Tips For Conquering Your Fear of Flying

Are you terrified of flying? Well, believe it or not, fear of flying is one of the biggest things that holds people back from exploring the world. To be honest, I get it.

Even after traveling so much around the world, my heart still manages to pump faster when the plane suddenly goes through turbulence. But, flying doesn’t have to be scary. If you want to know some tips for surviving a long-haul flight, click here.

I’ve learned how to become more comfortable with flying over the years. My travel time now consists of “me time” and I take advantage of every minute I’m up in the air. I usually decompress and disconnect myself from everything. My whole attitude toward flying changed with just implementing a few important strategies.

Find Your Triggers

The first step to conquering your fear of flying is trying to find out what scares you the most about flights. Then, after you know what triggers your fear, you can start to work on it.

Once you start working out the fear, you will see that this will minimize your worry levels. You probably think that you are the only one going through this but that’s not the case. There are many people in the same boat as you.

Meditate

Personally, I haven’t tried it and I’m not a big meditator but if you want to try it, there are certain apps that guide you through. So many people swear by meditation and it has been proven to work.

If you are feeling nervous about your trip, take a few minutes out of your day to learn about mediation prior to your trip.

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Sedate Yourself

Seriously, if you need to take this step do it! Nyquil is my best friend on flights longer than 5 hours, it helps me relax and sleep like a baby.

Some other people use sleep aids and herbal fixes like melatonin to avoid jetlag and keep you sleeping schedule on track. I personally don’t do this but if it helps you, why not. You will miss out on exploring the rest of the world if you don’t take this step! If you need tips on surviving a long-haul flight, click here.

Find a Distraction

I always find some sort of distraction to help me get through the flight. Some things you can pack are noise-canceling earphones to hear music, books to read, download a movie to watch on the flight, and etc. As you know, turbulence for me is the scariest but with those distractions, it makes the trip go by fast and next thing you know, you are landing.

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Change Your Mindset About Flying

Think about the exciting part once you get off the plane. View the experience as exciting rather than terrifying.

Remind yourself over and over, that it will all be worth it at the end. You get to travel the world!

If looking at pictures from your previous trips make you excited to travel.

Comfort Yourself

Many people probably haven’t heard of this but essential oils are a must when you travel. My favorite relaxing aroma is lavender, for some reason this smell calms people down.

Usually, when I travel I also carry a neck rest and other essentials like a cozy shawl, and a light sweater just in case I’m still cold. Feeling comfortable will keep you from being anxious during your flight.

Learn how planes work 

A good way to conquer your fears is by doing some research. The more you know about how planes work, the less you will worry about flying.

To tell you the truth, turbulence use to scare me! I know it’s terrifying, however, once you understand it’s not as scary.

Fly Often

Honestly, when you do something multiple times it starts becoming second nature to you. It won’t be as scary forever! But you do need to push yourself outside your comfort zone, and you will see that sooner or later you will be comfortable during the flight.

Find Your Place on a Plane

Find the right seat for you is important. Some people prefer the window seat since they like to be aware of their surroundings. Others like to have the aisle just because is easier to either go to the restroom without having to ask people to move or simply just walk around.

*Tip: Sitting closer to the front of the plane will give you less turbulence for a smoother ride!

Sometimes sitting in the business or first class section is worth it, especially if you use frequent flyer miles. Look into your options.