If you have BAD flight anxiety how do you cope?

[Wuggie]

I'm not flying for month yet but already having nightmares, panic attacks at night and palpitations when I see articles about planes.

Just seen a plane was diverted to Manchester today and its scared the shit out of me. And another article about extreme turbulence over USA.

BTW I'm not searching these out, I'm just noticing them more because I'm booked on a flight now.

I don't think I can take any drugs for the flight as I have kids and I don't take anything usually, I'd worry about my reaction.

Any advice?

@JamNittyGritty @GoodVibesHere I was prescribed diazepam for flying just a few weeks ago, no mention of any ban on it at all.

I am very jealous! My Dr simply won't prescribe it. Maybe she was fibbing then, about GPs being instructed not to prescribe. Diazepam is the only thing that helps me (I am certain of this as I'm almost 50 yrs old and have tried different 'mind techniques' but the medication was my only successful way).

Diazapam on prescription helps me massively.

I have generalised anxiety and it's worse when I'm somewhere claustrophobic and can't use a toilet whenever I want , so a flight is not a good place for me.

My routine is, I completely avoid alcohol and caffeine for a whole week before hand. Then the night before, I have a simple meal that's easy to digest - like a cheese omelette (heavy/fatty/spicy foods make my anxiety worse). The morning of the flight I have something to eat that won't spike my blood sugar levels - peanut butter on wholemeal toast or porridge. Then on the flight itself, I do quizzes to keep distracted.

Me too. In fact I lost the book leaving it on a flight! The pilot writes one anecdote when (before mobile phones) on a break in the course and before they did the flight he stepped out to a payphone to call his wife to confirm arrangements about an event they were both attending that evening. A course participant overheard him.

Later when the course had finished the participant told the pilot that was the moment he realised he didn't have anything to be afraid of. The pilot was fully expecting to meet his wife later and not plunge to earth in a fireball. If the pilot who had flown multiple times expected this, it was safe to say the passengers could assume they would also get home safely.

I get diazepam from GP

I was chatting to a woman a couple of weeks ago on a long haul flight. She suffers badly with anxiety around flying. She told me she drinks a fair bit before and during the flight (even though she never normally drinks), she’d taken diazepam at the airport too.

She had asked the crew for a life-vest before take-off and she kept it on her lap. Not sure about that bit, but she obviously found it reassuring.

Unfortunately for her, there were extended periods of turbulence where they put the seatbelt signs on, but she stayed pretty calm. I was once on a long flight where a woman shrieked at every bump. That was not good.

Hmm I'll try the Dr. I have a friend who is regularly prescribed Diazepam so I could get some from her.

I'll ask her for one to see how I react to it in the ground first. I've never been great with pills.

I want to be calm as its my first ever flight with my kids. They're all older and never flown before so I don't want to panic them 😭

I've just looked at flying courses and there's non available :(

I really hate flying but i force myself to do it.

I try and board last,I wear comfy clothes, put my iPad and big over the ear headphones on as soon as I am sat in my seat (window or aisle i hate the middle) Don't watch the flight demonstration (have seen hundreds and this makes me more worried if I watch), and have an alcoholic drink (just one! I don't get drunk)

Oh gosh I really feel for you. I am the same and my flight anxiety is horrendous. I absolutely recommend getting some diazepam from the doc. At first I was a bit embarrassed to ask for it but honestly , it really helps to take the edge off. One a couple of hours before take off, and one while it’s taking off.

I cannot stress to you how bad my anxiety was around this, but diazepam really helps. I would also have panic attacks, crying etc for weeks leading up to a flight. One other thing that helps is to remind myself that just because I FEEL horrendous, it absolutely does not mean that there is something to worry about - I can imagine all the disaster scenarios in the world but it has no bearing on real life (for a while I thought I was having premonitions - I eventually got fed up of wrecking myself over every flight when they were all totally uneventful!) it helps to watch the crew and see how normal it is for them too.

it also helps to accept that you probably will feel dreadful when you arrive at the airport - it really is about putting one foot in front of the other, despite your feelings. You can do it!

I can now fly without diazepam and even accepted a job which involved air travel every couple of months - I still find it an ordeal and I’m exhausted afterwards - but you can improve in tiny increments with each flight! Good luck!! Xxxxx

@feelingrubbish2023

Don't watch the flight demonstration (have seen hundreds and this makes me more worried if I watch),

I kind of understand why you are saying that from but I guess somebody has to point out that not all aircraft demos/life jackets/doors etc are the same...please at the very least read the safety card every time.

I did one of the Virgin Atlantic courses which really helped. I also recommend Dr Claire Weekes book, 'Hope and Help for your nerves' as it really explains what's going on with your body during anxiety and practical ways to stop anxiety. That started working really quickly for me. I also do what someone else said about thinking of it like a train or tube, and when I'm on a train or tube I close my eyes and I'm always being jolted about way more than turbulence but it doesn't bother me so I try to remember that. I always buy a magazine for take off, it's the bit that bothers me most and is an easier distraction than a book or I strike up a conversation. I always tell myself I can panic when I'm told to. Until the pilot tells Mr something is wrong then nothing is wrong. Its like an option to be anxious but 'not now'.

I have also done one of the big fear of flying courses and I naively expected it to work a miracle but I was absolutely terrified on the flight, in fact I didn’t fly again for over a year afterwards! I think when your anxiety is sky high you really need some drugs to help you take the steps to get on the flight and sit through it.

I think the courses have a place but when you’re really anxious you also need the drugs to help you get through.

BA do a course at Heathrow,well they did about 10 years ago. A male friend was terrified of flying. He went on it then flew to Australia with his DW, myself and DH. Life changing for him

Ironically I flew 8 hours to Toronto years back and felt ALOT calmer than my hour flight to Ireland later.

I think the big fancy planes make me feel more safe than the Ryanair types that I'm due to go on.

I'm sat here now with my heart racing thinking about it.

I've ordered that fear of flying book, so will try that.

I can see how the safety film could make you more nervous. Even the charming Virgin one. At the point where they say ‘if we land on water….’ I’m thinking ‘we’ll all be buggered’.

Hypnosis has hugely helped me ☺️ I was on a really bumpy flight not longer after that landed in severe storms. I felt really calm, whereas some of the others on the same flight were really achy that evening as they'd been so tense.

Mine prescribed me valium for fear of flying last month.

I do this...watch them all the time

Of course they do 🙄....a gp is there to work in a patients best interests....they are not going to take a blanket approach cos ryanair said so .....my friend just returned from Thailand.... she was prescribed her usual diagram by her gp

I have a Xanax (almaprazolam) prescription for flying, I couldn’t fly without it.

Actually DR will still provide diazepam as I had it for a long haul trip in December. In fact I had 5mg x 120 but that’s another story. I took four on each leg and it work wonders.

I tried hypnotherapy a few years ago for a trip to Aus and it was amazing at easing my fears and bought my anxiety down from a 10 to a 2. I slept properly and could look forward to the trip. I didn’t even need diazepam. However the effects have worn off now so I really should go back. It did help hugely when we experienced bad turbulence from Singapore. When I say bad turbulence I mean to me it was bad but the Aussies and flight crew were still all moving around like it was nothing. It really nothing did happen and the kids slept through it.

I know what you mean about the new stories; you don’t seek them out but they pop up.

I have a lovely routine at the airport now which helps. We always check into a lounge so we can relax and have a few drinks. We always get there three hour before so there is no rush, and stay at the airport over night. I HATE overnight flights so will avoid them if possible.

Good luck with finding a solution OP.

If it helps my sister was frightened of flying then she had a job for a well known airline that includes risk assessment and she’s no longer frightened. She just said there are so many checks, double checks, training and safety procedures and such a large number of uneventful flights she just wasn’t scared any more.

I researched everything I could about how planes fly - and it changed how I viewed turbulence. Whilst it’s unpleasant when it’s bad, it’s not going to knock the plane out of the sky, it’s actually an effect of what’s keeping it up (air streams).

I take comfort in stuff like planes turning round - it shows the crew are vigilant to realise there’s a problem.

I like to read book, long form articles in magazines and daydream - basically disassociating from reality a bit. I hate take off and start to relax more towards landing. I’m not scared of heights so also enjoy looking at the window.