Jo's Tips to Overcome Flight Anxiety
I’ve struggled with flying anxiety since college, probably around 19 years old. I’d frequently fly back home alone to Seattle to visit my family during breaks and the more I flew, the worse my anxiety got. It progressively got worse, to the point where it began interfering with my livelihood; I’d dread flying days before actually having to board a plane, even if I was really looking forward to my destination. I just couldn’t get past it.
To give you a quick glimpse into my anxiety: I used not be able to sleep nights before, I would have full panic attacks and break out into hysteria, I’d have to ask the person sitting next to me or the flight attendant to hold my hand. There was actually a time that I thought I was going to have to tell the flight crew that I needed to get off the plane. *As if the plane would do an emergency landing for me… HA! It was awful. It got to a point where I had to go to a Dr to get a Xanax prescription but I truly couldn’t stand the way I felt after hopping off a couple hour long flight and feeling totally out of it and drowsy. Since I preferred to not use a medication, I realized I needed to do a lot of self reflection as to why I felt this way when I flew and would need to come up with a personal tool set to use when I’m not at ease. I’ve worked hard to figure out way I can take control of my anxiety and emotions and calm myself down without the drugs.
Those of you who suffer from this as well, understand how debilitating this can be. You also probably understand how frustrating it is when others try to justify your fear by stating things like “it’s safer than driving a car” or “everything is going to be fine!” because justifying it just doesn’t make it better!
My flying anxiety journey is ever evolving but I’ve found a few things that help me feel more at ease.
1. The first thing that helped was understanding WHY I have this fear and educating myself. The mere fact of flying being dangerous or scary isn’t what does it for me. It’s the mind f*ck that I have zero control and my life is 100% in someone else’s hands. For one thing, I just don’t understand how a metal tube in the sky can transport me across the country, let alone how pilots can fly this thing. I have a type A personality, and naturally like to have control over my surroundings, clearly to a fault. Read about how planes work, how much training pilots have to go through, and anything else you can find out about the safety of planes.
Last year, I happened to have out of state territory and would have to travel to Arizona once a month. What are the odds! This gave me a lot of forced opportunity to educate myself about flying further to make me feel more comfortable.
2. Packing and organizing ahead of time are crucial. I pack at least 2 days before I fly so I don’t have any added stress of forgetting anything the day of. I usually make a check list of all the items I need and then I have a couple days to throw things I may have forgotten to ensure I’m prepared. Anything to remove as much stress the day of flying. I also organize everything in my personal item; I usually bring either a large purse or a backpack. I organize my bag so that everything has “a spot” in an effort to prevent myself from scrambling at the last minute looking for my Driver’s license, AirPods, phone, **insert anything else you typically bring**. Also, make sure all of your electronics are fully charged! Nothing is worse than opening up your laptop on a plane to distract yourself and get some work done, and you’re faced with a giant black screen because it’s dead.
3. Relaxation remedies like essential oils, face masks and CBD can also be extremely helpful. I like to pack my Saje wellness essential oils for calming scents and either a face mask or under eye patches for maximum relaxation. I personally don’t feel too much of an effect on CBD so I don’t tend to use it, but people swear by it for flying anxiety. Whatever it is, create a serene environment for your in flight experience.
4. Eat a substantial meal before heading to the airport and pack snacks. I get so anxious that I usually don’t have an appetite hours before I fly so I make myself eat a large meal beforehand so I don’t have an empty stomach or have to race around the airport trying to find something to grab. When I’m already stressed, the last thing I want is to have an empty stomach. I also like to pack some snacks too depending on how long the flight is. Also, these snacks don’t have to be healthy, if eating Cheetohs is going to make you happy while sitting in seat 12C then go for it.
5. Invest in TSA pre check. If you don’t have this, you NEED to get it. I will even link how to apply right here so you can fill out the application in under 5 minutes. One of the most stressful parts of being in the airport is navigating through all of the lines, rushing to get to your gate, and being stuck in a sea of people. Invest in pre check so you can skip the madness and cruise through security. Some companies even comp this if you have to travel for work!
6. Have “that thing” you do right before you take off. This probably won’t resonate with everyone but to all of my fellow people with OCD tendencies, this could be your new thing. This is something that my uncle taught me and it has helped put my mind at so much ease; you have to have that ONE thing you do whenever you typically experience peak anxiety. I can’t tell you what MY thing is... cuz that’d be back luck, but it could be listening to a certain song, having a specific mediation you do or even something as weird as blinking three times fast; it helps create a sense of comfort and familiarity. It really works for me. I do “my thing” right when we’re taking off.
7. All about deep breathing. For me, taking off is the most stress inducing part of flying. I take slow, deep breaths until I’m in the air. It helps to quietly play music in the background or even listen to a breathing meditation session on Spotify.
9. Get distracted. Listen to a podcast, watch a movie, read a book, draw, work, literally anything to keep your mind off being in a plane. I’ll usually get some work done for S&T when I fly (like writing this blog post) and then I’ll switch over to something leisurely like listening to a podcast. Tip: make sure you download whatever you want to listen to before you get in the air, you can fully download playlists, podcasts, etc. beforehand.
These are a few things that have truly worked for me, and I’m constantly trying new things to see what works.
Traveling during COVID-19 can also spark some flying anxiety which is understandable. Although not many people are traveling during this time, airlines are definitely taking precautionary measures to ensure that traveling is as safe as possible. We’ve both been extremely careful with sanitizing and following all CDC guidelines.
For more tips on flying during COVID-19, you can check out this post.
If you have any other tips please let me know!
Safe travels and happy flying!
Keep it sweaty,
Jo
