The fear of flying is a genuine fear mostly for those who are yet to fly for the first time. A lot of people get scared at the thought of sitting in an airplane as time and again they have seen a lot of airplane crashes and read about them in newspaper headlines.
A lot of it has to do with the people not understanding the mechanics of the airplane along with the distrust for the capability of the one who is flying it. Whether we are rational and calm about flying or irrational and anxious, the facts will remain the same that the odds of dying in an airplane crash are one in eleven million.
Below are the steps which will help you address your fear before you overcome it.
#1. Get On An Airplane
The first measure to get rid of the fear of flying is to familiarize yourself with an airplane. You need to see the jet engine and touch it while you are on the tarmac before you see the plane from the inside. It’s all really the same; the seats are just like the seats in your car only better when it comes to comfort and the cockpit where the pilots who fly this scary machine sit and do their job is well-maintained and smooth for functioning. This will help you get rid of the terror of flying as you get in touch with the facts instead of your imagination.
#2. Ask Questions
The first thing about anxiety is that it tricks us into believing what our fears say to be true. The best way in which you can remove this fear is to voice your concern. It will seem ludicrous to the ones who you are asking, but that is exactly the point as you want a confident opinion of something you are unsure of. Everyone from flight attendants to pilots to cabin crew will tell you about their experiences on the flight and how safe and comfortable the ride was for all the passengers. You can pay close attention to them when they are speaking so that you can read into what they say and spot if there are any elements of real danger or past instances about plane functioning abnormally.
#3. Understand The Aerodynamics
The interaction between the air and the airplane is another key to dismissing your fear. You do not need to understand the whole science of it but just that the design employs four forces which are in agreement with the environment that keeps the airplane well balanced in the air.
#4. Check The Things You Assume Worst About
Most of the travelers assume the worst about the emergency door that it may break or an engine failure where they will be stranded mid-air and will be helpless in saving themselves. These fears will be dispersed easily when you will learn that a lot of pressure is keeping the hold closed as the plane flies above ground. Even when there is a complete engine breakdown airplanes have ram air turbines which help them control and maneuver the electrical system for a safe landing.
#5. Time For Turbulence
You have learned all there is to learn about the airplane and you are on the flight which you finally booked. Your friend who has taken numerous plane rides is sitting next to you doing his best to inspire confidence in you for the flight, but still, anxiety lurks in your soul. The rush of turbulence is experienced for the first time and has sent shockwaves of anxiety up your spine. Don’t be alarmed now as it had taken that fear of flying out of your head and soul forever as your plane is now in the air.
#6. Seat Belt Is For Safety
Some people are too rational to be scared by thoughts of a plane crash after engine failure or colliding with another in flight. They trust the people who are doing their job and don’t let their imagination run on anxiety. However, they are a little tense about minor injuries they may pick up on a flight like if someone’s overhead luggage falls out on their head or someone walking near the aisle seat suddenly loses his feet as the airplane hits turbulence resulting in minor injuries. A seatbelt will always safeguard you against such minor problems and take care of the anxiety that urges you to get up.
#7. Choose Your Seat
A lot of people don’t put any thinking into seat selection when they get on an airplane for the first time. Aisle, window or middle are options that one must always consider to ascertain what is best for them. Sitting near the window and watching things go by may promote a sense of dangerous pace or sitting in the middle may lead to thoughts that you won’t be able to rescue yourself fast enough in times of danger. It is best that you pick a seat after patient consideration so that you don’t relay your fears to anyone.
#8. Avoid Reading About Air Accidents
One sure way of troubling yourself with your fear and anxiety over and over again is to keep feeding yourself the same. If you read about a lot of instances where accidents happened and passengers lost control of themselves, you are sure to become mentally incapacitated, robbing yourself of your own ability to act. Don’t feed yourself with negative thoughts. Instead, believe in the skill and hard work of other people who are offering you their services and risk their life as much as yours.
#9. Practice Self-Control
One of the easiest ways to get rid of your fear is to control the time and energy you invest in each of your thoughts. Self-control is all about thinking positive and doing positive, blocking all the materials which take a crack at negative energy. A general belief that everything is gonna be good, takes care of your mental health 90 percent of the time.
#10. Take Up Other Activities
The thought of going on a big plane with a lot of passengers does not make you scared for only your life but the life of others as well. You have read everything there is to read about the airplane and got yourself a one on one therapy session with a counselor to allay your fears, but still, when the time came to take the practical experience, you chickened out. The best way to go about the question of whether you are ready to fly or not is to ease yourself into a yes. Engage in activities such as Skydiving and flying in charter planes to eliminate your fears. This will make you stronger and face your fears boldly.
#11. Distract Yourself
A lot of anxiety keeps bubbling over. You were anxious when you booked the flight ticket, tense when the cab got here to pick you up for the airport and burning with worry at the check-in. The feeling is just not ready to leave you, and now that you are in your passenger seat, it is threatening to destroy you from within. Relax with some music or read a magazine to keep your mind off from things. Thinking what will happen next never goes away as you live your life forwards not backward.
#12. Coping Mechanism
Is distraction not helping you? Are you one of those who once when get caught in something, don’t know how to get off it? Put a rubber band on your wrist and flick it whenever you are anxious, this will help your mind not overheat itself. This makes way for the much-needed anxiety release which otherwise builds up and makes you mad.
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