT HOME. i have declined to travel for the last 8 years on "the holidays" since the last time I traveled, I boarded a super crowded plane on DEc 25, only to be amongst the rudest, unhappy bunch of people i've ever flown with. EVER! so much for "merry" Christmas. !!!! I have learned to travel during the year and see relatives outside of the usual travel holidays of christmas and thanksgiving. both are not fun
Posted by: spark | Dec 24, 2008 2:41:49 PM
oh...if you MUST travel avoid the "northerly" routes, of Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, and the likes.... if you can.
Posted by: spark | Dec 24, 2008 2:43:01 PM
If the flight is delayed, i always want to relax myself by sleeping or just reading an interesting book, that would last longer and i don't have to concern about the time.
Posted by: Tome | Jan 8, 2009 4:59:46 AM
What's the big deal? We all know flight schedules are wishful thinking. Seriously, I look at them the way I look at bus schedules "hmm, this route's fairly frequently covered in the morning, but only a couple times in the p.m." or whatever. If your incoming flight is delayed due to weather, your outgoing one may be too. Just go from your flight to your connection gate, and then see how much time you have for the potty, restaurants, extra loops on the monorail, etc. Plan to spend time en route, take along snacks, clean undies, and stuff to do. Ditto for the kids. You don't have to train them like dogs; just be normal and they will be too.
The one thing airlines could and SHOULD do is make tip #5 possible by giving accurate estimates of length of delay as soon as possible instead of the creeping crud they usually do. Kids (and grownups) explode after a couple hours of being told "almost there...just a few more minutes". The best results I've gotten trying to get airlines to be honest come from using my kid, either pointing out that I need to know whether we can break out a toy from his backpack, or claiming he has to go potty, and I wonder if there's enough time.
As for trouble traveling Dec 25; we do it every year, and there's almost never a delay. Santa comes to our house, then we fly to Gma and Gpas, arriving just as my sister and her kids arrive by car. Flights are usually not very full, at least at midday, and folks respond well to a cheery greeting or acknowledgment that they're working on a holiday.
Posted by: jen | Jan 13, 2009 9:37:47 PM
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