I recently took a family vacation to Florida. Well, the hubby didn’t come, so it was actually, my mother, my brother, myself and my 2 kids. Right there, I was a little nervous since I have a 3.5 year old who is high maintenance and doesn’t sleep well at night. He is not only hard to put to sleep but then also wakes throughout the night. Sometimes up to 3 times per night.

I NEED to share the responsibility with my partner at night because if I don’t sleep well, (just like you I’m sure) I am setting myself up for an SVT. So between worrying about how I would do on my own all week without my partner to help, plus packing, entertaining my kids, taking care of myself, wondering if our travel plans would go smoothly etc, I really had to prepare to feel my absolute best.

BE PREPARED! This is one of my favorite topics. Being prepared doesn’t happen overnight. being prepared is something that takes time, dedication and preparation in any and  all areas of life. Travel is no different and especially important.

Flying in general can be a trigger due to several factors:

• general stress
• air pressure changes ( I was extremely sensitive to this on this trip)
• dehydration
• fear of terrorism (is that just me?)
• not having what you need when you need it
• not being able to keep your ice water with you
• lack of fresh cool air, it being stuffy, hot mid-flight
• fill in your personal stressors here….

The night before I left, I started to feel feverish, what are the chances!!! Needless to say that amplified my stress. So…I did EVERYTHING within my control to avoid getting sick, such as load up on my homeopathy, drink ginger tea, use warm compresses and meditate!  BUT it was almost funny, that on top of everything, I was now having to combat some kind of illness.

PLUS, I was DUE for my menstrual cycle the DAY I WAS LEAVING. Talk about a line up of events to put me at high risk for SVT. I had ALL the risk factors in place!

The Universe sure does love to test my ability to avoid SVT!!

As I discuss in my first foundational e-guide, The Indispensable Guide to Navigating SVT: What you need to know to start your Journey of Healing, (which side note, I am actually thinking about re-naming to read, The Integrative Approach to Navigating SVT ) SVT TRIGGERS are different than the CORE FOUR (the underlying reasons). They are different stages on the healing specturm.  Triggers can only effect you when you have a weak foundation which is caused by gut issues, depletion and so many other underlying factors within those core four layers. BUT, no matter how much you have addressed core contributors, triggers can remain an issue. Especially when you have 10 of your triggers in one day, without sleep and being sick or hormonal. These are high risk SVT moments!

Here is what helped me to avoid an SVT the night before my trip, on my trip and in general.

• I planned and prepared for months ahead of time.  Planning is essential to staying calm when you have kids and SVT. I made lists of everything I wanted to bring and slowly bought the travel version of it if available. I did not wait till the last minute at all.
• I pre-packed what I could. I thoughtfully  planned where to put things I needed and abided by the flying regulations as per what you can take on the plane, check and go through security with. I did not want security to suddenly “throw away” something that I needed, cost 40.00 and would give me a panic attack.
• I ate like a rock star for over a month prior to traveling. I think of it like training for the olympics. How would you train and prepare for any important event? Since traveling alone with my kids felt like a massive ordeal, I needed to take it seriously.  I cut all questionable food and ate super clean. So the usual gluten free, plus I added in dairy free and sugar free, super foods, and just amped up my eating in general.
• I increased all my greens and vitamins for one month.
• I maintained my workout routine and felt fit and strong. Ready to lift bags and my 55 pound 3 year old.
• I thought about how I would spend my vacation and focused on the sun, how it would feel on my skin, how I would enjoy getting up and using the gym facility overlooking the ocean. I imagined all the delicious food that I wouldn’t have to shop for or cook myself and how nice it would be to eat salmon and veggies by the ocean. I aligned with the energy of relaxing, and used the law of attraction in my favor to help me connect with and manifest what I wanted to experience.
• I chose a destination that I felt comfortable with. I had a kitchen, a blender,  my smoothie ingredients and anything else I needed to feel safe and proactive. Its OK to take ridiculously good care of yourself and have what you need. I personally wouldnt be able to go on a jungle safari at this stage in my life. I planned a trip that felt right for me at this time. There were people to help with my kids, a hospital near by, a Whole Foods, and it felt familiar and within my comfort zone. It was a good trip for me because soon I will be traveling a bit more outside my comfort zone and this was a great step. (I used to travel anywhere on earth by the way, but that was before kids and when when both I, and the world, felt more carefree!)

While I was away I took a few videos (well 4 videos) to show you exactly what I brought with me. You will see all my products, and learn about exactly what is in my travel bag and what I use to avoid SVT! ! Enjoy!

Video 1

When I pause the first video to ten to my kids, just move on to Video 2 below…

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4 (Sorry this last one is sideways…not sure why that happened or how to fix it!!!??

Hope you enjoyed seeing my travel display….That was a lot of stuff right??? How much do you take with you? Did you learn anything good from my videos?

Hope you enjoyed a sneak peek into my travel bag,

Happy Travels!

xo