To want someone to give me a slap please

[FrenchRuby]

And tell me I'm beig stupid and it's going to be fine.
I'm going to see my best friend tomorrow who is a 2 hour plane ride away. I am terrified of flying. I cried last time (quietly to myself haha).
I've looked up breathing exercises for keeping calm but it's not stopping me from being unable to sleep tonight because I'm so terrified. I'm being stupid aren't I??

Of course you'll be fine! You're not being stupid at all though, try to focus on other things, i dont think spouting statistics at you is going to help. I think its fab you're going to visit a friend by plane even though you're clearly scared! What a lovely person you sound

I only get to see her once a year so it's worth the terrifying journey but if I don't get some sleep tonight I will have been away for 42 hours by the time I get to her!! My brain just won't turn off :(

Awake even!

Phobias are very real and not easily 'got over'.

You will be fine, but some part of your brain does not understand that.

There are free hypnosis sessions on YouTube including ones for fear of flying. You could try listening to one before you go today?

Thanks! I'll look for that.

I feel the same and avoided flying for 12 years (having flown lots before with no worries!) until DS was born - and we have to take him several times a year to see DP's mum.

The first flight I was crying in the airport, got awful stomach cramps and diarrhoea and was border line panic attack.
I managed to calm myself down by looking at all the people who were there, some had just got off planes and were perfectly fine. Some were waiting for planes and were perfectly fine. There were thousands of people in the air at that minute who were perfectly fine. The crew do flights every day and they were perfectly fine. In fact, they had just got off my plane; they and the plane were perfectly fine. And so on.

I still do this every time we go (and come back), and I have a few other techniques that I've made up for during the flight as well.

Good luck you will be - perfectly fine :o