Flying Fears

Alright, so let’s address the elephant in the room: you’re nervous about flying. Maybe just anxious. Maybe you’re really scared. Actually, you’re terrified – perhaps that’s the best word to describe how you feel.

I’m going to let you in on a secret: me too! I feel ALL of those things about flying. But I’m also a little excited about the trip – dig deep because I bet you are too!

They say you should identify why you’re scared: turbulence? Falling? Impending doom?

So here’s the thing, I’m actually most scared of the fear and anxiety that would overcome me if something bad (anything bad) happens. So in actuality, I’m not scared of one specific thing happening like the door opening up or a wing falling off, but rather what I would DO if one of those things happened. How am I going to react if I get sick up there? How will I react if I feel claustrophobic? Will I be able to keep my anxiety under control if the landing is really bumpy?

What I’m trying to get at is this: to me, it doesn’t matter what you’re scared of. Flying can be frightening, but maybe the more you read, the better you’ll feel. So here are tips from me, someone who doesn’t love flying, about flying:

Have faith!

Put your trust in God. I prayed during takeoff, multiple times in the air, and during the entire landing. I constantly reminded myself that ‘God has you firmly in His hand’ and then I actually pictured his hand underneath the plane moving us along. It helped to keep my anxiety at bay because I could feel his presence.

The plane is happiest in the air.

I will embarrassingly admit that personifying the plane almost helped me with my fear the most. Thinking of the plane as a living creature that is “happiest in the air” somehow made me feel more at ease. Just as a caged animal is more at home in the wild, a plane is most at home when it’s flying. However, you don’t have to personify it if you don’t want to. Frankly, planes are meant to fly; that’s what they’re built for. Try to put trust in knowing that the plane was created for the very purpose of flying.

There are literally thousands upon thousands of planes that fly every day.

I read there are over 25,000 flights per day in the United States; 50,000 worldwide. The exact number is all over the board, but you should have confidence that out of all of those flights, the chances of yours being unsafe is near zero. It might make you feel even less alone to know that a whopping 8 million people are on those flights every single day and each and every one of them survives the trip.

Turbulence won’t stop the plane from flying.

Turbulence is 100% natural and 100% normal. To be honest, there’s a good chance you’ll experience at least some turbulence on your flight, but that doesn’t make it dangerous. Pilots see turbulence as an inconvenience for passengers, not as a safety issue of the plane. The last flight I was on, the pilot came over the loud speaker and apologized for the bumpy ride and then thanked everyone for being patient while they maneuvered their way through the air, assuring us that they would turn the seatbelt sign back off when we reached smoother air. Speaking of the seatbelt sign, don’t panic when the pilot turns this on during a rough ride. They don’t turn it on because they foresee something bad happening, they turn it on because it’s an airline liability if someone is up walking around and they fall because of turbulence. Try to relax into the bumps and let your body move with it. Turbulence can be uncomfortable, but you’re not in any danger.

Distract yourself.

I used to have the notion that if I wasn’t paying attention to the plane and worrying about its every move, that something bad was going to happen. I’ve since realized that that isn’t true. I always listen to music. I’ve read in the past. Last time, I brought along colored pencils and a few coloring pages because that’s what I do at home when my nerves get the best of me. You might want to bring a tablet to play on or a deck of cards if you’re not flying alone. Most major airlines now offer devices that you can rent ($5 -$10) for the flight so that you can watch movies and/or TV shows.

If you’ve flown before, choose the seat you feel most comfortable in.

It might sound obvious, but if you’ve figured out what seat you’re most comfortable in, sit there. Or if you’ve flown and have always sat in a window seat (like I have) then that’s where you should sit. The point here is that you want to feel as comfortable and familiar with the plane as possible. If you enjoy flying closer to the front, or over the wing, then that’s where you should try to sit, even if it costs a little extra to specifically pick your seat.

Practice deep breathing.

Whenever you start to feel panic setting in, breathe. Deep breathe. Big breaths. In through your nose, pause, out through your mouth. Don’t wait until you completely lose your cool to practice your deep breathing. You want to try to avoid a full-fledged attack and breathing deeply will absolutely help you accomplish that.

Imagine the plane landing safely.

Sometimes, no matter what you do, you still might feel worried about the ‘what ifs,’ but every time a negative thought enters your mind, imagine the plane landing safely on the runway. Try to focus on the things you have to do once you land: collect all your belongings, double check to make sure you don’t leave anything behind, grab your luggage from baggage claim, and find a ride to your final destination. It’s easy to make a plan once you center your attention on what needs to be done once you’re off the plane.

So there you have it. That’s my list of tips. It got me through this last flight and it’s the same list of things that will help me get through them in the future. I’ll admit that I sought anti anxiety medication and when I tried it a few days beforehand, I didn’t like the way it made me feel. So I found other ways to deal with the anxiety rather than medication.

In the end, it’s all about your mindset. Positive thoughts bring about positive results. And try not to let a plane ride ruin the excitement about your upcoming trip!