Three grueling months later and I’ve finally done it: everything I own fits into a 20-inch suitcase, a backpack, and a plastic storage bin that now resides in my aunt’s attic.
I set out for Paris in less than a week. It’s my first stop of many as I wander around Europe for the next few months. I’m terrified, and yet I have never felt more free.
In a way, it feels like I’m just now beginning to live. And I’m so excited.
Underneath the excitement is, of course, the natural anxiety that arises with leaving my comfort zone and setting out for the unknown.
In moments like these, it helps to remind myself that both anxiety and excitement produce nearly identical bodily sensations. Racing heartbeat, flushed cheeks, sweaty palms. It is up to me to choose to perceive these sensations as positive. It comes down to focusing on the good – allowing positive thoughts to flourish and therefore drown out the negative ones. The journey to mastering the mind is a long one, but well worth it.
While preparing for my trip, I’ve been reading “Wanderess” by Nikki Vargas and Elise Fitzsimmons. There’s this quote in it by Envita Robinson that I love. It goes like this:
“Put that fear in your back pocket long enough to get on the plane and go. Anticipatory anxiety and analysis paralysis are both the death of so many dreams and experiences that never come to fruition. Don’t let that be your life story.”
There comes a time in life when dreaming isn’t enough. You must buy that plane ticket, pack your bags, and go. As my mom always says, “do it scared”. Be nervous, be afraid, be terrified. But don’t you dare let that stop you. Do it anyway. Do it scared.
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