06/12/2024
Are you an Over Packer? It's okay, this is a safe space.... I admit I have gotten better.... Returned from a 3 day trip last week and had 4 articles of clothing I had not worn. That's good for me.
What causes you to over pack?
When you’re traveling, not everything is at your fingertips,” says therapist Alyssa Mairanz, owner of Empower Your Mind Therapy in New York City. “You might not know the area, you might even be somewhere you don’t speak the language. So you’re more worried about how to get around and find things.”
Psychologist Michele Leno, founder and owner of DML Psychological Services in Detroit; says.....travelers may cope by packing what she describes as “self-soothing items.” (For her, that’s a fan that helps her sleep at night.)
Travelers who overpack may also exaggerate the ramifications of being without an item or catastrophize, says Mairanz. “What’s the worst-case scenario if I don’t pack all this extra stuff? It’s usually ‘I’ll have to buy something there’ or ‘I’ll have to rewear outfits,’” she says. “Usually the worst-case scenario of not having everything is really not as catastrophic as it feels.”
