I know a little something about having a fear of flying.
About six months ago, on a flight from New Jersey to California, I had apanic attack.
I got off the plane never wanting to feel trapped in the sky again.
Jongcheol Park/EyeEm/Getty Images
Here, they offer up some of the best ways to deal with flight anxiety.
Why does a fear of flying happen in the first place?
Or they might have never flown before, so theyre not sure what to expect.
(Itiskind of wild that they can just…stay up like that.)
Panic attacks, like the ones Ive experienced, are another common reason for flight anxiety.
This can lead to you avoiding flying even when youd theoretically like totravel.
A fear of flying can get so severe that it becomes an anxiety disorder.
Also known as aviophobia, a fear of flying is listed in the DSM-5 asa specific phobia.
you’re able to be scared of flying without actually having a phobia.
The latter involves long-lasting, life-disrupting physical and psychological reactions to air travel.
Learning about aviation can help tame a fear of flying for some people.
As part of Seifs Freedom to Fly program, participants learn aviation facts to counter their anxious thoughts.
Anxiety … [is] fueled by what if catastrophic thinking, says Seif.
Through education about aviation, those who fear flying learn to challenge this thought process.
Focusing on aviation disasters could just make your fear of flying worse.
Depending on how your mind works, these details might fuel your fear even more.
That means its something you do because you feel it will protect you when it really wont at all.
Its basically like a mental crutch.
At that point, youre no longer learning about aviation to reframe your pre-existing notions about flying.
Here are some resources for learning about aviation in a helpful way.
Not sure where exactly to begin?
Avery-Peck uses virtual reality (VR) to help accomplish this with those who have a fear of flying.
The goal is to get used to your anxiety, Avery-Peck says.
We inadvertently keep ourselves anxious by interpreting our physiological symptoms as dangerous.
If your flight anxiety is really affecting your life, its important to get a psychological assessment.
Only then can you work toward overcoming your fear of flying.
