How to stop being afraid to fly an airplane: what to do before and during the flight?

Almost everyone experiences a little fear at altitude, but as long as everything is under control, it's not scary. Sometimes there is anxiety before the first flight on an airplane. Almost everyone who has ever been at their best wants to know how not to be afraid to fly.

Before the flight

Preparing in advance can help reduce anxiety and overcome your fear. When thoughts about an upcoming flight become inevitable, it is important to send them on a peaceful track.

• It is necessary to realize that you cannot influence the course of the flight in any way. You cannot sit at the helm of the plane, and you cannot remove air pockets from space either. The realization that the experience will not affect the situation in any way often helps to perceive everything much easier;
• Try to distract yourself instead of counting the time until the plane takes off. Do what you love or throw off your adrenaline in sports;
• Sometimes the lack of expression of their own fears interferes. You can overcome them with simple pronunciation. You need to tell a psychologist about your fears or just talk about it with a loved one;
• Do not watch the news programs in the days leading up to departure. Scenes of plane crashes or other vehicles are often shown. All this aggravates the nervous state;

Successful flight begins on earth... Not everyone can overcome their fears on their own and step on board. But if you did it, you feel like a real hero.

Aerophobes often like to torture themselves. After buying a ticket, they start looking for information about the aircraft model, looking at the statistics of disasters. At the same time, the absence of crashes becomes only a sign that it is now that it must necessarily happen. It will take a strong willpower to overcome yourself and turn off the monitor. The flow of negative information has a profound effect on behavior on the plane.

Take time

Often the only reason for fear is that there is nothing to do on the plane. This leads to excessive focus on the process itself. You involuntarily begin to listen to the noise of the aircraft engine, vibration and experience unpleasant sensations. Any unnecessary hesitation can cause panic. You need to find some business and concentrate on it:

• A good conversation partner will always help you distract yourself from bad thoughts. Time in the company always flies by;
• Take with you the book you have been planning to read for a long time;
• A very interesting film will also easily distract attention from the engine noise;
• Loud music can help you fall asleep on the plane by shifting your focus;
• Now many airlines organize WiFi on board - the Internet, as you know, is capable of delaying for several hours. A stream of endless information will wash away all unpleasant thoughts;
• Delicious food and drinks, which are often included in the ticket price, are a great distraction from bad thoughts. Something sweet helps a lot.

Understanding the basic principles of distraction is enough to decide how to deal with aerophobia.... Everyone chooses the method that is most effective for him. But this will only help those who do not experience panic at the thought of flying.

Medicines

It should be noted right away that any drugs cannot be completely safe. The doctor should prescribe medications, so be sure to consult with a specialist before the flight. Pills for fear are divided into several groups:

1. Sedative sedatives,
2. Anti-anxiety,
3. Relieves muscle spasms,
4. Anticonvulsants,
5. Inhibitory nerve impulses.

Depending on the symptoms of aviaphobia, the doctor will select the necessary pills. If you have time, you can start preparing as early as 3 weeks before the flight.... For this, valerian extract or glycine is suitable.

The drugs taken during the flight can be divided into 2 large groups:

• Fast action. The required concentration is achieved in one go. One tablet is enough for several hours of action;
• Accumulative. The first pill must be taken before the flight, for example, before check-in, then one more every 1 - 0.5 hours to maintain the required concentration of the agent.

Medicines are best used only by those who rarely fly by air. Constant use can affect the nervous system as a whole, therefore, for constant flights, it is better to look for other methods of dealing with the fear of aircraft.

Pills do not cure aerophobia, they only block the body's response.

Flight behavior

Calming down on takeoff is half the battle. It remains to be calmly spent the rest of the flight and the landing of the aircraft. This is very important - a panic attack in the cabin will be unpleasant for everyone. You can scare the rest of the passengers and feel uncomfortable with your behavior yourself.

How to defeat aerophobia will be suggested by the following tips:

• Aerophobes should choose a place farther from the window. You can come to check-in early and ask for a comfortable seat. The view from the plane window will be an unnecessary annoyance. If the main fear is turbulence, do not take places in the tail section, there it rocks more;
• Honestly admitting to others "I'm afraid to fly", it often helps to calm down, and even get advice from experienced aviaphobes;
• Do not use alcohol as a sedative. This can achieve the opposite effect. Alcoholic drinks are often not soothing, but on the contrary, intensify emotions to the extreme;
• Skip coffee. It excites the nervous system, so it is better to opt for herbal tea;
• Practice deep breathing techniques in advance. If you feel that you are losing control, start exercising. Inhale deeply through the nose to fill the chest and abdomen, hold the breath for 4 seconds, exhale completely through the mouth, hold for 5 seconds. Repeat the cycle until you calm down;
• You need to think not about the flight, but about the purpose of the trip. Imagine going for a walk or rehearse your speech at a conference. Think of what gifts you will bring to your loved ones.

Remember, it's okay to be scared, especially if it's your first flight.... It is important to learn to control your fear of flying and not give vent to negative emotions and feelings.

Examine the structure of the aircraft

You can often hear "I'm afraid to fly, how can such a colossus stay in the air?" It is the lack of understanding of how the plane works that often causes fears: it seems that it is too heavy to fly, therefore, even if it took off, it will certainly fall. We need to figure out why and how planes fly. Oddly enough, such questions are of interest to children, but adults are afraid to ask themselves.