Managing Anxiety Before a Long Contract: A Pre-Embarkment Checklist

The days before signing on can be surprisingly emotional: anticipation, dread, guilt about leaving, and the mental checklist that loops at 2 a.m. Anxiety before a long contract is one of the most common reasons seafarers contact me.

Normalise it first

Pre-contract nerves are not a flaw — they are your mind preparing for a genuine separation and a demanding environment. The goal is not to eliminate the nerves, but to stop them from steering.

A pre-embarkment checklist

• Name what you're leaving. Write down what you'll miss most — then plan how to keep it: scheduled calls, photos, a shared journal.
• Agree on communication rhythms. Time-zone-proof your relationship before departure: who calls whom, when, and what to do when connectivity drops.
• Pack your anchors. Exercise gear, music, books, a hobby that travels. These are not luxuries; they are psychological equipment.
• Set one personal goal for the contract. A course, a skill, a savings target — progress you can see keeps the mind steady.
• Book a check-in. Having a first therapy or coaching session already scheduled removes the barrier of reaching out later, when motivation is low.

When it's more than nerves

If anxiety is disrupting sleep for weeks, or you feel dread rather than challenge when thinking of the ship, that's a signal worth taking seriously — a few sessions before departure can change the whole contract.