#flight phobia

[colourinverse]

"fly there why don't you" the thing that killed goose bradshaw??

[Audience laughs]

[livefreeordie13]

by treya_barton and livefree_13

Well, here we are. The last chapter of The Surprise Trip is up! 

This was a project @treya-barton and I had a lot of fun working on and we hope you guys enjoyed it as much as we did.  

Heads up that this chapter deals with heavy anxiety and a fear of flying, so mind the tags. ^_~  There’s also an over-abundance of hand-holding. 

Thanks for reading, guys! 

[homosociallyyours]

You're on a flight from Honolulu to Chicago non stop. There is a fire in the back of the plane and you have time to make ONE phone call. Who do you call? What do you tell them?

Thank you for the odd random question, Belle! What a scenario :O

so, one call: i call my dad and tell him i love him, ask him to see if sal can go to my friend mich, and tell him he’s a beneficiary on my life insurance policy. and that i wanna be cremated. 

but in reality i don’t call anyone bc i have my mask on and i am comforting a scared passenger next to me, and probably i would pass out from smoke inhalation without a mask if i tried to call, right?  

[sheisrecovering]

How I Overcame Aerophobia +Photos from Italy

Hey babes! 💖 I'm finally posting after how long? 🙄 Anyways, I am so thrilled to share that SheIsRecovering has reached over 100,000 followers! DO YOU REALIZE HOW INCREDIBLE THAT IS? Even though not everyone who follows you is supportive of you or your message; I don't worry about that number because I've received so many encouraging and thankful messages throughout the years. My followers have been amazing to me and I’m really grateful for all of the people that have shown their support. It means the world to me every day. I'd really like to host a giveaway as a way to say thank you, so I'll try to get the details up by August. 😊

The last time I posted a blog entry I was preparing for my trip to Italy, which was absolutely incredible. I talked a bit about my phobia of flying, but didn't go into great detail as I didn't want my thoughts to spiral into negativity before I got through my flights. I have never had a phobia affect me as severely and consistently like my fear of flying did.

I have experienced vivid nightmares of planes crashing for countless years, and severe anxiety when airplanes are even brought up in conversation. I started believing that I was bound to have a bad panic attack if I got on a plane. I even believed that whatever plane I was on, or wherever I decided to go; my plane was going to crash solely because that was the plane I was on. I became incredibly sad over the years thinking that I would miss out on so many unreal things in life because of my fear.

Early in 2018, my family decided they were going to Italy. There was no way I could come up with the money for the plane tickets, but I still really wanted to go despite not wanting to take a plane. A couple of weeks later, I had the opportunity to go with them and I said yes.

For at least a month, I was absolutely terrified. I felt very alone and I put a lot of shame on myself. I cried a lot thinking about the flight. I was completely enveloped in my fear until I actually decided I needed to stop trying to avoid it because it was only going to stay the same, or get worse.

I started affirming myself that it's okay to be afraid, I did my research on planes and aerophobia, I spoke out more honestly in therapy and I even ended up getting help from my family doctor. Guess whose plane crash nightmares basically stopped altogether once I got to Italy? Yep. Facing this fear was a colossal step for me, and now I can honestly say I'm actually really looking forward to my next flight! Here's how I got through it:

Flight Phobia Tips:

BEFORE THE FLIGHT:

1. Recognize your triggers. The founder of Anxiety Disorder Treatment Program, Martin N. Seif, who has personally overcome his fear of flying, shares a long list of potential triggers: "turbulence, take-off, landings, terrorism, crashes, social anxieties or being too far from home. Some people fear fire, illness spread through the air system, using the toilets or violence on a place. Others have a ‘bad feeling’ about their flight, afraid that their anxieties will somehow predict a catastrophe." Being aware of your potential triggers is the first step to managing them in healthy and productive ways.

2. Do your research. Arm yourself with the facts and keep in mind that the statistics are always on your side.

It's a common fear, so you're not alone. PsychCentral says "As many as 20 to 30 percent of people are apprehensive about flying, and between 2 and 10 percent of people at any point in time have a phobia about flying. Fear of flying is more common in women and begins most often in childhood or in the mid-20s."

Planes are the safest way to travel, and they're always getting safer. Planes can even fly with just one engine, and they can land with no working engines.

Things that are more likely to happen to you than getting into a plane crash: getting hit by a meteorite, getting eaten by a shark, getting struck by lightning, and even dying from food poisoning. The list goes on.

Even if something does happen, the survival rate for commercial aircraft accidents is 95.7%.

3. If you have a therapist; make sure to book an appointment as soon as possible but this is not necessary if you don't have a therapist or don't have time to see them. Your therapist should have some techniques and free resources available that can help you manage your fear. If you have a family doctor it's a good idea to contact them, too. My doctor temporarily prescribed a sedative for me. It did help reduce my anxiety levels throughout the flight, but honestly, I think my prescription wasn't strong enough. PSA: You do not need a sedative to conquer your fears, but there is no shame in taking prescribed medication if you decide to do so!

4. Choose at least one anchor thought. An anchor thought is a positive and encouraging thought used to help calm yourself when you're feeling anxious or afraid. For example; my anchor thoughts for my flight involved: coming home to my boyfriend and my cat, being able to face my fears and say that I got through it, and knowing that I was going land to a beautiful place. Whenever you feel anxious about your flight; think about your anchor thought. This was definitely my favourite way to cope.

5. Consider what you want to bring in your carry-on bag. I tried to pack light; a notebook, a pen, an empty water bottle, my medications, some snacks, my headphones, my phone that I loaded with calming playlists; my favourite coping techniques, and audiobooks. Looking back now I would definitely consider swinging by the dollar store to pick up a sleep mask or an airplane pillow. Don't forget to pick a comfortable outfit for your flight.

AT THE AIRPORT:

1. Let yourself be afraid. Pretending to be okay when we're not makes everything worse. You don't have to hide your fear for anyone. It's okay to admit you're feeling anxious. You are so courageous for facing your fear.

2. If you're anything like me; anxiety induces nausea. Waiting can make me even more afraid and anxious so I just want to get things over with, but air travel usually involves some waiting. Practicing deep breathing techniques can help with both the nausea and anxiety. Here is a great guide on WebMD if you want to learn how to do deep breathing for stress relief.

3. Do things that make you comfortable while you wait. You don't have to watch planes taking off if you don't want to. Some airports have loungers so you can lay back and relax, you could check out the stores inside the airport, or get something to eat before your flight, etc.

DURING THE FLIGHT:

1. Remember that everything that is happening around you is bringing you closer to your destination. The door closing is a good sign. Pulling away from the gate is a good sign. Taking off is a good sign. You are on your way!

2. If you have any negative thoughts while on the plane; count down slowly from 5 and go back to your anchor thought(s). Look at any of the flight attendants for reassurance; if they aren't panicking then there is absolutely no reason that you need to be panicking!

3. Don't self medicate. It can be pretty tempting with the complimentary drinks, but alcohol can actually increase anxiety levels when we're already feeling anxious. Just remember that alcohol hits you twice as fast when you're at a high altitude, and if it wears off while you're flying it can contribute to more anxiety.

4. Stay distracted. Take a nap, listen to an audiobook or a meditation, write about what you're feeling, watch the complimentary movie, or if you're lucky enough to get a window seat and comfortable enough to do so; look out the window. 

5. Try acting like you own it. This is your plane and it's going exactly where it's supposed to. This mindset game doesn't work for everyone but surprisingly can help some.

With preparation, you are still likely to be fearful on your first flight but that does not mean you should give up. On my way back from Italy I was still anxious, but much more calm and confident. I even managed to snag a window seat so I got to see some pretty incredible things.

If you're struggling with aerophobia, remember that even though you're feeling terrified now you won't always feel this way. Even if you don't necessarily overcome your phobia within the first couple flights; that's okay. The important thing is that you're trying and therefore you're not letting that fear hold you back anymore.

I’ll be uploading more but here are a few photos from Venice and Lucca. If you want to see the rest you can view them on my personal blog here.

Ciao babes 🛵💕🏛

[brunchbitch]

I have a super severe flight phobia! Can u take some meds to relax? Hope it goes ok

I have neurontin but it doesn’t do much. Just gotta use skillzzzz

[ayana-88]

Small announcement about my flight phobia

I dunno why but even though my flight is tomorrow I am quite okay, I don't cry (only when I think I'll see mom tomorrow), I don't shiver, I don't have nightmares. I am still afraid of flying, yet I think this one will not be as bad. At least it spared me a week full of tears and stress.

[trashylvania]

I have a flight tomorrow at 5am to Orlando for an international honors conference and I’m so nervous about it that I’ve been losing sleep all week. It’s my third flight, but I still can’t get past the complete surrender of control, the small space, the possibility of motion sickness, and the heights that come with flying. Also, the last times I flew, I wasn’t under the almost-impossible levels of stress I am now. To make matters worse, I haven’t been able to reach my doctor for (badly needed) anti anxiety meds. I’m extra worried because if I have an anxiety attack on the plane, it’ll be extremely dramatic and no one who knows me well is going to be with me, so it’s going to be hard to calm down.

Probably going to shakily liveblog the plane ride like I did last time if I can still type by then. 

Wish me luck.