Hi! So, I hate to fly. I never use to when I was younger. I use to fly by myself when i was a teeneager. But for some reason, I hate it now. I get nervous with every bump I feel...I just can't wait to land. I'd like to plan a trip next year that would involve flying. Aside from taking something to relax me, what can I do? Can anyone give me words of encouragement. I hate for my kids to see me nervous on flights which might make them nervous because right now, they don't mind to fly. Thanks!
I am completely out of my mind anxious when flying. It's not just at taking off and landing either, it's the whole damn flight. I have found Captain Tom's website to be helpful. He is/was a pilot and talks about why people are afraid, the noises to expect, what's normal etc.
I have one thing to say for both kids and grown-ups on flights....(don't laugh) ...lollipops.
Lollipops have been shown to have a calming affect (primal sucking action I guess).
Statistically, flying is the safest form of travel, while driving is the most dangerous.
I'm not a nervous flyer, personally, but I've had rough flights, and remembering that always helps to calm me down.
Seriously, do some research. You'll find that you're MUCH more likely to die in a car accident than you are in a plane crash.
Figure out why you are nervous about flying.
I used to love flying. I don't like it now but I've figured out why and I deal with that. Flying will not keep me from travel.
I've been on 3+ emergency landings and that is my issue. My last one was the extreme critical but w landed safely. My biggest fear was boarding again and I made myself do it.
Get to know the feel for the norm on take off, in flight, and landing. Once I hear the ding it's ok for devices, I am made in the shade. My biggest scare was when an engine blew at takeoff and we were airborne which was too late to abort take off. I watched men calling their wives crying.. That scared me! I was coaching my daughter all the way down to a return ER landing on exits, etc. it's scary especially to have fire trucks chasing you down the runway. This was not my first time... It was the first time everyone knew there was an issue.
All in All... Flying is safe. I'll not let my 3+ bad times stop me from all the good flights.
Remember that he pilots will not take off if they don't feel safe. They have families too!!
I've flown gazillions and gazillions of times. (At least 8 trips a year as a kid, often 10-22 hour flights).
Never hated it (loved it, as a matter of fact) until I was in the airwing of the military... and now it scares the bejeebers out of me.
((It's the old joke about the seasoned flyer trying to relax the passenger next to him who is white knuckling the armrests, jaw clenched, every muscle taut. As he finishes his spiel with "...So you see? You don't worry, the pilots know what they're doing up there.", the passenger next to him says, "Thanks, son. But that's the problem. I'M a pilot, so *I* know what they're doing up there!!"))
Prekids... I took something to relax me. It was the only way I could fly.
POSTkids... needing to be brave for my son provides a kind of courage that not even liquid or pill form can. I'm so busy being strong for him, that I don't have time to be freaked out for myself.
But when I fly alone? I still take bottled courage. Shudder. HATE flying.
Well, I can think of a few things you can do but first of all, what is it about flying that makes you nervous? Is it a lack of control or just a claustrophobic feeling? If you try to pinpoint your issue maybe you can confront it a little bit, be honest with your kids so they are aware that you are nervous because your specific feeling instead of making them think it's something wrong with the flights your family is on.
As a flight attendant, I can tell you that a lot of people are nervous but manage to just take their minds off of the worrying by using videos, music, really good books, some use alcohol and some use drugs. I've a had a few INCREDIBLY nervous moms who sit seperately from their kids and their father and watch the crew the whole flight for signs of trouble. In 14 years flying I've only had about 2 women at this extreme and their kids seemed fine sitting with their fathers. Also, can you try to book direct flights to your destination and maybe go somewhere short like Bermuda (assuming your flying out of Boston) or one of the Carolina beach destinations, minimizing your worries?
I'm sure you already know this but flying is very safe and although there are incidents in the airline industry all the time, a vast majority of them happen on the ground during taxi in or out, ironically this is when most people relax and take off their seatbelts. Yes, take off and landing are critical phases of flight where bad things can happen at a rapid pace but be alert to changes (this is where I think it's not such a good idea to be on drugs or not completely sober) and noises that are strange and the crews's reactions to them.
Personally I am much more worried about who is controlling the cars around me while I'm shuttling my kids about town than I ever am about flying. I mean people drive while on prescription drugs, drunk, texting, talking, eating etc. It's crazy! Pilots on the other hand are highly trained, there are always two of them with procedures in place in case one suspects the other of being unable to fly and not to mention that aviation is one of the most highly regulated industry in the USA. There is a rule for everything, just in case!
All the best,
H.
I have always hated it, but never let it stop me from traveling. (Being a mechanical engineer and working for Boeing for awhile didn't help!)
What helped me more than anything was eye movement desensitvity therapy. I went for it after a home invasion/armed robbery. But the therapist said it would also help with phobias. Now I keep thinking I will be afraid but am actually much calmer when I am on the plane.
It also helps to take along an IPod or dvd player. Unfortunately you won't be able to use them during takeoff.
I also pray a lot!
I feel the same way! My husband holds me really tight as the plane takes off and then when landing and that helps me a lot! Lots of people have this fear, so you will probably get lots of advice! Hope you have a great trip!
Hypnosis. Works for many things, If you're in RI or MA try http://www.possibilities.nu/
Good luck.
I had to work in Orlando last week and had a flight coming home at 6:05 with one connection that put be at my sweet daughter's car by about 10:40.....AWESOME....all the way across the country!!!
Sign me up any day for this efficiency!!
