HOW TO CONTROL THE FEAR OF FLYING!

I know I’m not the only one in the world who suffers panic and anxiety attacks during a flight and this can be embarrassing and uncomfortable. It has taken me several trips to control this and sometimes my efforts are not enough. I’m not an expert on this matter but I can tell you the things I’ve done that have helped me a lot.

First of all, you have to acknowledge what exactly is triggering your fear. In my case for example, it started with 9/11. I was 11 years old and what happened was so horrible that I still think about it when I’m inside of an airplane. Eventually, I started watching a TV show on Nat Geo about airplane crashes and it increased my negative thoughts towards flying.

So when I analyzed myself, I realized that the anxiety is triggered no only with the fear of crashing and the feeling of not having control of the situation at all (add a little bit of claustrofobia as well), but with the thoughts that take over my head: it gets worse when the plane takes off, during turbulence and landing.

Basically I have like 5 minutes of peace and nobody should go through this uncontrollable emotions. The fear started to increase everytime I traveled and when my first panic attack happened (it was actually this year 2017) I made a list of possible actions that could help me control the anxiety. It’s hard work, don’t expect it to be a miracle solution because it depends on your commitment of training your body and mind.

Try what makes you feel more comfortable at your own timing, don’t try to rush in overcoming or controlling your fear. We are unique human beings and react differently to situations.

Understand that fear is a normal and primitive reaction when you feel threatened. Don’t try to force you, just take baby steps, let your emotions flow and at the same time, try to train yourself to manage the fear in a healthy way.

CHOSE A SEAT THAT CAN MAKE YOU FEEL MORE SECURE

I started reading about statistics on plane crashes (yes, I know it’s not healthy but flying has become a fobia instead of a fear) and I realized that if you sit next to the aisle and on the back of a plane, have more probabilities of surviving. I’m not saying you should do this but it something that makes me feel more secure and calm during a flight. I still have a big chance of dying if the plane crashes but I like to stick to probabilities.

CLOSE THE PLANE WINDOW

When I was traveling to New York on August, 2017 I started crying when the plane took off and the guy sitting next to me, realized I needed some kind of help. He seemed uncomfortable and what he did, made me feel calmer. He just closed the window so I couldn’t see the clouds. I started to imagine that I was in a bus and not in the air and felt better.

Give it a try…it works better if you combine it with breathing slowly.

IF YOU DO LIKE SITTING NEXT TO THE WINDOW…

You can actually enjoy the views after taking off. If you’re a religious person, you can also thank God for the amazing cloud landscapes you’re able to see. That’s a luxury a few can afford and you’ve been blessed with the chance of watching light and color spectacles from above. I tried this one time when I traveled to Seattle and it worked amazingly but I got to tell you that right now, I need more than that to stop the panic attacks.

BREATHING IS THE KEY

This is something a psychologist told me once: the key of controlling your emotions and training your mind depends on your practice and ability to control the way you breathe.

When I’m experiencing a panic attack, I fell a pressure on my chest and it’s hard to breathe so you have to be prepared if that happens and try your best to breathe deeply for 9 seconds, hold it for another 5-9 seconds and exhale slowly.

Repeat as long as you can and it would be easier to think. The fear is still going to be there, but you’ll be able to control your body more easily. Try to read, look for a course and practice breathing exercises. Mediation and yoga are great for controlling your mind and body too. Mental health and stability would become an extra benefit you’ll achieve from learning to connect with yourself.

CARRY A PROTECTION AMULET

I always carry a religious medal my grandma gave me. I don’t like religions at all but this has been my protection amulet because it has a special meaning. I try to carry it around my neck so I can feel it on my skin. When I feel the anxiety coming, I press the amulet against my hand, close my eyes and visualize it shinning, giving me peace and start controlling my breathing.

It may sound stupid but I don’t care. Every time I see or think about a new way of overcoming my fear I do it. Besides that, carrying a gift that means so much to me, make me think of my grandma whom I love deeply. She is my angel on earth and remembering her makes me smile as well.

INVESTIGATE AND LEARN

I’m always paying attention of the sounds the airplane does every minute of the flight. Sometimes if the sound of the engines increase I start to get anxious because I imagine that it’s going to explode. If on the contrary, the sound gets smoother I get anxious because I imagine it stopped working and we’re going to crash. I don’t know if some of you have had those kind of thoughts but let me explain to you the basics: this stories I used to made up in my mind are the result of complete ignorance about airplanes.

I got so worried about my obsession with sounds during a flight, that a part of training my mind was starting to learn about how an airplane works. I asked and read about it and the doubts I had about turbulence, sounds and even weird movements and angles the plane does were explained. After that, I was more able to control the thoughts I had and it was easier to manage anxiety.

AVOID TV SHOWS, START READING

Like I said before, there was a time when I started watching a really interesting show in Nat Geo about plane crashes. They explained what happened, why it happened and the things the airline did to avoid the incident from happening again. It was very educational but for some reason I started getting a little bit obssesed. I hated it because I felt how my insecurity was increasing but I found them very educational at the same time.

Eventually, I realized I had to stop watching them because my fear of flying was increasing. Every time I was about to take off, I remembered an specific episode and the panic attack started right away.

So if this happens I advice you to start reading books about training your mind with positive thoughts or listening/watching speeches of Tony Robbins or Jim John for example. If you haven’t heard them, go ahead: truly amazing and it has helped me with self-confidence and goal achieving as well!! Be surrounded with what makes you grow, not what makes you fearful or negative! Start reading and learning about how turbulence works and why this happens so you can feel more secure during flights.

Plane crashes are not that common and you have more chances to die in a car accident than flying. I've heard the statistics and I try to belive them. After all, it makes sense.

DON’T GIVE UP

Don’t feel disappointed or frustrated if you can’t control the anxiety on your first try. Don’t over think it either, every flight is a new opportunity of training. I know it can be exhausting. Sometimes after a flight, I ended up with gastritis, headaches and nauseas because of the stress caused by the anxiety and fear. I didn’t give up, I kept trying and trying until I started to feel better. But I have to confess that it’s hard sometimes, specially since I don’t take flights everyday and I can’t practice as much as I would like to.

So, if you don’t travel that often, you can still train your mind to avoid negativity and increase the happy thoughts , concentrate on your goals and raise your self-confidence. Believe me, this helps with every aspect of your life and eventually, when you travel, it would be easier to overcome fears. Being afraid is part of being a human and you don't have to let it define you.

Trust, love and respect your mind, It will get better, believe that. Work harder to reduce the anxiety even though you feel is pointless. Failure is when you stop trying, so motivate yourself everyday, everytime and your body will start responding in a positive way.

TAKE PILLS OR TEA

Take sleeping pills: this is one of my last resources and I don’t actually recommend this unless you have an emergency situation. I hate taking pills. You must have a medical opinion to take this in consideration. Self-medication is NEVER a good choice. I have the approval of my doctor and despite this, I don’t do it every time I take a flight, only if I’m unable to control my panic attack after 1 or 2 hours of trying or if I have a really long flight or more than 2 stops.

Another option is to look for natural pills such as the ones made of tilo or drink a cup of tea before the flight: tilo tea, valerian, among others. I prefer to challenge my mind and make an effort to control it. Taking pills is sometimes a way to avoid working on the root of the problem and I’m actually the kind of person that believes in the power of mind and thoughts.

With time and patience, it will get better. The last flight I had from New York to Costa Rica, we had turbulence the whole journey. We were about to land and suddenly the plane turned around in an aggressive movement and people started to worry. After being in an uncomfortable angle, the pilot told us that there was a plane on the track about to take off and people from air control warned him late. This is something really unusual but it happened. We stayed on the air for about forty minutes before we could actually land. Despite this, I was able to control myself and breathe slowly to manage the fear. Like I said, it has taken me several flights, practice, commitment and patience.