If you have flown on commercial flights, in small propeller aircraft, or on helicopters and have experienced the fear of flying you are not alone. Millions of people worldwide who travel by airlines on their holidays and vacations have experienced the same fear to a lesser or greater extent. There are also millions of people around the world that travel by automobile, bus, train just to avoid commercial air flights. Some vacationers will take cruises if they are close enough to drive to the cruise line departure ports.
Incredibly, even though air travel is around thirty times safer than traveling by car, you rarely hear about people that have a fear of driving. Maybe the TV, radio, internet and print media contributes to this fear when they graphically cover commercial airline crashes and the subsequent large number of air passengers that are injured or die.
Fear of flying on commercial flights can be triggered by a number of concerns such as the fear of heights, the fear of falling, the fear of the takeoff and the landing, the fear of crashing, the fear of flying over water, the fear of flying at night, the feeling of losing control causing panic attacks, air turbulence, stormy weather, the fear of hijackers or terrorists, motion sickness, and claustrophobia such as the fear of being trapped in the confined space of an airline cabin as well as being packed in like sardines with your fellow passengers, and also other phobias.
Some other symptoms of the fear of flying could be mild nervousness to extreme anxiety, panic attacks, shortness of breath, a tightness in your chest and chest pains, clammy hands, headaches, and nausea and vomiting.
If your fear of flying is severe, you should consider enrolling in an intensive treatment program. However, if your fear of flying is not severe, there are some things you can do that may help remedy this problem.
Firstly, sit in a seat over the airplane wings, preferably not a window seat, so you cant look down at the ground. When you are sitting over the wings you will also experience a smoother flight.
If possible, leave your seat belt on as much as possible, so if any air turbulence suddenly occurs, you wont get jarred or bounced about as much.
Eat light and try to avoid eating or drinking any food or beverage that contains caffeine, sugar, or alcohol.
It will help if you try to stay positive and always think only of positive thoughts.
You can occupy your mind by listening to soft, soothing music on your I-Pod.
Sometimes it may help to wear eye shades and sleep if you can.
You may feel a little less stressed if you can catch flights that take off at off-peak times as there are usually fewer airline passengers to contend with.
If you are contemplating taking prescriptions or over-the-counter drugs to calm yourself down on your flight, always consult first with your family doctor or pharmacist. Keep in mind that if you are already taking prescriptions for pre-existing conditions, any new medication may interact adversely with them. Even over-the-counter drugs can be dangerous.
I have a true story that may help you with the fear of flying. A number of years ago a good friend of mine had a severe problem dealing with the fear of flying. His main fear was that he was terrified of dying in a plane crash. A funny thing is that he had absolutely no problem driving all over the country, or taking a Greyhound bus or train when he traveled on his holidays.
Fortunately he started working selling ads for a local community newspaper near a busy international airport. As he drove around to sell advertising to the stores in the area, he constantly saw commercial airliners take off and land day in and day out. He heard the loud roar of airline engines every day. Eventually he started to lose his fear of flying.
He finally made a big decision to go on a vacation in Hawaii, which he had always dreamed of doing. The only problem was that he had no choice but to fly. Before he left he took out flight insurance just in case the plane crashed. He wanted to be sure he would leave something for his mom and dad if he didnt come back.
Before boarding the plane he took a sleeping pill hoping would keep him calm. He deliberately booked a window seat because he really wanted to be able to see where he was going and what the earth and ocean looked like from the air.
When the flight attendant asked the passengers to fasten their seat belts, he cinched his seat belt up so tight he said he thought it would break. Through the long flight to Hawaii he only removed his seat belt to go to the washroom. During the flight the only thing that really bothered him was that both his ears got plugged up and hurt a lot due to the changes in the cabin air pressure on takeoff and landing. A friendly fellow passenger suggested that he chew some gum and that seemed to solve the problem.
When he landed in Hawaii he was very proud of himself! After all those wasted years being hung up on that terrible phobia he finally broke free. All it took was working near an international airport and watching the constant flow of airliners takeoff and land to reprogram his mind.
If you happen to have a fear of flying you must try and rid yourself of this debilitating, irrational fear. I know that your life will be changed forever when you break free and allow yourself to soar with the eagles and fly anywhere in this big, wide, wonderful world that you want to.
Visit FlyingWithoutFear.com if you would like more information on how vacationers as well as business travelers can lessen their fear of flying. This company offers you a free online self-help course that we highly recommend taking. The course is conducted by a currently flying airline captain. - 31515
Incredibly, even though air travel is around thirty times safer than traveling by car, you rarely hear about people that have a fear of driving. Maybe the TV, radio, internet and print media contributes to this fear when they graphically cover commercial airline crashes and the subsequent large number of air passengers that are injured or die.
Fear of flying on commercial flights can be triggered by a number of concerns such as the fear of heights, the fear of falling, the fear of the takeoff and the landing, the fear of crashing, the fear of flying over water, the fear of flying at night, the feeling of losing control causing panic attacks, air turbulence, stormy weather, the fear of hijackers or terrorists, motion sickness, and claustrophobia such as the fear of being trapped in the confined space of an airline cabin as well as being packed in like sardines with your fellow passengers, and also other phobias.
Some other symptoms of the fear of flying could be mild nervousness to extreme anxiety, panic attacks, shortness of breath, a tightness in your chest and chest pains, clammy hands, headaches, and nausea and vomiting.
If your fear of flying is severe, you should consider enrolling in an intensive treatment program. However, if your fear of flying is not severe, there are some things you can do that may help remedy this problem.
Firstly, sit in a seat over the airplane wings, preferably not a window seat, so you cant look down at the ground. When you are sitting over the wings you will also experience a smoother flight.
If possible, leave your seat belt on as much as possible, so if any air turbulence suddenly occurs, you wont get jarred or bounced about as much.
Eat light and try to avoid eating or drinking any food or beverage that contains caffeine, sugar, or alcohol.
It will help if you try to stay positive and always think only of positive thoughts.
You can occupy your mind by listening to soft, soothing music on your I-Pod.
Sometimes it may help to wear eye shades and sleep if you can.
You may feel a little less stressed if you can catch flights that take off at off-peak times as there are usually fewer airline passengers to contend with.
If you are contemplating taking prescriptions or over-the-counter drugs to calm yourself down on your flight, always consult first with your family doctor or pharmacist. Keep in mind that if you are already taking prescriptions for pre-existing conditions, any new medication may interact adversely with them. Even over-the-counter drugs can be dangerous.
I have a true story that may help you with the fear of flying. A number of years ago a good friend of mine had a severe problem dealing with the fear of flying. His main fear was that he was terrified of dying in a plane crash. A funny thing is that he had absolutely no problem driving all over the country, or taking a Greyhound bus or train when he traveled on his holidays.
Fortunately he started working selling ads for a local community newspaper near a busy international airport. As he drove around to sell advertising to the stores in the area, he constantly saw commercial airliners take off and land day in and day out. He heard the loud roar of airline engines every day. Eventually he started to lose his fear of flying.
He finally made a big decision to go on a vacation in Hawaii, which he had always dreamed of doing. The only problem was that he had no choice but to fly. Before he left he took out flight insurance just in case the plane crashed. He wanted to be sure he would leave something for his mom and dad if he didnt come back.
Before boarding the plane he took a sleeping pill hoping would keep him calm. He deliberately booked a window seat because he really wanted to be able to see where he was going and what the earth and ocean looked like from the air.
When the flight attendant asked the passengers to fasten their seat belts, he cinched his seat belt up so tight he said he thought it would break. Through the long flight to Hawaii he only removed his seat belt to go to the washroom. During the flight the only thing that really bothered him was that both his ears got plugged up and hurt a lot due to the changes in the cabin air pressure on takeoff and landing. A friendly fellow passenger suggested that he chew some gum and that seemed to solve the problem.
When he landed in Hawaii he was very proud of himself! After all those wasted years being hung up on that terrible phobia he finally broke free. All it took was working near an international airport and watching the constant flow of airliners takeoff and land to reprogram his mind.
If you happen to have a fear of flying you must try and rid yourself of this debilitating, irrational fear. I know that your life will be changed forever when you break free and allow yourself to soar with the eagles and fly anywhere in this big, wide, wonderful world that you want to.
Visit FlyingWithoutFear.com if you would like more information on how vacationers as well as business travelers can lessen their fear of flying. This company offers you a free online self-help course that we highly recommend taking. The course is conducted by a currently flying airline captain. - 31515
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