How I Overcame my Anxiety and Fear of Flying

I’m not a fan of flying. I get really nervous every time I’m on a plane. It’s gotten better over the years, but it’s still not my favorite thing to do.

A while ago, I decided that I needed to get over my fear of flying if I wanted to travel more. So, I started researching how to overcome this fear and came up with some tips that have helped me. If you’re someone who hates flying (or is just nervous about it), read on for ways that you can overcome your fear!

First and foremost, you need to talk about it.

If you’re too embarrassed or ashamed to share your fear with your friends and family, you’re probably not going to want to talk about it. But, if you’re too afraid to share your fear, how can you expect to overcome it?

I developed a deep fear of flying after a few bad experiences on planes (I’m looking at you, turbulence). This kept me from traveling to many amazing places, but I didn’t want this fear to dictate my life anymore. So, one day I decided to do something about it.

I’m not someone who talks to strangers on planes, but I knew that this was my chance. The woman next to me was very talkative, so I decided to take advantage of that. I told her about my fear of flying, and she told me about her fear of spiders.

At first, I was a little embarrassed to talk about it with someone I had just met. But after a while, I realized that it felt good to get it off of my chest. So, I talked about it more and more with flight attendants, friends, and family. I told them about my fears, and they gave me advice to help overcome them.

After a while, I realized that it didn’t feel so bad to talk about my fear. It almost became like a game, knowing that someone would ask me how I was doing, and I would say, “I’m afraid of flying!” It’s not something that I talk about all the time, but it felt good to tell people about it.

Understand what causes the fear of flying.

Whenever I got on a plane, I felt like I had no control over what would happen. This feeling of helplessness caused me to become extremely anxious.

After a lot of research, I found that this was something that many other people shared with me. So, I started looking for ways to regain my sense of control.

One thing that helped me was understanding what was going on on the plane. I know it sounds silly and maybe even a little nerdy, but I read about what was happening during takeoff. It’s not as scary once you understand it.

How Do Airplanes Fly?

I also watched many videos, so I could get an inside look at what was happening on planes. This helped me understand that it isn’t as scary as it looks, which gave me more control over my fear.

For example, I know that oxygen masks fall first on planes if there is an emergency (this makes sense, right?), so there is no need to panic about suffocating. Once I understood this, it wasn’t so scary anymore.

I realized that the fear was worse when I wasn’t prepared for it, so I decided to learn more about what causes the fear of flying. I watched as many YouTube videos as I could find on the subject and researched some more. I also read books on aviation, talked to experts, and took flying lessons. I learned how planes fly, what turbulence is and what causes it, etc.

It was interesting to learn more about what causes the fear of flying, but it was too much to learn. It just made me realize that flying is actually pretty safe and that I should probably stop watching so many movies.

But the biggest thing that helped me was putting my fear in perspective. Planes are much safer than cars 100% of the time. Some people drive to work every day, which probably has a higher chance of causing an accident than flying. Soon, I realized that it wasn’t as scary to fly as I thought.

What Airplane Turbulence Is And Why It's No Big Deal

Learn coping skills.

This one is pretty simple. Once I was able to talk about my fears with other people, it became easier to overcome them. Talking about the fears lightheartedly helped me feel happy and not so serious about them.

I also learned some good coping skills, like stimulating the pressure points on my feet before I got on the plane or taking deep breaths in crowded places. These things helped me feel calmer when I was in situations that would usually cause me to panic.

On the plane, I just ensured that I was in control of what was going on. For example, I always sit by the window to see what’s going on. In addition, when turbulence got rough, I would watch a movie or read a book. I figured that it was better to be doing something than nothing at all, so I did anything that took my mind off of the turbulence.

Start small.

You don’t need to book a flight to Europe right away; just go somewhere close by that has short flights. Once you feel more comfortable flying, you can start traveling further away.

After having some bad experiences with turbulence, I was too afraid to go anywhere that had a long flight. So, I started by taking short flights around the West Coast. These short flights were easier on my nerves, and soon, I was ready to take long-haul flights across the pond.

Be flexible.

As someone who has a fear of flying, you never know when your anxiety might start kicking in. Maybe it’s a certain kind of turbulence that does it for you, or perhaps it’s how many drinks the person next to you on the plane has had. Either way, you never know what’s going to push your fear over the edge.

So, it’s essential to be flexible and ready for anything. If you have a bad experience, try not to dwell on it. Try thinking about the other hundreds or thousands of flights that you have gotten through if you’re able to think about it that way.

After having a few not-so-pleasant flights, I started to get nervous when anything out of the ordinary happened. But, I knew that I couldn’t avoid planes all my life, so I had to do something about it.

I realized that my fear was worsening because I had nothing to distract me. Instead of watching the movie on the screen in front of me, I would spend the whole time thinking about all the possible things that could go wrong. So, instead of bringing a book or music to play on my next flight, I decided to bring an iPad and watch a movie.

This way, I could be distracted and not worry about anything that was going on outside. It worked like a charm, and I’ve taken this approach ever since.

It’s not the end of the world.

When you’re afraid of flying, it can seem like the end of the world if something goes wrong on your flight. This is why it’s important to have a plan before something happens.

If you start thinking about all the possible things that could go wrong, you’ll just panic. So, always have a backup plan just in case something does happen.

For example, my backup plan is to have a couple of books that I can read at the airport just in case my flight gets delayed. Plus, it’s good to have a little cash on you, just in case.

I’ve had a lot of flights that got delayed or canceled because of bad weather. It’s a part of flying, so you must know how to deal with it. It’s never fun, but you could end up losing your flight if you lose it over the weather.

If the plane starts to make you feel uncomfortable, try to take deep breaths, drink some water, and read a book. You can also take some stress balls or even anxiety medication. If you know that turbulence is your main concern, try to look out the window or go talk to someone. These are all good ways to distract yourself from what’s going on.

For me, the backup plan makes a huge difference. This way, I won’t freak out if something bad happens, and I’ll be able to think clearly about it.

Don’t be embarrassed.

It’s OK to have a fear of flying because it happens to people all the time. Flying is completely safe, but people just tend to get disconnected from the fact that hundreds of planes are flying safely through the sky every day.

Don’t be embarrassed to tell people if you are afraid of flying. It’s not something you should have to hide, and it’s never good to bottle it up.

I don’t know why I was embarrassed about telling people that I didn’t like flying, but I always felt weird telling others that I was afraid.

I thought they would think less of me because it’s something so simple to them. But, actually, most people understand and completely support you. Everyone is afraid of something, even if it’s just the possibility of running into spiders.

Even though it’s understandable to be afraid of flying, it’s nothing you should be ashamed of.

How I overcame my fear of flying

Don’t think the worst.

When you’re on a plane, thinking about the possibility of something going wrong is the worst thing you can do. If you start imagining all of the things that could go wrong, it’s not going to be the best flight.

When you’re on a plane, you have no control over what’s going on. This is why thinking about all of the possible things that could go wrong is the worst thing you can do.

If you keep thinking about what could go wrong, your mind will become increasingly negative. This can lead you to think about even worse things, and you’ll be so stressed out that it will ruin the rest of your flight.

Instead of thinking about all of the possible things that could go wrong, try to think of one positive thing that you can look forward to. Think about all the fun stuff you’ll get to do once you arrive at your destination.

The more positive and exciting thoughts you have, the better your flight will turn out to be.

Think about your surroundings.

When you’re on the plane, it’s essential to think about other people. If you’re afraid of flying, the last thing that you want to do is start lashing out or acting upset. This can make you feel angry and stressed out, which will only make someone else upset.

Even if the plane is delayed, it’s important to think about your surroundings. If you start acting angry, people will get upset, and it will make the situation even worse. When you’re on a plane, think about your surroundings. Remember to be polite and think about the people seated around you.

Remember to breathe.

If you’re afraid of flying, just try to take deep breaths and remember to breathe.

Try to take deep breaths throughout the entire flight so that you keep yourself calm and distracted from your fears. If you’re too anxious, ask your doctor about getting some medicine that will help you relax.

If you’re scared of flying, it’s important to remember that you’re not the only one. Millions of people get on planes and fly every day, and it’s completely safe. When you start to feel nervous, remember to breathe because it’ll help your body release chemicals that calm you down.

Conclusion.

If you’re afraid of flying, just remember that it’s an entirely normal fear that millions of people have. Remember to think about things that will put you in a better mood and remind yourself of all the fun stuff you’ll get to do once you arrive at your destination.

As hard as it might be to believe, flying is totally safe. You are much more likely to have a car accident than to be in a plane crash. Think about these tips, and they’ll help you get through your next flight.

Please share this article with your friends who are afraid of flying, and let us know in the comments what you do to help yourself fly.

I hope you found this article to be helpful!!