Travel is a wonderful thing; it can broaden our horizons, make us happy, give us something to look forward, and generally make life more fun and interesting. However, if you have a fear of flying, really get the most out of your chance to travel can be difficult, if not completely impossible. Traveling by train, bus, or car can only get you so far – if you really want to explore the world, you’ll need to fly, so read on to find out how to overcome your fear of flying and make the most of your travel opportunities.
Distract Yourself
If you can arm yourself with things to do during the flight, it is possible to distract yourself so much that you ‘forget’ to feel afraid. You will be so engrossed in what you are doing that the flight will pass more quickly (or so it will seem) and if your thoughts are focused elsewhere, you won’t feel so worried. Make sure you have plenty to do whenever you fly. Download lots of books to an eReader, for example, or ensure you have a good Wi-Fi connection to play Unibet games on your phone or tablet. Listen to music, enjoy puzzles, or watch a movie. You could even catch up on emails or do some work. No matter what you do, as long as you are distracted from the fact that you are flying on a plane, you should feel better.
What Are The Triggers?
If you can work out what it is that makes you afraid of flying; you can focus on that particular aspect when it comes to combatting your fear. When you have learned what it is that makes your fear and anxiety grow worse, it is easier to deal with it. You might be afraid of turbulence, as Lonely Planet refers to. It could be a fear of being in lack of control, of how high you are flying, or perhaps how fast. It might be take off or landing that upset you the most rather than flying itself.
Being able to deal with specific elements of a phobia make it much more likely that you will get over your fear.
Have Knowledge
One of the reasons that many people have a fear of flying is that they don’t understand the mechanics of how a plane works, and therefore have a fear that it could go wrong. If you feel this way, then why not learn how a plane works; Elite Daily refers to the statistics of likelihood of an incident. You don’t need to know everything in fine detail, but some additional knowledge will certainly give you a better perspective on things.
When you have facts to draw on, your fear will be minimized dramatically, and any unwarranted fears will disappear completely. You will see that your fear just doesn’t make sense when you are faced with the truth. You may not enjoy flying, but at least you won’t be afraid anymore.
Ask For Help
If you are traveling with others, let them know that you are afraid and explain the feelings you are having. They will be able to help you to stay calm, either by showing you that there is nothing to be afraid of or by comforting you through the difficult parts of the flight.
If you are traveling alone, make sure that the cabin crew is aware of your anxiety. They will have dealt with such issues before and will know how to help you.
To read more on topics like this, check out the travel tips category.