Having anxiety is bad enough, having anxiety thousands of feet in the air is worse. I know that many people suffer from anxiety of flying on an airplane, for some it is the feeling of having no self control and for others they still do not have trust in this modern flying mechanism. I myself unfortunately suffer from this. Which is crazy considering my main goal in life is to go everywhere! IMy first flight I made the mistake of thinking I could just sleep it out… yeah, try and shut my mind up. I did not want to get a prescription medicine or take a Benadryl like everyone recommended mainly because I usually had activities planned right after the plane ride and I didn’t want to have to be carried out or stumbling away. So I have found my own methods. Hope this helps you too!
Breath. Deep Breaths.
“I will not let my worry control me.”
Being a sufferer of anxiety for years people were always teaching me breathing techniques and I would roll my eyes and scoff at them. I don’t have time in my busy schedule to “breath.” So roll your eyes at me all you want, and while you’re rolling, give it a try ☺ Once I get to the airport I find myself a quiet little spot and solely focus on breathing and nothing else.
Pressure Point
I was sitting next to a young boy and his grandmother one flight and he was clearly very nervous. His grandma was calming him and kept pointing to his bracelet he had on. It looked like some sort of high tech band. I looked it up post flight and it was a pressure point bracelet for motion sickness. There two points on your wrist that if you apply pressure help with motion sickness. So I put this to the test and it worked for me, maybe I’m crazy or maybe its in my head but I push on those points during take off and during any turbulence.
Give yourself time
If you suffer from anxiety chances are you don’t like being late places. There is nothing that gives me the jitters more then arriving somewhere after the actual time I am supposed to be there. On time=Late. Make sure you are packed the night before, get to the airport well before your departure time and find your gate before you wander around airport shops. Personally I am usually an hour and fifteen minutes early (or more), I seriously have a problem arriving places early. It gives me my peace of mind though and if I can breath easier I am a happy traveler.
Be Friendly
Nothing calms people down more then a sense of belonging. This technique doesn’t always work because some people really aren’t chatty, but I will talk to anyone and I think my favorite flights are when I sit next to someone full of great conversation!
Playlist!
Music solves all right? I have a playlist title Plane Rides, for… well, airplane rides. Put all your favorite songs on it and go into a musical state of bliss.
So there you go, get rid of those pre boarding jitters and test these out! If they don’t work for ya… I guess when in doubt just grab a glass of wine 😉
One Response
Beautiful post. X