Breaking the Cycle of Reassurance Seeking: A New Approach to Handling Flight Anxiety
When you're dealing with a fear of flying, it's natural to seek out information to calm your fears. Reviewing facts about flying safety might seem like a good way to reassure yourself. However, if you find yourself endlessly searching and learning, you might be stuck in a cycle of reassurance seeking. This approach can actually make your anxiety worse in the long run. Let's explore why this happens and what you can do to break the cycle and handle your flight anxiety more effectively.
The Trap of Reassurance Seeking
Reassurance seeking involves constantly looking for information or asking for validation to reduce anxiety. While this can provide temporary relief, it often leads to more anxiety over time. Here’s why:
Temporary Relief: Finding a reassuring fact or receiving validation might make you feel better momentarily, but the relief is short-lived.
Increased Anxiety: The more you seek reassurance, the more your brain becomes dependent on it. This can increase overall anxiety because you're not addressing the root cause of your fear.
Perpetuating the Cycle: Each time you look up safety facts or seek validation, you reinforce the idea that flying is something to be feared. This keeps you trapped in a cycle of anxiety and reassurance seeking.
Initial Learning vs. Endless Searching
It's important to differentiate between helpful initial learning and unproductive endless searching.
Initial Learning: When you first start addressing your fear of flying, it can be helpful to learn about the basics of flying and safety protocols. This initial knowledge can provide a foundation of understanding and reduce some of the unknowns.
Endless Searching: Once you have a basic understanding, continuing to look up facts and seek reassurance becomes counterproductive. Instead of reducing anxiety, it can increase it by keeping your mind focused on the fear.
A New Approach to Handling Flight Anxiety
To effectively manage flight anxiety, it's essential to change your approach. Here are some strategies to help you break the cycle of reassurance seeking and handle your anxiety more effectively:
Acknowledge Your Anxiety: Recognize that feeling anxious about flying is common and that it's okay to have these feelings. Instead of trying to eliminate anxiety, focus on managing it.
Limit Reassurance Seeking: Set boundaries for yourself regarding how often you look up safety facts or ask for validation. Gradually reduce this behavior to break the cycle.
Practice Mindfulness: Engage in mindfulness exercises to stay present and grounded. This can help reduce the urge to seek reassurance and shift your focus away from anxiety.
Develop Coping Strategies: Learn and practice coping strategies such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or visualization techniques to manage anxiety during flights.
Seek Professional Help: Consider working with a therapist who specializes in anxiety and phobias. They can provide you with tools and techniques to manage your fear of flying more effectively.
Conclusion
While it might seem helpful to constantly review facts about flying safety, this approach can keep you stuck in a cycle of reassurance seeking and increase your anxiety over time. By recognizing this pattern and adopting new strategies to manage your anxiety, you can break free from the cycle and start handling your fear of flying more effectively. Remember, the goal isn't to eliminate anxiety but to learn how to manage it so you can enjoy your travels with greater confidence and peace of mind.
Need More Support With Your Fear of Flying?
If you need more help with flying anxiety, Grab the Free Flight Anxiety Toolkit for my top 12 tips here for more ease on your next flight.