Fear of flying is referred to as aviophobia. Unfortunately, many people suffer from it, making it difficult to enjoy traveling, and sometimes it can completely spoil the enjoyment, for example, during a vacation. What to do when you are afraid of flying? Read our article and learn effective tricks!
Talking is often the best way to relieve stress or soothe nerves. You don’t always need another person to do it. After all, you know yourself best. Ask yourself why you are afraid of flying. For your fears, try to find logical arguments that will undermine your doubts.
Also think about what you can do to stop being nervous. Ideally, do this a few hours before takeoff. If you don’t find a quick answer, then wait a while and do something else. Our brain works 24 hours a day, so if you can’t find a solution on the fly, it will pop into your head after a few dozen minutes on its own.
If talking to yourself doesn’t work, ask a trusted person to converse with you. Preferably a family member or friend. Those closest to you will be able to ease your fears and share their own experiences, making you feel that you are not alone with the problem.
This is a good solution to help you stop being afraid of flying. Your fears may be legitimate, but if you stop paying so much attention to them, they soon won’t be as bothersome.
Some people use the denial technique and, despite the fact that they feel fear, they pretend that everything is fine. Unfortunately, such “sweeping under the rug” is not a good choice. Covered emotions can explode right before the plane takes off and even end in a panic attack.
Tame your fear. Admit to yourself that you are afraid of flying and see what happens next. If you haven’t done it before, it’s likely that most of the bad emotions will begin to “flow over you” and you’ll feel a pleasant sense of relief.
Among the ways to combat the fear of flying is to get used to air travel. If you struggle with strong bouts of fear once a year when you go on vacation, preventive travel can be a good way to do this.
Find cheap flights in your area for short distances. For example, you can go on a short weekend trip every two to three months. If flying gets into your blood, at some point you will simply stop feeling the fear.
Monotony is the enemy of desirable emotions, such as excitement, love or other feelings of pleasure, but it can be a help in taming fear. A few or a dozen trips a year will certainly make flying no longer so taxing on your mental state.
When traveling, you can use various ways to distract yourself from the fear associated with traveling. Pick up an interesting book, movie or download a music album by your favorite artist. If you concentrate on entertainment, you won’t even notice when the plane approaches landing. In the event that you don’t manage to completely distract yourself, then at least some of your time during the trip will be spent enjoying yourself rather than being nervous about the flight.
main photo: unsplash.com/Omar Prestwich
