Imagine you just clicked the “Confirm Booking” button on the Delta website. Your heart’s racing, your hands are clammy, and your brain is overwhelmed. For a lot of you reading, that means you’re excited. Clicking that “book” button means new experiences and adventures, unfamiliar foods and languages, and awe-inspiring views. But for some people, a racing heart and mind are closer to anxiety rather than excitement. Flight anxiety is a real thing. But you’ll miss out on the whole world if you let it get the better of you.Â
Flight anxiety, or aviophobia, affects about 25 million people around the world, according to the Cleveland Clinc. It can show up in lots of different ways with varying severity. For some people it can be fear of takeoff, landing, small spaces, or heights, and usually manifests as panic attacks. However, anxiety caused by flying can lead some people to avoid plane travel altogether. I know, because I have almost bailed on vacations with my partner because of how afraid I was to fly. I’ve had to fight an internal battle with myself for years now, almost losing on many occasions. But eventually, I decided my love for travel had to beat my fear. I couldn’t miss out on the world because I was afraid.
I’m not here to tell you a bunch of factoids to show you how irrational your fear is. Most of the time, people with flight anxiety know their fear is irrational. “Traveling by plane is the safest mode of transportation!” or “You’re more likely to die on your way to the airport!” Trust me, I’ve heard it all. And yet, when I’m jiggling around in that seat 30,000 feet in the air, I most definitely feel like I’m going to die and the world is going to end. It’s ridiculous, being so paralyzingly afraid of something so safe. So instead of spewing a bunch of facts that just invalidate your fear, I’d like to point out some things that have helped me travel in spite of it.
1. Noise Cancelling Headphones
A major factor that triggers my anxiety is the environment of the airport. The smell, the noises, and the people make it an incredibly overstimulating atmosphere and add a lot of stress onto an already anxiety-inducing experience. That’s why I’ve started using real headphones for flights. I’m not just talking about standard Airpods; I’m talking about the Bose QuietComfort Headphones. These are over-the-ear, ultra-comfortable headphones, and they turn flying from an overstimulating nightmare to a peaceful daydream. Instead of constantly worrying about what that beeping means, or the grating scream of babies, noise canceling headphones allow me to turn on my favorite music and focus on calming my nerves and relaxing. I like to have them on as soon as I get to my gate and I try to not take them off until I land to help me “keep my cool”.
2. Managing Expectations & accepting the journey
For a long time, I felt like if my flight went exactly how I wanted it to, I’d be okay. Like, if there’s no turbulence, no delays, and no stress, then I wouldn’t have any anxiety on my flight, which just isn’t true. I’d always be dreading something bad happening before it even happened. So instead of hoping that my flight would go well, I decided to expect it not to. I don’t mean imagining the plane crashing or anything like that. I just mean that before I even get on the plane, I tell myself that there is going to be turbulence and I’m going to be jiggling around, or that there are going to be weird noises that I don’t understand and it’s probably going to give me anxiety. Reminding myself that those things happen helps me to feel much less panicked when they arise and stops my anxiety from becoming completely debilitating.
3. Medication
As someone who has had anxiety all my life, I’ve learned how to manage it in a really solid way. I’ve learned to be very aware of my anxiety and have found everyday ways of keeping it at a minimum so it doesn’t cause me too much stress. I tried for a long time, and in many different ways, to manage my anxiety around flying before using an anxiety medication. I conducted research about planes, went to the airport just to watch planes take off, tried breathing exercises and meditating, but nothing worked. I dread flying from the moment my tickets are booked. So by the time I get to actually getting on the plane, I’d be terrified and on the verge of a panic attack. Once I realized my anxiety had become unmanageable, I chose to find a more serious solution by taking anxiety medication, per my doctor. Anxiety medication has really transformed my fear around flying. If I’m feeling extremely anxious, I take it and it helps me to breathe a little easier and spares me from hours of unnecessary stress. But sometimes, just knowing that it’s there and having it in my bag is enough to ease the feeling. I only ever take it if I really need it, which is typically if I’m getting on a plane for the first time in a year or two. I’ve found that if I fly more frequently, I have an easier time with the anxiety—almost like exposure therapy—and I don’t need it as much.
Bonus Tips
- Keep your feet in the air or on top of a bag. This will help you feel significantly less turbulence and reduce overstimulation from the vibration of the engines.Â
- Reframe anxiety. The same physical sensations you experience when you’re anxious are the same ones you experience when you’re excited. Reminding yourself of a vacation moment you’re excited for helps you reframe why your body is reacting the way it is.
- Get yourself a treat. Give yourself something to look forward to during or after your flight to improve the experience. A snack or dessert, a new book, or a face mask are all fun ways to make traveling more exciting.Â
- Avoid caffeine. Especially if you typically get anxious when you drink caffeine. A nice tea or chai latte is a good choice if you want something to drink.