5 Strategies to Help You Overcome Your Fear of Flying
Get Started with Our Flight Anxiety Toolkit
What’s Your Core Fear of Flying?
Your afraid of this behemoth machine crashing?
You’re afraid of turbulence breaking the airplane apart?
You’re afraid of flying into a thunderstorm and crashing?
You had a panic attack on the airplane last time and you’re afraid that the panic will return?
You’re claustrophobic, so the slightest idea of sitting in this tiny cylinder would drive you mad?
You’ve seen media stories of passengers losing control on the airplane and trying to escape out of the emergency exit and now you’re afraid that could be you?
You have a history of health anxiety and the idea of being too far away from a hospital is keeping you from boarding that airplane?
Why Do You Want to Fly?
Is it something else? If so, dig deep to see if you can extract your core fear.
I yearn to participate in a family vacation (without having to drive alone)?
I yearn to apply for a job that requires air travel?
I yearn to tap into my adventurous side and see the world?
I yearn to break away from the shackles of fear and develop confidence in myself?
Is it something else?
3. take action
If your fear is centered around not understanding how airplanes operate or weather/turbulence related fears, commit to learning how airplanes work.
If your fear is FEAR OF FEAR, try to become more mentally flexible with scary, uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, memories, and bodily sensations:
Practice using your attention muscle (that thing you use to read and communicate) to not engage with all of the “What if’s” that pop into your awareness. Learn more about attention vs. awareness and rumination here.
Increase your willingness to FEEL ANXIETY and not try to push it away, fight it it, or pull you into more avoidance or rumination.
Remind yourself why you’re willing to expand your comfort zone and face your fear. (I want to be able to get away in the winter months, I want to visit my relatives, etc)
4. Anxiety is uncomfortable but not dangerous
Remind yourself that after you face your fear, you will learn that fear is simply an emotion that can’t harm you. You will also learn that fear loses its power after you face it head on!
5. Seek Additional Support for Your Fear
Overcoming fear is not easy, and you don’t have to do it alone. Having a professional, like a therapist that specializes in treating anxiety disorders and phobias, that can walk you through this challenge can be a game changer.
A therapist can help you create an individual plan to how to work on facing your fear. Therapists can be great for accountability if you know you have a tendency on letting avoidance take over.
At State of Mind Therapy, our therapists are skilled at treating flying anxiety. We work with clients one-on-one and have digital courses that you can join to give you the tools you need to overcome your fear.
Scheduled a free 15 minute phone consultation to get started working with one of our therapists at State of Mind Therapy.