Does anyone have any tips for dealing with a fear of flying and what i can do to avoid having anxiety attacks?

Question

can anyone help?, how do i avoid having anxiety attacks and panicking when i board the plane and when it takes off.As soon as anyone talks about flying in a plane my palms start to sweat and it makes me very nervous,Does anyone know anything to help out,legal or illegal or even absurd??? thankyou

Answer 1

I play a game with my husband. He is afraid to fly and he's in the Air Force... imagine that. lol
But here is what we do. The minute the plane begins to go on the tarmac, to gain spead and take off, we begin counting. Average amount of time is 23 seconds. We see how long it takes for the pilot to lift off the ground and then decide whether hes an awesome pilot (17-19 seconds) an average pilot (20-23 seconds) or a newbie (23-above)
If he is a newbie, he more than likely has someone in the cockpit helping him. (Or her) so don't panic. I also like to watch the front to get a look at my pilot because it is standard practice for them to atleast make an appearance either in the lobby as they enter the ramp to the plane, or as everyone is boarding. If your pilot is older and grey, you can trust they have been doing this for awhile. I like to look at the pilot and see whether he seems to have an air of authority about him. I also watch to see as they board because usually, pilots put stickers all over their rolly bags. (seriously). I look for whether they are from a military background, if they have been on long flights to overseas locations, etc.
The last thing I do, is educate myself. It is actually safer to fly than to drive you car to the airport. Statistically, more cars have fatal accidents than an aircraft. If something were to go wrong, it would most likely be during takeoff. That is why we count to see how long it takes to get off the ground. Get it? Think about the takeoff, check the quality of your pilot. if you know it should only be about 23 seconds, you can tell yourself how much longer you have to go. The plane should ascend rather quickly which feels funny in the tummy, but once you feel the plane turning about that is the pilot maneuvering into the jetstream. Once you are in the jetstream, it basically carries the plane. You can tell this by how quiet the aircraft gets. Its like you wont hear the engines and may freak for a second, but then they'll kick. That's just because the plane is on a good stream. This is a good thing!!

Lastly!! The only other time planes may have problems is getting the landing gear down. When the pilot puts the seatbelt sign backon and tells the crew to prepare for landing. Listen. In a few short minutes you will hear the landing gear come down. If you hear it, and there is no communication between the cabin and the cockpit after that, then you are golden. If the pilot continues to talk about landing... and the bleeps and stuff are still going on as planned, then the landing gear has made it down in place. Pilots are pretty good at landing as they follow the lights. It's hard to master the technique, but pretty easy to do once they get it down.

Those are some ideas. Just don't panic. I have flown countless times and play those games to distract my husband and kids. Just remember, you are safer in the plane than when you get off the plane.

Happy Flying,.

Answer 2

I used to be afraid of flying also. The first time I flew I almost broke my husbands arm hanging on!!! The secret is not drugs, not a good thing just in CASE there is an emergency as you would be too dopey to get yourself out of the plane if you had a chance. I now love to fly and I can even look out of the window!! Big improvement. What worked for me is to just relax..take deep breaths, don't get all tight and nervous by thinking about it before you get on!! Big mistake!!
Try relaxing techniques..meditation, thinking of something pleasant, anything to take your mind off of what you are doing, I also love the takeoff now, it is really exhilarating to feel the plane climb. I just hold on to the arms of the chair, close my eyes, take deep steady breaths and tell myself to relax..after all, there are other people on the plane with me, I am not alone. I find that the deep breaths and closing my eyes helps the most. After a couple of takeoffs and landings you will be like an old pro and the panicky feeling will go away. Also, the first time I got on, I had people pushing me from behind, so I couldn't change my mind LOL! Believe me, I was just like you!!

Answer 3

Make sure there are no Muslims on board with one-way tickets. After that, try researching some statistics about flying and the safety of it. Watch Lost. If you are in a plane crash, maybe you will end up as a badass on an island filled with beautiful and zany characters. Meh.

Answer 4

I have read some litterature about panic attacks. But they allways seem to have a more scientific approach and that is nothing I need in my struggle to survive those horrible panic attacks. This is a "hand on" and very practical book. I felt it was written to me. I am sure that you are going to feel the same.

Joe Barry writes exactly how I think. The examples are perfectly described. And the method is genius. I recommend this book and thanks Joe Barry for writing it. It changes your life

Answer 5

1 1/2 mgs of Klonopin keeps me mellow on no more than a 4 hour flight

Answer 6

take a sleepin pill prior to getting on and hopefully sleep through it... i've been on hundreds of flights in the USMC from jumpy C3's to VH-46's with dual rotors that rock the entire flight.... its safe don't sweat it not the best thing to do when hung over lmao but its safe.

Answer 7

Hey, check out this site:

http://www.cureanxietydisorder.com

It has information that you help you understand panic attacks better - causes, symptoms, treatment, etc.

Also, you can check out this site:

http://www.cureanxietydisorder.com/cure.html

It has helped many people stop panic/anxiety attacks....

All the best...