I've developed a fear of flying the last few days..

[kahn2154]

I booked a trip to Europe a few days ago and since then have been worried about the flight overseas. I have traveled a bit before but the last time was 7 years ago. I never liked flying, but it wasn't because of any fears but more of the flight being extremely uncomfortable, I'm tall so sitting on a plane for 8 hours was torture.

 

Anyways I'm a worry wart and have been thinking of worst case scenarios, looking at videos of plane crashes and recreations on youtube hasn't helped. I know the statistics, I try to tell myself how many flights there are each day and the fact that an airplane crash is usually a major news event only shown once every 3 months, but it just terrifies me thinking about being 30,000 feet int he air and going into a freefall and thinking about your impending death for three minutes. My biggest fear though is flying over the ocean, I'm not too worried about the short connecting flights I will take, but in the event of a crash over the water even if your pilot does pull off a miracle you are basically lost at sea with hours from help.

 

It is constantly on my mind now and I just go from thinking its no big deal to freaking out about it.

[Treasa]

I recently (in August) traveled to Ireland from the U.S. It was the first time I had ever left the country.

 

My fears stemmed more from claustrophobia, but I did occasionally have the same thoughts as you. Can I assume that it's an overnight trip? Many flights to Europe are. If so, you'll find that it's dark for an insanely short amount of time. While it was disconcerting to have the sun come up at midnight my time, it was also sort of a relief, because my mood tends to get darker and more worrisome at night.

 

Transatlantic flights are on big, very safe airplanes, often a 767. The plane I was on was so big that I felt very comfortable, and often forgot I was even on a plane. I spent most of my time just fiddling around on my laptop watching the movies I brought with me.

 

One piece of advice I received from a lovely lady who sat behind me on the much smaller plane I was on for the first leg of my trip (before the 767) overheard me talking to the flight attendant about how I had anxiety issues due to claustrophobia. She leaned forward and told me that she had seen a program on tv that said to smile when in a situation that makes you anxious. Reason being that you can't be anxious when you're smiling. I tried it, and it really did work!

 

Try sparking up a conversation with the flight crew. Even tell them that you're anxious about flying. You may notice that they check up on you or give you a bit of extra attention.

 

Is the trip for pleasure as opposed to business? If so, then I promise it will definitely be worth it! Ireland was so awesome that I'd happily do it again.

 

Lastly, consider asking your doctor for a small prescription of Xanax/alprazolam. Take one about an hour or so before your flight, but DON'T consume alcohol or take it if you're on something similar already. You'll find that you're still conscious and alert, but the edge has been taken away.

 

Oh, and STOP looking at videos and pictures of crashes! I did that too. No idea why. Morbid thoughts. My friend, who took the trip with me, caught me doing that and asked me what the F*CK I was doing! I had no idea, but he told me to stop, because it wasn't helping my anxiety.

 

Good luck!

Edited October 27, 2009 by Treasa
added a bit more