Category:

Travel

Living Free and Spontaneous

{Malibu, California}

This may be my quickest blogpost to date, which is uncharacteristic of me because I’m such a perfectionist when it comes to writing. But I wanted to give a personal update since I haven’t posted about my life in recent weeks on here. Looking back at my posts from 2015, I recognize how much I’ve grown and changed my lifestyle and career to prioritize myself and what’s important for me, my family, friends, and patients. I recall writing this post last year on my desire to explore new places and live freely after all my restrictive years in medical training, and must say that I’ve lived up to my words in 2016!

The pic above was taken recently during the Malibu Wine Safari tour as part of my birthday celebration last month (thanks to my brother for the birthday gift!) and today I’m taking off for a last minute, spontaneous international trip to a country I’m super excited to visit, but honestly wasn’t prepared for since this California girl isn’t used to the rapidly changing and varied climate of this country (hint: the name of the country sounds very cold and is an island). Hence, the quick blogpost today since I need to go finish packing before my flight leaves in a few hours!

If you’d like to follow along on my adventures, be sure to follow me on my Snapchat (@freudandfashion)!! PS: in addition to my daily adventures, I also post educational material on mental health and show my humorous side via parodies about shrinks.

Photo by Alex Manipod

June 10, 2016 11 comments

Psychiatry Travel

Coping With Travel Anxiety

written by freudandfashion

{Miami Beach, Florida}

With the summer season fast approaching, many have upcoming plans for vacation, which may trigger high levels of anxiety related to travel. Several of my patients request medications to alleviate anxiety to have on hand for their upcoming trips (mostly a small supply of anxiolytics such as benzodiazepines or sleep aids). Though I travel often, I also experience feeling anxious with each trip and have a routine that I religiously perform a few days before in effort to minimize my anxiety. My routine seems pretty standard to me, but I’ve traveled with several people who are either much more last-minute and disorganized or plan everything months in advance and arrive at the airport 2-3 hours early. Long story short — everyone’s different, so find out which techniques/strategies work best for you.

In effort to find the most common causes of anxiety related to travel, I performed a literature search (the number of studies are limited and all of them pretty old before the year 2000) and discovered a research article titled “Anxiety and Health Problems Related to Air Travel,” a study led by Dr. Iain McIntosh which identified frequency of perceived anxiety at certain stages of travel and use of strategies to reduce the anxiety. The results are summarized as follows:

Stages of air travel with highest frequency of perceived anxiety:
- Take-off and landing
- Flight delays
- Customs and baggage reclaim
Strong relationship between overall anxiety and frequency of reported health problems
- Women have slightly more health problems related to air travel than men
Most frequently used anxiety-reduction methods:
- Alcohol use (one third of the surveyed participants)
- Distraction or relaxation techniques
- Doctor-prescribed or over-the-counter medication (5%)

Since I’m always on the lookout for resources to provide my patients, I found the following links useful:

Articles on tips to cope with travel anxiety: “10 Tips For Nervous Flyers,” “How to Relieve Flying Anxiety,” “10 Foolproof Tricks to Beat Flight Anxiety.”
Apps specifically for anxiety: 5 Apps To Help You Cope With Anxiety
Travel Apps: App For That!, Best Travel Apps for 2015
- I personally use the following apps, which decrease my anxiety about traveling to new places: specific airline carrier apps (to check flight status, etc), Uber, Yelp, Instagram (several travel bloggers have accounts & may even respond to any questions you post to their account), Skype, Kayak, Hotel Tonight

And, in conclusion, I personally recommend the following techniques to make sure your anxiety doesn’t get the best of you:

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to have the PERFECT trip. I used to be guilty of this and would feel bummed if I forgot to do something on my “must-see/must-do” list. Putting too much pressure on yourself creates more stress rather than being present and fully enjoying each moment of your vacation.
Take some time-out to re-energize yourself. Especially to the introverts out there — visiting the most touristy places means LOTS of people and crowds, which can be manageable, yet in small doses. If you find yourself feeling exhausted after being around hoards of people, then give yourself permission to take some time for a solo activity right after (ie, chill and watch tv or do some reading once you get back to your hotel, etc).

Thought of the Day: Does travel make you anxious? And if so, which strategies help relieve your anxiety/stress?

June 17, 2015 5 comments

Psychiatry therapy Travel

Delayed Journey

written by freudandfashion

Sedona, AZ

Confusion about my career path, difficulties prioritizing, and a busy schedule are the only excuses I have for going eight whole months without writing a blog post. If you asked me one year ago to describe how I envisioned my life would be post-residency, I would have said “happy,” “free,” “liberated,” “fun.” However, a few months after buying my first house, getting my first paycheck, studying three straight months for the Psychiatry board exam, and passing the Psychiatry board exam, I thought to myself — “Is this it? Is this really what I spent 12 grueling years after high school working towards??” Survival was my primary goal throughout medical training, but once I gained confidence and knew I’d survive, I focused on sharpening my clinical skills. Then, finally, I prioritized my time towards getting a job (after all, who wants to spend > $200K on an education and not end up with your dream job?). Yet, throughout my education, there was never mention of the emotional toll that the transition from post-graduate school to real life could take. After graduation, I experienced some “happy” and “free” moments, but had an equal amount of depressing moments (if you’ve read past blog posts, you’ll know this usually involves immersing myself in reality tv and slacking off on workouts). At times, I wished I was back in the student role where you have a built-in support system of friends and supervisors to consult on a regular basis. I have a wonderful job, but am still waiting for some form of delayed gratification.

I eventually grew tired of sitting around and waiting, so I went on trips in hopes to gain clarity and direction on the next steps to take in life.

I stopped beating myself up about having a lazy exercise routine and joined a Crossfit gym.

Photos courtesy of CFA

Then, moved into my new home.

I’m not 100% certain of what’s next in my life journey, but I’m happy to say that I’m stronger than ever, finally moving forward, and excited to find out!

What types of things have you done to gain clarity when you’ve felt stuck?

September 5, 2013 18 comments

Travel

Oregon Trails

written by freudandfashion

The countdown of the last eight years of medical school and residency seemed never-ending, but the remaining seven weeks until graduation seem to fly by way too fast. So much has happened in the last six months since my latest blogpost, which includes securing a new job as an outpatient psychiatrist back home in southern California, finishing my final duties as chief resident, starting/leading a bipolar support group, gaining confidence in my abilities as a psychotherapist, and feeling sentimental about my treasured time spent in Oregon. I anticipate the next few weeks to be packed with fun-filled exploration of the great Northwest, which I plan to share with all of you, starting with a few photos from recent trips to Silverton and the Oregon coast.

May 8, 2012 4 comments

Travel

Sunset, Sunrise

written by freudandfashion

{another sunset in Waikiki}

Written on May 10, 2011…

I just returned from an extremely quick and busy trip to Oahu, then LA, then the Philippines, then nor-cal, and now back to Oregon. Overall, my trip was amazing, inspirational, sad, surreal, spiritual, traditional, and much more words I can’t even recall due overwhelming jet-lag. Unforgettable. I’ve watched the sun rise and set in many places, but never has the daily event inspired so much meaning…until the sun rose on the day of my grandmother’s funeral on May 7, 2011. Each day is marked by a beginning and an end, but the memory of my grandmother’s laughter and love I will never forget.

Happy Birthday Lola…I miss you…

July 27, 2011 1 comment

Travel

Spring Break Away

written by freudandfashion

{Sausalito, CA. The day was initially stormy, but the sun appeared just moments after}

I promised not to complain about weather, but it’s currently dark, cold, and intermittently rainy here. A tiny bit of sunshine could easily brighten my mood and day. In the meantime, I’ll takes a few moments to reminisce about recent trips to escape the dreariness until my next tropical vacation.

{South Beach ~ Miami Beach, FL}

{Oahu, HI}

{Home. Northern CA}

April 17, 2011 1 comment

Travel

Oregon Winter

written by freudandfashion

{View from my window}

I just returned from a weekend in Sacramento and San Francisco where the weather was perfectly chilly, sunny, and breezy. Yet, prior to my flight to nor-cal, I experienced two snowy days in Oregon where I’m sure that I’m the only one who initially stared out the window in fear about having to commute in the snow. I’ve grown accustomed to texting fellow residents for driving tips and religiously checking weather.com to ensure I can tackle the snowy roads without problem, but have decided that instead of being constantly worried, I’m going to savor and enjoy the rest of my second Winter in Oregon no matter how snowy, icy, or rainy the weather may be.

{Is it nerdy that this pic reminds me of bronchioles?}

February 28, 2011 3 comments

Food Psychiatry Travel

Organizing Thoughts

written by freudandfashion

After returning from a child psychiatry conference in LA, I had a busy week adjusting to a new work schedule and became overwhelmingly anxious trying to multitask solving patients’ problems and my growing list of “things to do.” Last night I realized that if I had a patient with a similar situation, I’d tell them to write an actual list of “things to do” (I tend to to be lazy to write lists and instead take “mental notes” which clearly didn’t work for me last week) and rank them in terms of priority. I wrote a list this morning and already checked off two items (change my tires, drop off dry cleaning) and up next includes laundry and cleaning my messy apartment. Lists should also include relaxing, rewarding activities as well (balance is key!), so after cleaning I’m off to a pedicure party and dinner with girlfriends. I’m looking forward to tackling the upcoming work week already.

Here are some pics from my most recent trip to LA:

{Liquid Nitrogen Caipirinha at The Bazaar}

{liquid olives–I”ll never think of an olive the same way again}

{an amazing $8 cup of tea}

{dessert display at the SLS Beverly Hills}

{Rodeo Drive at night}

February 6, 2011 0 comment

Travel

New Year’s Resolutions

written by freudandfashion

I spent New Year’s weekend in Los Angeles and had a perfect, relaxing New Year’s eve at home and away from fixe prixe restaurants and nightclubs (I truly believe Oregon life has changed me). I initially told myself that I wouldn’t create resolutions for the new year, but later sided with tradition and the need for goals to strive towards personal improvement. Here are a few from my list:

1. Make daily efforts to de-clutter my apartment.

2. Master techniques using my D-SLR.

3. Spend less time vegging on the couch watching tv after work.

4. Write blog posts more frequently.

{Santa Monica sunset}

January 9, 2011 1 comment

Travel

Meaning of a Pomegranate

written by freudandfashion

{Pomegranates growing in my parents’ backyard}

This year marked the first Thanksgiving spent in my family’s new house, which I feared might be a sad experience since I knew how much my family loved our previous home. As soon as I walked through the door, I immediately felt a sense of comfort walking into a wide, gorgeous space that had astonishing similarities to our last home. Even more comforting was seeing my entire family together smiling and laughing with no visible signs of the overwhelming stress that took place just weeks before the holiday. Yet, what struck me the most about this house was discovering a pomegranate tree in the backyard. At that moment, I immediately recalled fond childhood memories of picking and eating pomegranates from the tree my grandfather planted in my parents’ first home. It’s one of the fruit trees my grandfather meticulously cared for, and to me, represents regeneration, strength, and growth. Not only did I feel thankful for spending a momentous weekend with family, but also for being reminded of my grandfather watching over us.

December 4, 2010 2 comments

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