How to Overcome Airplane Anxiety
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While I’ve been on planes my whole life, I developed anxiety around flying when I was about 18-19 years old. If you’ve ever dealt with a fear of flying (aka aviophobia), you know how scary and even debilitating it can feel. Traveling is my favorite thing in the world, especially exploring faraway places that are realistically only accessible by plane, so being scared of the flights sucked. When my anxiety was at its worst, I would fret for days before a trip just about the flight, completely negating any excitement I had about the actual trip itself.
Thankfully, my anxiety was never bad enough that I cancelled a trip or missed a flight, but I know that’s the case for some. It’s been about 7 years since that anxiety first began and I can pretty confidently say I’ve mostly overcome it – sometimes takeoff and severe turbulence still get to me, but even that is much less. If you’re nervous about flying, here are all the tools I’ve found helpful to make flying fun again.
Learn the Facts
Knowledge is power. Understanding the science behind turbulence and how aircrafts are built to handle it is a good step to feeling confident in the plane you’re flying on.
Additionally, I tend to go back to the statistic that flying is significantly safer than driving a car, and I do that every day.
British Airways offers a “Flying with Confidence” online course for nervous travelers to feel more empowered when they step on the plane. It covers everything from turbulence to the training pilots go through to sounds you can expect on a plane to techniques for dealing with anxiety. Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://flyingwithconfidence.com/
Therapy
Chances are if you have anxiety around flying you also have anxiety around plenty of other things. That was the case for me, though flying was definitely when my anxiety was at its worst. I decided to sign up for Betterhelp and met with a therapist to get to the sources of my anxiety and also to learn how to cope. I only did therapy for about 4 months before I felt that the worst was behind me and I’ve continued to manage it better and better in the couple of years since. If you don’t even know where to start, talking to a professional can help. Additionally, depending on your situation, medication might be a helpful tool for you, and you will need that prescribed by a professional. (Click here for a free week of Betterhelp therapy.)
Prepare Your Body & Mind
Caffeine is known to increase anxiety, so avoid that before a flight and save the Starbucks as a treat for when you land. Additionally, nutritious, balanced meals will help you feel your best, so seek out healthy options rather than fast food (which can be tricky in airports but doable!). Dehydration can also worsen anxiety symptoms, so make sure to drink plenty of water, especially because airplanes are very drying.
Additionally, meditation and/or exercise can help get your mind into the best possible state to take on your travel day. If you have time before you head to the airport, get a quick workout in. If you’re short on time, you can listen to a meditation at your gate or even when you get on the plane. I personally love Peloton’s mediations and workout offerings (click here to try the Peloton app free for 60 days).
Upgrade to a Nicer Seat
Our business class flight to Japan was the first time I’ve flown anything other than coach since my anxiety first popped up, but I was amazed how even during the worst of turbulence, I felt calm in my lie-flat seat. Yes, the turbulence did keep me awake at times, but I felt so calm having so much personal space (rather than being cramped in coach) that the bumps didn’t really phase me. The front of the plane also experiences less turbulence than the back (as does the center compared to the windows). I think part of it was just the excitement of being in business class!
If flying at the front of the plane is a tool that works for you (or just something you want to experience), you don’t have to be rich to do so. I personally wouldn’t pay the exorbitant cash cost of the flight, but I’ve booked several upcoming business class flights on points. Learning the travel hacking game can really elevate your travel experience!
Find Distraction Tools
I have found that the sounds of the plane tend to increase my anxiety, so I put headphones in right away when I find my seat. Additionally, during takeoff or bad turbulence, I pull out my New York Times crossword app to try to turn my brain’s attention onto something else. A crossword puzzle requires me to actively pay attention, compared to say passively watching a TV show, so I feel my brain has less of a chance to veer back focus on the anxiety.
Don’t Fly Alone
If possible, flying with a friend, partner, family member, coworker, etc. can be a great way to ease anxiety (assuming they themselves aren’t also anxious). They can be a figurative or literal hand to hold, shoulder to lean on, etc. as well as a good distraction. I am really thankful that Thomas and I fly together 99% of the time because he’s always cool, calm, and collected.
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
If you have plane anxiety, getting on an airplane is probably pushing you outside your comfort zone. Leaving our comfort zone is inherently UNcomortable, but every time we do, we expand our comfort zone a tiny bit further.
About a year and a half ago I began rock climbing regularly (~1-2x/week). Just like being on a plane, you have to trust that your equipment (your harness, the rope, etc.) will keep you safe on the wall. The higher you get, the scarier it is. However, after climbing for a few months, I noticed that I had full confidence in the gear and was able to solely focus on my climbing skills without my brain screaming at me that I’m going to die because the rope is surely going to snap.
That confidence with rock climbing has spread to so many other parts of my life. It has helped me while flying and has even led to me purposefully seeking more and more ways to get out of my comfort zone, which usually leads to epic adventures on our travels. I’m not sure I would have snorkeled in 40-degree water or climbed a glacier in Iceland if not for the confidence each previous step out of my comfort zone gave me.
Do It Scared
Lastly, I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from Elyse Myers: “someone asked me how I manage my nerves. and I said I don’t. I don’t, I just do things scared.” This has really stuck with me. We’re not always going to be able to push the fear aside, but doing it anyways allows us to grow.
If I’d let the fear of flying get to me and stop me from taking trips, not only would I have missed out on so many incredible experiences, but also the anxiety around planes probably would have never subsided.