thepoppyskull I have flown on many planes throughout my whole life. From when I was three years old, through my teenage years, and twenties I have been on many flights and trips. Flying is nothing new to me yet I still get super anxious every time I have to fly. I have definitely become more anxious when flying as I have become older. However I never want this anxiety to prevent me from traveling and creating memories with my family. Today for Blog-O-Ween Day 11 I am sharing my Spooky Fun Flight Tips that help me while traveling and hopefully they can help you too.
Flying Anxiety Meditations
My first fun flight tip is meditation. I started mediating every morning a few years ago. Doing this has helped in many areas of my life, including flying anxiety. I use the app Calm and they have a specific series of flying anxiety meditations. Since I knew I was taking a trip at the beginning of October, I started doing flying anxiety meditations about two weeks before our trip. These meditations definitely helped me to calm myself down once I was on the plane. I used the techniques taught in the meditations, such as focusing on a body part that is calm like your hands, feet, or back, to help calm my anxiety.
I would definitely recommend doing some flying anxiety meditations leading up to your flight. This way you are already prepared and have calming techniques ready to go. You could also download some flying anxiety meditations and listen to them during your flight.
Distract Yourself
The second fun flight tip I have is to distract yourself. I did not do this until the recent flight I was on and it definitely made a difference. I actually wrote this blog post on a flight to distract myself. For whatever reason, my anxiety had me thinking that I could not do anything expect focus on being anxious and nervous in order for us to have a smooth flight. I know that makes absolutely no sense but I thought I had to pay attention in oder for there to be minimal turbulence (hello last time I check I was not the pilot).
Going into the most recent flight I took, I told myself it was going to be different this time. In the past I would listen to music, stare out the window, and worry for three hours. This time I still listened to music, however I also tried working on my blog posts and watching spooky movies. Doing these other activities really did make a difference and I enjoyed the flight a lot more.
Take The Edge Off
This tip is probably not for everyone, however it does help to take the edge off. I find having a glass, or two, of wine on a flight definitely calms me down a bit. Some people might have an opposite reaction so know what works for you and what does not. Obviously do not get drunk on plane, but just have enough where you are a bit calmer.
Sit Where You Are Comfortable
If you know where you feel the most comfortable on a plane, I would recommend spending the extra money to sit there. If this will help ease your anxiety it is definitely worth your money. I personally am most comfortable sitting by the window in the very first row. Again this does cost more, however it is worth being comfortable and relaxed on a flight.
Get Comfy
Just because you might feel uncomfortable on a plane, does not mean you cannot get comfy. Make sure to wear comfortable clothes, especially if it is a long flight. I also like to bring my travel pillow and comfy socks to wear. I also like to wear noise cancelling headphones to block out any planes noises. This also helps me feel like I am in my own world and blocks out anything happening on the plane.
Next time I will probably try to bring a small blanket as well. Do whatever will help make you comfortable and feel at home. I even had a pumpkin with me on my flight to make me feel at home, haha!
Affirmations
Another fun flight tip I have is to recite affirmations in your head. This is something new I tried on my recent flight and it definitely helped. A week before my flight I found a list of flying affirmations on Pinterest that were helpful. I also created an affirmation after hearing our pilot say “the further we go, the smoother it gets”. I kept repeating that every time there was some turbulence during our flight and it helped to calm me down.
Figure Out What Makes You Anxious
One thing I tried to figure out a few weeks before my flight is “what is making me anxious”? This question may take awhile to answer and that is ok. For me turbulence is what makes me really anxious and I think it stems from a lack of control.
For example when you are driving your car you are in control. You control the speed and can avoid any bumps in the road. The opposite is obviously true when you are on a plane. You have no control over anything and you cannot see any oncoming “bumps in the road”. You do not know how long the turbulence will last or how mild it will be. For me learning to let go of that control and trusting that everything is good definitely helps.
Doing research about flying also helped to calm some of my anxiety. I used to think looking up information about turbulence would just fuel my anxiety, however it helped to ease it. By doing some research on turbulence I learned that every flight experiences some form of turbulence. I also learned there are different kinds of turbulence and that there has never been an accident due to turbulence.
Bumps In The Road
A friend of mine told me he got over his turbulence anxiety by thinking of it as bumps in the road. I did try this on my last flight and it helped. Another friend told me if you pay attention to how the plane feels when it is speeding up on the runway taking off, it is rare the turbulence will be worse than that. This is also something I tried when we hit turbulence and I would just think back to how the plane felt during take off.
Gratitude
Another fun flight tip I like to do while flying is make a gratitude list. I usually do this in my head but you can also make a physical list. Instead of focusing on my anxiety during the flight I started to list things I was grateful for, such as: how amazing it is to live in a time where flying is even possible, how incredible it is to travel all over the world, and how awesome it is to be up in the sky with the beautiful clouds.
Pray
If you are religious praying definitely helps anxiety during a flight. I myself do say prayers for a smooth and safe flight before, during, and while we land.
Never Let Your Fear Decide Your Fate
Yes flying can be super scary and cause a lot of anxiety. However the amazing times, memories I have, and adventures I have been on because I got on a plane are totally worth it. If it was not for me being slightly uncomfortable and facing my fears, I would not have awesome experiences and memories with my family.
Watch The Flight Attendants
I would like to say 99% of the time the flight attendants are always calm and walking around, even when the seatbelt sign is on. I do not know this for a fact, however it calms me to think that if the turbulence was going to be extremely bad they would know about it and would stay in their seats.
Have Fun!
Last but not least on my fun flight tips, is have fun! Flying does not have to be full of anxiety and nerves, you can make it fun. If you are traveling with someone have a good time with them, enjoy their company, and maybe even watch a movie together. If you are flying alone watch something funny or make a list of fun things to do once you reach your destination.
Flying opens up an endless amount of possibilities and destinations to travel to. I feel incredibly lucky to live in a time with modern planes that we can use to fly wherever we want. Yes flying does create anxiety for me, however I am working on it and I do not want this anxiety to prevent me from living life. I hope you have enjoyed Blog-O-Ween Day 11 and that my Spooky Fun Flight Tips will help you if you are an anxious flyer. If you have any more flying anxiety tips let me know.
Stay Spooky!
-Caroline 🙂
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Check out some of the other Blog-O-Ween posts:
Spooky Honeymoon In Salem- Day 2
