Can anyone suggest some ways to get over a fear of flying?

Question

I have to fly to San Diego, CA from Philadelphia, PA in August. The closer I get to my trip the more uneasy I feel. I have flown before, twice to Orlando, Fl and three times to Atlanta, GA. However since 911 I have been afraid to fly and I wasn't that comfortable with it to begin with. Any suggestions would be very helpful.

Answer 1

Others have had some excellent thoughts. Avoid dwelling on your fears. Learn more about how aircraft fly. Commercial aircraft have multiple redundant systems, highly training pilots -two of them!), and the various security measures to keep them safe.

Of course nothing is 100% safe, but there is no safer way to get from CA to PA and back. By a lot!

Examine what it is that you feel out of control about (aerodynamics, terrorism, whatever). There are many areas of your life you accept greater risks (someone could suddenly cross the centerline on the highway, regardless of how good a driver YOU are). The difference is likely that driving is familiar and flying is not. Unfamiliar are always less comfortable to us.

9-11, the way it was done, couldn't happen again. The few times since that someone has acted anything like that kind of a threat, the other passangers have subdued them. The guys with box cutters was a one-time strategy that worked because our previous paradigm was to go along with a highjacker's demands.

Consider getting a prescription for an anti-anxiety drug for this flight and the next few ones you take. Several successful flights might help develop enough familiarity to reduce the fear.

Good luck,
David
35,660 miles flown this year. But 6 months to go, yet.

Answer 2

Fear of Flying stems basically from not knowing what to expect and why or how an airplane flys. You may get some relief if you go to your local airport and pick up some literature on flying or maybe even take a study course in aviation to learn about how an airplane flys and what is involved in the manufacture of airplanes. If you learn the basics of aviation, you will be more comfortable in an airplane because you wont be putting yourself in a position of being in the unknown which tends to make many of us quite apprehensive. Since you have already been in airplanes and your concerns started after September 11th, 2001, you might have a fear that your security is in question. That is a common feeling lately and a hard one to dispel. You may be able to go to an airport and talk to some of the flight crews that may be waiting around for their flights and talk to them. If you know someone who is a commercial pilot then talk to that person. Security in Aviation has gotten much tighter then before and most flight crew members will tell you that while it is not perfect, it is much better than before and that the safety and security of the flight is paramount. Unfortunately, you dont have very much time between now and your flight to San Diego. But it is something you can think about for the following flights...Good luck..

Answer 3

Research that has examined the cognitive coping strategies used by persons who are afraid to fly tells us that, in general, four specific coping strategies seem to be most associated with flight anxiety:[4]

1.Rumination, which refers to thinking over and over again about the situation

2.Self-blame, which refers to thinking a lot about mistakes you have made

3.Acceptance (or resignation), which refers to thinking that you have no other option but to helplessly accept things as they are

4.Catastrophizing, which refers to thinking about how awful the situation is or could become

This means that if you are afraid to fly, you are likely to spend a lot of time being preoccupied with worries about flying before the flight even happens, and you can get caught up in dwelling on all the physical and psychological symptoms you’re feeling once the flight begins. Plus, you will likely blame yourself for your failures and weaknesses, you will be telling yourself that you are helpless to do anything about those weaknesses, and you will be thinking of all the bad things that could happen.

Here, then, is some advice about how to change these anxiety-provoking ways of thinking.

Rumination—expand your awareness beyond the unpleasant situation:

I’m thinking about the flight again, and it’s still two days away. Let it go. Take a deep breath. Come on, get back to work.

Look. It’s a nice view. Sitting here paralyzed won’t make the plane any safer.


Self-blame—remind yourself that you are doing the best you can and that progress takes time:

Yes, I was very nervous the last flight. But since then I have learned some new techniques for coping with anxiety.

I did the best I could. I’ll get better with practice.


Resignation—give yourself credit for your own good sense:

I’m not really helpless. I can take slow, deep breaths. I can practice progressive muscle relaxation or autogenics.


Catastrophizing—acknowledge your fear, and then challenge it:

Answer 4

Acrophobia, or a terror of heights, is amazingly basic and commonly motels decrease back to an journey contained in the previous commonly as a baby. For some reason some human beings imagine it truly is humorous to scare a baby, no longer understanding the outcomes it ought to reason. Overcoming some thing like this may take time and under no circumstances disappear in one day or my jumping off a cliff. that ought to reason you better damage than good. Take toddler steps. locate the utmost element on your community and attempt to get to that element. it ought to take quite a few tries yet finally you'll attain it. Then when you've mastered that, flow on to at least some thing somewhat larger. keep going till you're mushy. Be cautioned this may take days, months or maybe years counting on how severe your concern is. yet in case you quite have the want to make this concern bypass away, you should take the first step... up.

Answer 5

After you strip down, empty all of your pockets, and go through three metal detector/x-ray machines you should feel secure about the possiblity of a terrorist attack. As for the flying-- you are much safer up there than you would be driving home from work in rush hour.

Answer 6

Learn how to fly an airplane. My mother was terrified of airplanes, I taught her how to fly (she never did go all the way to get her private) but she now understands how everything works and knows what kind of training the pilots go through.... Plus, who knows, you might like it and make a second career out of it, I have seen it happen before.

Answer 7

Remember that flying is the safest way to go places. Also, all security in the airport makes me feel very safe.
Remember to breath, take a good book/laptop/music with you, and ask you dr to prescribe something to calm you down.

Answer 8

im going to california in august and im very scared just relax and pretend you're on the ground....watch a movie and get into it try to fall asleep and it will go fast.

Answer 9

You will be okay.... just don't worry about it. You know the old saying, "the only thing to fear is fear itself." Just relax and chew on so gum so your ears do not POP!

Answer 10

Not really. The best way is to fly. fly, fly until it no longer bothers you.