Flying...

Ok, I may be more qualified to empathize with you on this topic than any other topic ever discussed on EC... I have been petrified of flying since day one on earth. And yet because of my work I fly probably 20-30 times each year. So I had to learn coping skills or get another job...

From my own experience there is no one single "silver bullet", so I'll offer a mix of things that have worked for me. I guess the good news is that while I wouldn't call myself totally over my fear of flying and I still get nervous sometimes, I am able to manage this fear so that I can still do a lot of flying.

The first thing is to understand flying intimately. To that end, I would strongly recommend that you get the book "Flying Without Fear" by Duane Brown. He takes the approach that knowledge is central to overcoming fear of flying, and it has helped me greatly. It makes a big difference to know what all those noises and the steps of the process are, so you're not worrying over normal things. You might as well save your anxiety for when things are really going wrong... :icon_wink

The second thing I would recommend is to use music to calm you down when you fly. Bring your iPod or mp3 player along. I always bring headphones rather than ear buds so that I can block out much of the noises and really hear the music. Most of the time I prefer to listen to meditation music or "Solutides" kind of stuff because it is the most soothing, but sometimes I'll also just put on my playlist and start boppin' to Scissor Sisters... :icon_redf

I find there is a relationship between the body's nervous responses to fear and food/drink, so I have learned to manage what I eat and drink before and during when I fly. Caffeine is a stimulant which is the last thing I need to be during flying, so no coffee before or during. Alcohol also raises pulse rates, so no drinking either. And nervous responses are amplified by a full stomach, so I won't eat for 6 hours prior to a flight if I can avoid it. Managing food and drink like this helps me stay calm during a flight.

A good book is great when flying if it can take your mind off the flight. Same with a movie if they're showing one, or if you bring a laptop you can watch a dvd or even do some work that you find engaging. Taking your mind off flying is important to managing it, so anything that keeps you occupied is good.

I find it important to understand and cope with turbulence, because that is most unnerving to me. Part of this came through an understanding of what turbulence is and how planes are designed to handle extremes of turbulence. Go to YouTube and watch one of the videos of how Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers test the strength of an airplane's wings by flapping them... it gives you an idea of just how strong planes really are. My bro-in-law is a pilot and he says that most pilots find flying boring and so they look forward to turbulence because it breaks up the monotony of their day...

I hope this helps you out. Flying is my #1 fear in life and yet I can do it regularly, so if I can do it then there's hope for everyone! :icon_bigg

 

I found I only get nervous during takeoffs and landings. The whole "flying" part doesn't seem to be much of an issue for me. For the times I do get nervous, I just work on distracting myself during those periods. Because once we've landed (obviously), there's not much to fear, and once we're pretty much airborne, I'm not nervous anymore. I found I have to distract myself with something that takes a lot of brain power - something I really have to focus on. Easy books, books I've read before, inflight magazines - too easy to get distracted during. One thing I like are those "Spot the Difference" puzzles, because they require me to really focus my eyes on them.



Not sure they'll help you any, but it might be worth a shot.

Lex