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I know this is me just being crazy, but why am I terrified to fly? I haven't always been, but recently I have been. So here is the back story. I was never scared to fly but as I have gotten older I get more and more scared to.
I went to Jamaica in January and before the we flew, I kept thinking to myself what if the plane crashes? What if we die? Same way upon our return. Safe and sound and at home. One week after getting back from Jamaica, found out that there is a family emergency in South America I have to go to, I leave on Wednesday. It's for a relative that has less than a few months to live most likely. For the past two weeks I have convinced myself that I will die on this plane crash. My anxiety about the trip on Wednesday is driving me nuts. I don't want to go on the flight at all.
However I am thinking my anxiety is just based on a few facts. I am just going through a lot of anxiety lately:
1. My relative this is the last time I will see him and this will be my goodbye to him, which makes me dread the trip and dread seeing him in the condition he will be in
2. The day after I return from this trip I am putting in my resignation in at work which really worries me how the reception will be.
3. I am joining a startup company and it is a BIG risk and has me nervous, I am even moving in with my dad just to make sure I am financially comfortable.
4. Ever since Jamaica I have been making strides to be positive and outgoing. EVERYTHING in my life right now is going so well. Dating this great girl, I will start a new job that I am THRILLED about and it is a life passion and my social life has gone back to normal. My life is going so great right now, I just am fearful and don't want to risk anything to ruin it.
5. I am just a nervous flyer. 5-10 years ago I loved flying. Nowadays? Every little jerk or turbulence gives me crazy anxiety. I used to love turbulence back in the day!
So why do I keep telling myself I am going to die on this flight? Has anyone else had this feeling? Everyday I look at stats of plane crashes to help convince me that is is super safe.
Easier said than done, but try not to think about it. Distract yourself when you start to think about the flight. It is very normal to have a fear of flying. It's one of the most common fears. I have a friend who deals with their fear of flying by having a few shots of whiskey in the airport before boarding the plane. Probably not the most healthy idea, but it helps him calm down.
Sometimes I convince myself that something is going to happen, but never happens that way. So try to ignore this feeling.
Easier said than done, but try not to think about it. Distract yourself when you start to think about the flight. It is very normal to have a fear of flying. It's one of the most common fears. I have a friend who deals with their fear of flying by having a few shots of whiskey in the airport before boarding the plane. Probably not the most healthy idea, but it helps him calm down.
Sometimes I convince myself that something is going to happen, but never happens that way. So try to ignore this feeling.
Yeah im considering hitting up the bar before I fly out. Thanks for the advice it help
Yeah im considering hitting up the bar before I fly out. Thanks for the advice it help
I used to be a very calm flyer, and very little would bother me. I won't detail the flight that changed that for me, but after that experience, I've had to deal with a great deal of anxiety when flying. Not ideal, since I travel sometimes 2 or 3 times a month for work.
I wouldn't hit the bar (if you accidentally over indulge, you can be prevented from boarding), but I would suggest calling your doctor and asking for a prescription for xanax. It's what I use when I fly. It doesn't necessarily stop the thoughts from happening, but it does lessen the physical response to stress (pounding heart, tense muscles, feeling sick to your stomach, etc). Take it about 20 minutes before boarding, and it should help to keep anxiety at bay.
You have to look at the small odds of it actually happening; I look at the positives of my demise as crazy as it seems. I max out my SGLI so someone is going to get $400k. Nothing I can do about it in the air so why worry?
I've even flown in helicopters in combat, now that would be nerve wrecking if you constantly worry about being shot down. I was in Afghanistan after the Chinook of Navy SEALS was shot down, everyone was worried about flying after that incident.
You have to look at the small odds of it actually happening; I look at the positives of my demise as crazy as it seems. I max out my SGLI so someone is going to get $400k. Nothing I can do about it in the air so why worry?
I've even flown in helicopters in combat, now that would be nerve wrecking if you constantly worry about being shot down. I was in Afghanistan after the Chinook of Navy SEALS was shot down, everyone was worried about flying after that incident.
Thanks for this! Thank you for your service as well!
I am starting to feel better about flying now. Due to some of the posts here and what I have read from other people as well, I am feeling much better about it.
Not to switch one phobia for another, but you are statistically far more likely to die in a car crash on the way to the airport than you are losing your life in a plane crash. I read a newspaper story a number of years back that stated you'd have to take something like 32,000 flights in your life to put yourself at significant risk.
I used to fly more often, now not as much. And I find myself every now and then thinking about the improbability that a multi-ton tube of steel should be able to be 30,000 feet in the air. Especially looking out and seeing the wings moving, feeling the turbulence, etc. Then I shake myself out of it and realize the pilot wants to get home as much as I do, and for some reason that calms my nerves.
As indicated by your post, your anxiety issues go beyond the scope of fear of flying...and beyond the scope of this forum. Fear of flying is just a symptom, not the cause. We aren't even talking fear of flying here in reality, but something else - fear of death, fear of change.
Take up yoga? Smoke Ganja? Not sure...but you need to address your anxiety first and foremost.
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