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Hi guys.. 26 yo male New Yorker here.
I used to travel all over the world when I was a kid.
I used to laugh at turbulunces and not obsess over the slightest movement in the plane.
But ever since my last long flight from Japan to New York 15 years ago (12 hours), I have been DEATHLY afraid of flying to the point where I avoid it at all costs.
There was a massive turbulence when I flew from Japan to NY. I really thought the plane was going to crash. I was basically asking my mom (who was sitting right next to me) if I'd go to heaven if the plane crashes.. Needless to say I was very traumatized.
I was 11 years old at the time.
Last time I flew was to upstate NY, which was just an hour flight. This was back in 2011.
I had a random grandmother holding my hand the entire flight, consoling me from having a nervous breakdown on the plane lol.
I was also taking 0.25g of xanax during that flight, which didn't help at all.
I haven't flown since then. I've been super depressed lately because I LOVE traveling - or at least I used to. But I can't travel anywhere fun outside of NY without flying. I want to be able to go to Ireland.. Mexico.. Italy.. Switzerland.. Australia.. Bali..
There's so many places I want to visit. I can't believe I wasted 7 years away without traveling anywhere.
I REALLY want to overcome this fear but I feel like at this rate, the only way how is to have someone tranquilize me on the plane.. like sedate me with anesthesia or something lol
I can almost equate flying to a death sentence.. Like my brain automatically thinks that whatever plane I'm going to be on is going to crash..
I think I subconsciously relate flying to dying..
A gamechanger would be alcohol. Last time I flew I wasn't of legal age to drink (and I never drank alcohol).
That might change everything.. Cause alcohol usually makes me really calm.
Hi guys.. 26 yo male New Yorker here.
I used to travel all over the world when I was a kid.
I used to laugh at turbulunces and not obsess over the slightest movement in the plane.
But ever since my last long flight from Japan to New York 15 years ago (12 hours), I have been DEATHLY afraid of flying to the point where I avoid it at all costs.
There was a massive turbulence when I flew from Japan to NY. I really thought the plane was going to crash. I was basically asking my mom (who was sitting right next to me) if I'd go to heaven if the plane crashes.. Needless to say I was very traumatized.
I was 11 years old at the time.
Last time I flew was to upstate NY, which was just an hour flight. This was back in 2011.
I had a random grandmother holding my hand the entire flight, consoling me from having a nervous breakdown on the plane lol.
I was also taking 0.25g of xanax during that flight, which didn't help at all.
I haven't flown since then. I've been super depressed lately because I LOVE traveling - or at least I used to. But I can't travel anywhere fun outside of NY without flying. I want to be able to go to Ireland.. Mexico.. Italy.. Switzerland.. Australia.. Bali..
There's so many places I want to visit. I can't believe I wasted 7 years away without traveling anywhere.
I REALLY want to overcome this fear but I feel like at this rate, the only way how is to have someone tranquilize me on the plane.. like sedate me with anesthesia or something lol
I can almost equate flying to a death sentence.. Like my brain automatically thinks that whatever plane I'm going to be on is going to crash..
I think I subconsciously relate flying to dying..
A gamechanger would be alcohol. Last time I flew I wasn't of legal age to drink (and I never drank alcohol).
That might change everything.. Cause alcohol usually makes me really calm.
Does anyone have any tips for me?
No alcohol while flying. Have your doctor prescribe you some Valium or Zanax. Smoke some pot or eat some indica edibles before flying. Sleep.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,712 posts, read 58,054,000 times
Reputation: 46182
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlygal
If you're in NY, go see a flying phobia specialist. It would be relatively short term to get you on a flight.
^^^^ do this. ^^^^
FIX the problem, don't mask it (that will not be a lasting solution).
There are lots of reasons, but ...
1) Rest on the statistics (air travel is VERY very safe compared to alternatives) ~700,000 people in the air, each moment of the 24hr day (the size of a pretty huge city!)! 4b+ passengers annually
2) get a handle on dying... it's gonna happen to each of us (and most often NOT on our terms) (This can be a very important step. What a privilege to live, and an honor for many to die). Life is short and fragile, handle with care, but do not live under the fear of death. No need to do that! It will / can be such a blessing! (To live and to die)
3) Take some small steps to recovery.
Have fun when you fly! Fly often!!! (We did all stops on your international bucket list last yr on a 1 year long, RTW trip, and have 100+ flights / yr (just for fun)).
I appreciate the humor of SWA staff.
from this morning's flight:
"If you don't like our service, there are (6) exits off this aircraft"
"FAA penalties for damaging a smoke alarm or our new Webcam in the lavatory."
"Thanks for listening to our safety message; for those who did not listen... Good Luck!"
I have always been a nervous flier but things went from bad to worse when I was approaching 30. Long story short, a bumpy flight and other environmental factors led to my panic disorder outburst. I tried SSRI, Xanax, counseling, etc to get over my anxiety condition and fear of flight in particular.
What I have learned:
1. Your overall anxiety level has increased significantly from childhood to adolescence, many people suddenly developed fear of flight during the transition to next life stage. In my case, stress was out of control when I realized that I was getting really old. So, you may have to work with your overall anxiety level.
2. I don't fly unless I have to. I rarely fly for leisure travel now, but my circumstances require me to fly a few times per year. Xanax isn't the panacea but it is of great help to me. If alcohol works for you but Xanax doesn't, a probable explanation reason is the dosage isn't enough. Try 0.5 mg Xanax next time.
3. Okay, I know my opinion is unpopular in this sub forum. But I really think traveling internationally isn't that important. It's nothing but a way to have some good time like playing video games, you are not wasting your time if you don't travel that much. You still have a ton of options without flying, 49 US states, Canada and Mexico. Theoretically you can drive to Chile.
FIX the problem, don't mask it (that will not be a lasting solution).
There are lots of reasons, but ...
1) Rest on the statistics (air travel is VERY very safe compared to alternatives) ~700,000 people in the air, each moment of the 24hr day (the size of a pretty huge city!)! 4b+ passengers annually
2) get a handle on dying... it's gonna happen to each of us (and most often NOT on our terms) (This can be a very important step. What a privilege to live, and an honor for many to die). Life is short and fragile, handle with care, but do not live under the fear of death. No need to do that! It will / can be such a blessing! (To live and to die)
3) Take some small steps to recovery.
Have fun when you fly! Fly often!!! (We did all stops on your international bucket list last yr on a 1 year long, RTW trip, and have 100+ flights / yr (just for fun)).
I appreciate the humor of SWA staff.
from this morning's flight:
"If you don't like our service, there are (6) exits off this aircraft"
"FAA penalties for damaging a smoke alarm or our new Webcam in the lavatory."
"Thanks for listening to our safety message; for those who did not listen... Good Luck!"
Alcohol helps a lot for me. White wine is best for me. Xanax didn’t help at all.
I still fly, but I drink a glass of wine before takeoff and one or two in the air.
It helps, psychologically, if you choose a well known airliner as opposed to some little known foreign or budget one. I live in Hawaii and find myself sometimes saying, “I haven’t heard anything happening to Korean or Japan airlines recently.” As kind of a pep talk
A plane is really not that different from a ship. Both operate in fluids (water and air are both considered fluids). One floats on a fluid via buoyancy and the other uses forward motion to generate lift. If the engines quit running, civilian airliners are designed to use residual forward motion to glide down. The bottomline is: you're not in a rock floating through space and caught by a planet's gravity. You're in a fluid and that fluid keeps you afloat.
Oh and turbulence never causes crashes. It just throws people around inside the plane, so stay belted in at all times. Planes are designed to be tossed around in turbulent air.
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) (This can be a very important step. What a privilege to live, and an honor for many to die). Life is short and fragile, handle with care, but do not live under the fear of death. No need to do that! It will / can be such a blessing! (To live and to die)
in the lavatory."
