Help me get on this flight

[Snowcanwait]

Hello

i I was due to take the Eurostar this morning but it was cancelled. All my family are waiting in Milan for me including my daughter who is 7.

I am sitting in Cologne airport (got a bus here which was awful but wasn’t sure if I was gonna bus all the way to Milan or not. I hate flying. I planned my whole trip around not flying but realised the journey to Milan was too long in this heat and got off at Cologne and have a flight booked at 6.25.

I am very very very anxious and want to turn round and get out and find a bus but I can’t bare 13 hours in n another coach!! My feet got all bruised from my shoes and swollen from the heat.

You'll be grand, it'll be nice and cool on the plane! Get a drink in and read a book, listen to a podcast or something like that. You'll be there before you know it. And your daughter will be so happy to see you.

Thank you- on my second glass of wine

You have got this! Your little girl wants to see you and its will be 90mins in a lovely cool seat.

Deffp have another glass of wine (or two). Dont overthink it. Just break it down in steps and dont think deyond the next one.

If you start to feel panicky. Concentrate really hard on:
5 things you can see
4 things you can hear
3 things you can feel
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste

Its focuses your mind and will relax you

Pilots and cabin crew fly often three times a day. You know there is nothing really to worry about.

Just keep calm and if you get nervous just remind yourself that it's unusual to you but absolutely routine for everyone else.

I'm not a great flyer nut it does get easier the more you do it.

My stategy is to use the breathing exercises they taught you for labour to keep calm, and bury myself in a book, so I can't see that I'm on a plane.

Have a listen or look at Captain Tom Bunn Soar. Honestly a game changer for me.
Excellent strategy to calm the fear. Also clear explanations of how flying works and how ALL of the built in belt and braces safety measures function.
I have been similarly anxious and honestly now trust the professionalism of all involved.
you can do this

It sounds weird but put your seat belt on really tightly. It somehow makes you feel a lot more secure and safe.

OP - I too am anxious about flying. But I try and concentrate on the reward - beach, sunshine, holiday cocktails etc. You have the greatest reward waiting, a big hug from your lovely daughter who will be thrilled to see you. Think how proud you will be of yourself.

Let us know when you’ve arrived!

Have a third, and then just try to remember that if you can do it today then you may be able to
turn a corner in your fear and free up a whole world of new opportunities that don’t involve spending hours on a coach.

i believe in you

You have got this. I read something once (possibly even on here!) that turbulence is just the equivalence of potholes in the sky. For some reason I really liked that idea and it has stuck with me. Even makes me smile a bit now if we hit turbulence, I have a mental image of the local gods arguing over who should fix the potholes.
I would probably stop after 1 or 2 wines. You really don't want to end up anxious, sloppy and thrown off the plane.
Have a great holiday.

OP I was you last May - I had managed to secure tickets to Eurovision in Basel for my daughter, (she’s obsessed), but I HATE flying. So much so I’d only flown once in the preceding 20 years. I priced up trains, (extortionate!!), I planned a route I could drive, (bear in mind we were leaving Friday after school and needed to be back Sunday night!!), I even looked at coaches, (takes HOURS).
In the end I had to swallow my fear and get on that EasyJet flight; there was no other way that wasn’t wildly expensive or that wouldn’t take forever. Not gonna lie, I nearly bottled it at the gate. But I did it. I sat in the aisle seat, didn’t look out the window and crushed DD’s hand during take off and landing. It only took about an hour each way, just enough time to have a (stiff) drink, then we were descending. I was SO proud of myself!!
Do it!! It’ll be over before you know it.

Ex cabin crew - find a good book, some music you love and distract yourself. Imagine how excited your little girl is going to be.
And don’t drink too much alcohol

I find opening flightradar and seeing just how
many planes are in the sky at that very moment helps me when I‘m worried about flying. Flying is extremely safe!

Let the flight crew know you're a little nervous, they're very used to it and can help make sure you're comfortable. You know logically it's the safest form of travel, and Cologne to Milan isn't even flying really - just a really big jump 😁 Try and think of all the amazing places you could go and the far-flung adventures you could share with your little girl if you get good at flying - by the time you're envisioning yourselves gorilla trekking in Rwanda, you'll be landing!

I am absolutely petrified of flying, I really am, I get teary, shake, it's awful. I usually have a couple of glasses of wine or 3 and a glug of night nurse half an hour before take this tends to sends me to sleep or at least relaxes me.

You guys are amazing! I like ‘just a big jump’ and all your support and ideas have all been noted thanks so much.

Also noted about not getting drunk. Slightly tipsy and overdone it at duty free but not enough to get chucked off the plane!

Did you get on already? Good for you!

Definitely mention to the crew and buy a few little bits if you can still access the shops and hand it to the crew on board. They will be very appreciative and will then be extra helpful for you!
Deep and slow breathing.
Visualise that first hug with your DD.

You CAN do it!

This is what I’m like- shaky and teary

Not yet! At the gate.

You’ve got this!! And if you can do this one you can do many more ☺️

Definitely try the pp's 5 things to 1 thing routine, it'll distract you.

You CAN do this. You really can. And I say that as an anxious flyer, so I totally understand your fear. One thing that has helped me: the Facebook algorithm started giving me videos of pilots flying commercial routes. There was something reassuring about the calm routine of it all. Knowing what's likely going on in the cockpit has made flying feel a bit less scary. NOW GO AND GET ON THAT PLANE!

Feel free to wait in the seats until the queue dies down. Don’t go just because your boarding group number has been called. Stay relaxed, nothing worse than being in a situation you don’t want to be in for longer than is necessary, and so if you go towards the end you can cut the time nervously waiting for takeoff

You can do this! I hate flying and even did a fear of flying course, one thing from that course that really struck me and has helped since is to watch the flight attendants. You hear a funny noise/ the plane judders and you're thinking the worst? Look at the attendants, they are completely unconcerned and chatting away/doing their job. They know it's a completely normal part of flying and nothing to worry about which helps me know it's nothing actually wrong just my anxiety xx