How to Deal With Your Fear of Flying
The fear of flying is one fear that almost everyone who has flown has experienced to some degree. For many, the experience is no more than a nuisance; a bit uncomfortable, but nothing to worry about.
Others, however, experience physical and mental symptoms that can range from simply tense to outright panic. There are many effective methods for dealing with the fear of flying. What will be successful for you may depend on where you fall on the spectrum.
Fear of flying symptoms often mirror the symptoms of other things that happen when flying. Knowing this can help a person who has mild fear of flying overcome their anxiety more quickly. What usually happens is that a person experiences a symptom and assumes it is caused by their fear rather than some other reason. Then, they get more and more agitated until major panic sets in. If the passenger can recognize this cycle early on, they can stop it in its tracks and prevail over their fear.
One example is this. Unstable air pressure in the plan can give many passengers inner ear problems, which result in a number of possible symptoms including prickly ears and skin, loss of orientation, nausea, and dizziness. A passenger with mild fear of flying may experience these symptoms and attribute them to the their fear, as many are also caused by anxiety. And this misunderstanding can trigger even greater fears and anxiety.
Additionally, spending long periods in the tight seats in an airplane cabin can cause muscular pain, joint pain, and tingling from lack of blood flow. These too are all symptoms often experienced during panic or severe anxiety attacks. Therefore, the passenger who feels these symptoms may misdiagnose a mere physical reaction to small seating quarters as a fear of flying.
Clearly, there are those whose fear of flying is more significant than the mild fear described here. For those folks, mere recognition that the physical symptoms could be coming from other sources thank the fear of flying may not be enough. But for some, this awareness is the first line of defense in combating their fears for good.