Flying for first time in 15 years - tips

[BellissimoGecko]

Help! I usually travel by train. I need to get across Europe this Easter but there are no trains - engineering work? Easter? I don't know. Easiest option is to fly.

But I'm scared.

Does anyone have any tips to help me get through it?? To fly again?

What are you scared of? Pinpointing what it is that worries you makes it easier to fix.

Crashing and dying.

Being out of control.

Off to bed now but will post again in the morning :)

Download flightradar app. You will see literally millions of planes take off and land every minute all around the world.

Driving to the airport is more dangerous and risky than flying (it’s true, look up the statistics and think about it for a while).

Remember that flight attendants and pilots fly every working day of their lives. They would not choose to do so if there was a genuine danger.

Feel the fear, recognise it is irrational, put it aside, get on the plane, enjoy your travels 👌

i conquered my fear of flying & now love it 👍🏻 used to spend days & days driving to holiday destinations., but I was determined not to pass this life limiting fear onto my kids as flying opens up a world of opportunities. Hypnotherapy, exposure therapy & diazepam really helped, I came to the conclusion my main fear was not being in control of the plane & allowing myself to just be a passenger 🙂

I also remind myself of the following quotes I read -

statiscally you’re more likely to be killed by your own trousers!

if you got on a flight then straight on another, constantly flying it would take 100 years before you were in an accident & even then you’re more likely to survive!

no idea if these are true but I believe them & that’s all that matters to me ✈️

just back from 4 flights in the USA including an 11 hour trip. 💪🏻

I KNOW that's it's statistically safe and all that. But it doesn't help!

And there have been a few crashes in the news recently. That doesn't help either.

I used the online EasyJet Fear of Flying course. It’s excellent, it answers all those worries so when your anxiety pops up you know the logical answer. Made me able to do a three hour flight.

I’m nervous about the prospect of flying for the first time in ages this summer too - hate it.

If you know all the stats etc pandemic that doesn’t help, it’s the feelings and being able to tolerate the anxiety that you need to address. You could try some somatic tracking? (Google ‘somatic tracking for anxiety’)

(‘Pandemic’ is meant to say ‘and’!)

How long is the flight?

I went on my first flight in 10 years last year. In the lead up I went to a nearby airport to watch planes landing and taking off to familiarise myself with the noises etc, going on flight radar to reassure myself how many flights are in the sky daily with no incidents. I spent a lot of time on the fear of flying sub Reddit. I felt a bit more calm and prepared but when it came to my flight I got myself into such a state during the take off (had the loveliest stranger sitting beside me checking if I was alright ). I had forgot how loud/fast take off actually was and it sent me into a panic. The return flight I wasn’t as bad because I knew what to expect. I am going to fly again this year and I will read the posts on Reddit again. They have pilots on there who go into detail and explain how everything works which I found reassuring and comforting.

I have flight radar.

Both my dc are adults and fly regularly. I'm ok with other people flying; just not me 🙄😬

I know. It's totally illogical.

The last time I flew, I was sick before, then the plane was hit by lightning.

My brain just got hold of the idea that I couldn't fly with my two dc. I was fine with flying before!!

The Easley course is a great idea, thanks.

EasyJet!