Air travel is one of the most convenient and popular forms of modern intercontinental transportations and is used by millions of people every day. Nevertheless, air travel can cause flight anxiety for many people, causing them to have cold sweats, heart palpitations, gastrointestinal discomfort, and also clouded thinking among others. It is normally associated with aerophobia, the fear of flying, but it can manifest by itself too.
While air travel is also known to be one of the safest modes of transportation, that information can do little to address flight anxiety. However, there are actual steps that you can take to alleviate the feeling and manage it. We’ll take a look below at what you can do to combat flight anxiety so that your travels go more smoothly.
Identifying The Triggers
A crucial step in managing flight anxiety is figuring out the triggers that make you feel fearful or are panic-inducing. In air travel, there can be various aspects that trigger different fears in a person. While one can feel overwhelmed by the engine sound during take-off, another person may feel exceptionally restless by turbulence. Identifying your triggers and rationalising it can often help you to deal with it better, even if it’s only a little bit.
In addition, recognising that some of the things that trigger your anxiety can be irrational enables you to cope with them better the next time you experience them. Gradually, you may find that they may trigger your anxiety lesser and lesser.
Inform The Flight Attendants
Having supportive people around is a helpful way to manage your anxiety, and this is true for flight anxiety too. If you’re travelling alone, you may not have someone in your immediate vicinity that you can confide in, but the flight attendants can often help to make your journey feel better. Inform them that you have flight anxiety and they will usually try their best to provide moral support and alleviate the tension by addressing any needs that you have.
It’s important to remember that you’re not alone when facing flight anxiety and that the service staff can offer you a degree of comfort to relieve your stress.
Safety Information is Your Friend
Flight anxiety can make a person think of the worst-case scenarios that can happen while on a flight. To counter thoughts like that, it can feel empowering to know that you are fully prepared for anything and that medical evacuations are available should you need it.
Some things you can do is to embrace the standard of safety you have is to watch the airline safety video, read the airline safety card that is provided, or if it’s feasible, book a seat that is the rear of the plane which is known as the safest part of the entire plane.
Keep Relaxation Remedies Near
People who suffer from flight anxiety may have prescription medication that helps with it, but for those that don’t, it can help to have relaxation remedies with you when on a flight. A great alternative to medication is to have herbal remedies in lozenge form to help you alleviate the anxiety conveniently.
In addition, having a picture of your destination can help you to envision yourself enjoying your vacation when the flight lands. Familiar items that bring you comfort are helpful too. Having a sweater or photographs of people that you care about can ease your flight anxiety and give you some solace for the duration of the flight.
