In my opinion, traveling is one of the best things you can do in life. I want to see the world, every corner of it. But flying, flying is something I literally never want to do. A few years ago, if you told me let’s get on a plane or on a Jettly‘s aircraft and go wherever in the world, I would have been SO excited and not even hesitate about booking. Today is a different story. I actually dread flying, sometimes to the point where I feel like it may hold me back from experiencing new places, which is horrible. I’m very lucky to have family, friends, and an amazing boyfriend who push me out of my comfort zone and basically make me book plane tickets, but it’s still something I really struggle with.
A few months back before a trip to New Orleans, I opened up with you guys on Instagram and shared my personal struggle the morning of my flight. We had a really early flight and I woke up feeling so anxious and uncomfortable. I was in tears before I even left the house and it got worse once I got to the airport. I just felt off and was extremely nervous about my flight. During the flight, my heart was beating fast, I was stressed, it was difficult to breathe, and I just had so much anxiety. Moments like this are hard because my mind will start thinking about negative thoughts, which is something I try SO hard to shut out. Whenever I feel like this, it’s hard for me to think of the positive but I really try to push myself to not go down that dark train of thought.
Flashback to a few years ago, flying didn’t phase me one bit. I actually loved it and sometimes even enjoyed turbulence (like what!?). It’s so crazy how I am a complete 360 of that now. I’m not sure if it’s something that came with age or if it was because I had a bad flight a few years ago. I’m honestly not sure what has triggered this feeling in me, but I hate it and I’m really working on overcoming this fear of mine. For some of you, you’re probably thinking this is crazy. How could someone be so scared of flying?! To my surprise, when I opened up about this a few months back, I got SO many messages from you guys expressing the same feelings towards flying as me. I even did a poll: who is scared of flying? The results were literally 50, 50. 50% off you who voted are scared of flying! After that, I knew I wasn’t alone and that so many of my readers and followers feel the same way I do when it comes to flying.
With that, I knew I had to write a blog post about this and share some of the things that help me cope with my flight anxiety. I really hope one day I will completely overcome this fear of mine, but for now it’s here, and the only thing I can do is to think positive and about all the good that comes from flying. Here are 8 things I do to ease my fear of flying:
- CHANGE MY MINDSET:
- For the most part, I like to think of myself as a positive and optimistic person, but on the other hand, I’m also a realist. I’m always practical, cautious and understanding of reality and I think that is sometimes where my negative thoughts will come in because I believe anything can happen at anytime to anyone. However, I am working on changing this mindset before I fly. Instead of thinking of the what ifs or things that could go wrong, I try to think happy thoughts! I think of all the positive things in life and how lucky I am to be able to travel and see the world. I also like to think about all the good things that come out of the flight: the destination, new experiences, seeing the world, etc. So much good comes from flying so I really am working on changing my mindset before and during a flight.
- RESEARCH THE WEATHER FORECAST + TURBULENCE:
- I always research the weather before a flight, I like to check where I am taking off from and where I am landing. Things I look for are wind speeds, precipitation, and any storms. This way I can mentally prepare myself to expect a certain amount of turbulence due to weather conditions. There are also some great websites and apps to have handy. My favorites are Turbulence Forecast and the app, SOAR. Turbulence Forecast shares areas of potential turbulence so you can prepare yourself for it and not be surprised by unexpected turbulence. SOAR is a great app because it does the same but also shares tips and tricks on how to manage flight anxiety and learn about flight safety. These are both great resources for me to refer to before a flight.
- DISTRACT MYSELF:
- Another way I like to help alleviate my flight anxiety is to distract myself during the flight with anything I can. Whether it’s reading a book, a magazine, listening to a podcast or my favorite songs, watching a movie/tv shows, I’ve noticed all of these really help keep me calm during a flight. In my personal experience, I find that if I put on my headphones and mask the loud sound of the flight, I feel much more at ease and more calm. Something about the sound of a planes engine gives me even more anxiety, and don’t even get me started on how I feel when the engine goes from super loud to sounding like it basically turned off, this freaks me out so much!! I also try to watch feel good movies and shows when flying, my favorite has to be Friends because it’s one of my favorite shows ever and leaves me laughing hysterically every time I watch it!
- CHOOSE A WINDOW SEAT, CLOSER TO THE FRONT:
- I have a routine when it comes to flying and I always choose to sit in the window seat. I need to be able to see outside at all times so I don’t feel claustrophobic, so I can see how the weather is, and to see what and where we are flying over. I also prefer to sit closer to the front of the plane because it’s more quiet closer to the front (and of course you can get off the plane quicker once you land). I also recommend familiarizing yourself with the plane and listen to the flight attendants when they are going over safety information.
- DRINK (RESPONSIBLY):
- It’s no surprise that having a drink (responsibly) before a flight can help alleviate anxiety and calm you down. It definitely helps me! I will typically drink wine to relax me a bit but there are times where I’ll have a vodka drink or two to keep me feeling good and happy. Of course, I understand alcohol is not for everyone and can also be a trigger for anxiety in some people, I am just sharing what works for me.
- SLEEP:
- This is mainly for long flights but sleeping always helps me for obvious reasons! I have hard time sleeping on planes so on my recent 18 hour flight to Singapore (literally the longest flight ever) I took half of a sleeping pill and slept like a baby for 15 hours straight. It was AMAZING. Always be safe and do your research/consult with your doctor before taking any pills or medication, but if you find one that works for you, I really recommend it! If you’re looking for a natural remedy, try taking melatonin.
- WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHES:
- I always travel in comfortable clothes. You’ll never find me sitting on a plane in tight jeans because I need to be extremely comfortable in order to be relaxed. I prefer sweats and sneakers, there are so many cute sweat sets out there these days so you can be super comfy and still look CUTE. Also, I always try to travel with someone, whether it’s friends, family, or my BF. However I know there are times when you have to travel alone, so in those instances, try wearing an item of clothing of someone who makes you feel comfortable, such as your boyfriends sweatshirt, mom’s necklace, etc. I’ve noticed I’m much more comfortable when flying next to a loved one, so I feel like having/wearing a piece of someone you love with you when flying alone can help relieve some of the anxiety.
- UNDERSTAND THE ROOT OF MY FEAR:
- As I had mentioned above, I was never really scared of flying when I was younger. This fear recently developed and I’ve learned that for me, the fear comes from a lack of control. I am a control freak and when you’re flying, you have to give up all control because literally anything can happen and there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s not in your hands. That is what terrifies me. However, by understanding the root of my fear, I can try to find ways and solutions to help alleviate that fear. Whether it’s lack of control, turbulence, being in a confined space, or whatever it may be, find out what triggers your fear so you can try to find ways to better alleviate it. One piece of advice I always try to remember is to never let fear stop you from doing anything and that quote is something I am trying to live by everyday 😊
Lastly, I want to end this post with some things to remember when flying because knowing the facts and doing research about planes and flying has helped me a bit with my flight anxiety. I’m sure many of you are familiar with Arielle Charnas, the blogger behind Something Navy. She has been really open about her fear of flying and was able to sit down with a pilot and shared some facts to keep in mind when flying. I screenshotted these and always refer back to it. Screenshot the frames below and keep them with you when flying and hopefully it will make you feel more comfortable too 🙌🏻
If you have any other tips and tricks on how to deal with flight anxiety, please share below! I hope this post was helpful to those of you who feel the same as me, you are not alone! As always, thank you for reading! Xx, S.