Monday 22 February 2016

7 Tips To Ease A Fear Of Flying

I love traveling and I've always loved flying, when I was a child it was my favourite part of the whole holiday. I always wanted to get to the airport early just to see the planes, this love of planes still hasn't left me but about two years ago I got on a plane and nearly had a panic attack I was heading back to Gatwick and my palms were sweating, I felt like the plane was getting smaller, I wanted to vomit, my heart was racing and I needed air and to top it off the flight was delayed. This flight was the scariest flight I had ever been on and I had been on at least 20 flights already by this point. I remember I started to panic more knowing I still had four hours to go on this "tiny tin can" (after the delay) and I was panicking more and more. I remember falling asleep and waking up and falling back to sleep again and feeling like I had actually passed out rather than falling asleep. It was a nightmare! 
Looking back on it now I know I was silly to panic but my next flight after that had me scared too, but this time I was making myself scared more than the actual flight was. I knew I had to stop this fear as travel is such a massive part of my life and I couldn't let it control me or my love of flying. 

Here are my 7 tips to ease a fear of flying

1) Distract yourself
Keeping yourself distracted is the best thing to do on the plane if you have a fear of flying. Listening to music, watching movies, reading books and doing puzzles such as Sudoku are great ways to distract to yourself. Keeping your mind occupied will keep you sane.

2) Research planes
This could make things worse but I know seeing TV shows about plane crashes have actually helped me remember how safe air travel actually is. If you compare the flight to other modes of transport I actually read somewhere "You're more likely to get in an accident on your way to the airport than on your flight".

3) Choose your own seat
All airlines allow you to choose what seat you want, some charge and some do not but for peace of mind it's always great to choose your own seat. Picking an aisle seat will help if you also suffer from claustrophobia as it allows you to get up am roam the plane easier. I love window seats, I like to see what the plane is flying over but of course if you're scared of heights having a window seat could make you more nervous. If you can't choose your own seat you could always ask the person next to you if you could swap, I'm sure they'd understand.

5) Imagine turbulence as speed bumps
I hate turbulence, even the best of flyers do. I always try to think of turbulence as speed bumps or pot holes that I experience daily while driving around London.

6) Speak with the cabin crew
The cabin crew are there to help you and look after you - it's their job! They will know a lot about planes and they will be trained in helping you keep calm and relaxed.

7) Focus on your holiday/Focus on getting home
This helps me every flight I get on! On my outbound flight all I think about is the amazing holiday I'm about to have and on my inbound flight I always think about getting home to my bed (which always feels like a luxury by that point). 

Do you have any other tips to ease the fear of flying? Are you scared of flying?

30 comments:

  1. I love travelling too but I have a completely irrational fear of flying. I have no idea where it comes from and I couldn't even finish reading your post because the thought of flying fills me with so much dread I was starting to hyperventilate!

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  2. i hate flying! i flew to china 2 years ago 28h in total and it was the worst ever! i need teleportation ;p

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  3. Great tips- my mum is a really bad flyer. Will have to pass this on.

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  4. Seeing turbulence as speed bumps is a really good way of looking at it. I really hate turbulence.

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  5. Funnily enough I've never been afraid of flying BUT we've going to Disney World in Sept and I am nervous! So very nervous - these will be fab tips for easy that - thank you :)

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  6. I was so petrified getting on the plane to travel to Thailand last year. All sorts went through my head and to think the flight was over 10 hours long it petrified me even more, but it actually wasn't too bad!

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  7. These are great tips, I like the one about focusing on your holiday or on going home and not on the flight :)

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  8. some great tips I have to say that I love flying even the 26 hour flight to Australia didnt out me off and that was on 3 different planes

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  9. I am not scared of flying but it does make me feel very sick. I think that this tips would definitely come in handy on a long haul flight for sure!

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  10. I love planes too - mainly because of the excitement of going away! I struggled a little on my most recent flight, I was pregnant and felt really claustrophobic - I had to really concentrate on not losing it.

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  11. Great tips if you have a fear of flying. I've never had an issue with flying but I know plenty of others that do and keeping busy is always a great way to get through. Download a TV series and just get stuck in x

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  12. I've never hated flying but I do like picking my own seat - I have to have the isle one!

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  13. I'm so glad I'm not in the minority scared of flying, I absolutely love it! My Mum however is the complete opposite, although she is now a lot better. She used to just try and sleep the whole way so she didn't have time to think about it! Also I hear rescue remedy is good? x

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  14. I will have to show my mum this post, as she has never been on a plane as she is terrified

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  15. How strange that you were okay with flying before but then it changed. Some great tips here.

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  16. I enjoy flying. I find it relaxing but now that I have kids it's the opposite.

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  17. I have to admit I have only gone on a plane once, and the idea does frighten me a little about doing it again - so I will have to try this if the time ever arises. x

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  18. I have a friend who loves traveling so much but she has this problem of fear of flying. Your tips are great and will certainly share this with her.

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  19. Some great tips here! Luckily I don't have a fear of flying. Quite the contrary - I've booked myself flying lessons this summer!

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  20. I've never flown before, the thought makes me very anxious! I think finding a distraction is a good tip! I'll certainly give these tips and advice a try when I DO fly! xx

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  21. These are some great tips to bare in mind for my son who hasn't been on a plane yet. He loves planes but might panic when we actually go on one. I have never been bothered about flying as I have done it from being very young which I think is a good trick too

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  22. These are some great tips. I personally love flying, I can actually fly a plane and have a pilots licence. Flying a plane is actually safer than driving a car, just seems more daunting because your high in the sky. x

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  23. I've never had a problem with flying but I do find it rather terrifying sometimes, thanks for the tips!

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  24. Great tips! I'm glad I don't have a fear of flying, in fact I love it but my mum and sister are scared of flying. I will be sure to pass on these tips :)

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  25. Great tips, personally I don't mind flying but I've never gone long haul x

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  26. Myself or my children have luckily never had a fear of flying but I'm sure these tips will be very useful to anyone who does fear flying

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  27. I love the speedbump tip, i am going on a 4 hour flight soon and cannot stop worrying about it, i am doing a post on anxiety soon can i link this please ? x

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    1. Sure, feel free to link back and good luck with your flight x

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  28. I absolutely love flying ... From the airport experience to being up in the air I thoroughly enjoy it. However, I know lots of people who don't & you have some great tips here to help them.

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  29. Good tips. But distraction will not do the job during turbulence. No matter how occupied you keep your mind, another part of the brain - the amygdala - will react when the plane drops. Since the plane drops again and again, it will triggers the release of stress hormones again and again. They build up and cause great distress. The answer is to inhibit the amygdala. Instructions for this is in "SOAR: The Breakthrough Treatment for Fear of Flying" chosen as Amazon editors' favorite 2014 book.

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