Hi! This is my first post here and I hope some of you can help me. I'm 20 y/o and I have had anxiety for about 5 years. I've had therapy and been on medication in the past, but at the minute I'm not on anything or seeing anyone. Recently my anxiety has been really bad and I haven't been able to go out without either my mum or boyfriend. I'm feeling really down and I'm scared that I'm going to have to live with this forever. I always see people posting on these forums saying that they have had anxiety for 10/20 years. I had hoped and thought that I would be able to get to a point where my anxiety doesn't bother me, but when I see people saying that they have been struggling for that long I just get so disheartened.
Anyway, I wanted to ask about anxiety around being away from home. I have always been weird about sleeping away from my comfort zone. I went on a week long holiday abroad this past summer with my family and I hated it. I got through it, but I was miserable. I can never stay in a friend's house overnight unless my mum or boyfriend are with me. I have to go away with my mum for three days at the end of this week. I will be staying in a hotel which is a four hour drive from home. Although I'm going to be with my mum and I will only be gone for three days, I am really worried. I know it's no use thinking "what if I get a panic attack during the night" but I have to be realistic because I more than likely will have a panic attack. I always feel so unsafe when I'm away from home and I worry that something bad will happen to me. The unfamiliar environment makes me so uneasy. Does anyone have any tips for dealing with this? The last thing I want is to be feeling out of my mind for the whole trip due to crippling anxiety. I need to be able to function to get things done. Please help!