What to Do When Turbulence Gives You Anxiety
If you're like me and have struggled with a bit of flying anxiety, you know that handling turbulence can be a real challenge. But the good news, is that I’ve learned how to become much more confident as a flyer. In this blog, I'll share some tips that have helped me and might help you too.
Learn about the aircraft: Ever wondered how planes handle turbulence? I stumbled upon this TikTok video that compares planes to jello. It's a great visual and helps you to understand turbulence so you can put your mind at ease.
Expect the Bumps: Easier said than done, right? But expecting turbulence as a normal part of flying can actually make a huge difference. If you approach flying by hoping you don’t have a turbulent flight, then it’s going to add to your anxiety because you are expecting something that you have no control over.
Skip the Turbulence Apps: Planning to predict turbulence with an app? Hold that thought. These apps are notoriously inaccurate, and pilots are the real pros at navigating through turbulence. Trust their expertise and save yourself from unnecessary worry.
Lift Your Feet: I haven't personally tried this one, but some swear by it. During turbulence, raise your feet off the floor. It supposedly reduces the sensations you feel. Give it a shot and let me know if it works for you!
Don't Let Fear Dictate Your Choices: Choosing a specific seat, time of day to fly, or specific destinations won't make turbulence disappear. So don’t create conditions for yourself on where you will fly to in attempt to avoid turbulence. Plan your trips based on where you want to go and work on handling your anxiety (rather than trying to control turbulence).
Pilot's Perspective: Pilots prefer flying through turbulence for efficiency. Knowing this gave me a whole new perspective. They're not avoiding it for safety reasons but to provide more comfort. Trust in their experience and let that ease your mind.
Keep Flying: The more you fly, the more familiar and comfortable you become with the process. I had a period of time years ago with frequent trips, and it honestly made me feel like a pro flyer. I became so experienced with flying that the bumps didn’t phase me. Keep flying, face your fears, and you’ll get more confident.
If you need more help with flying anxiety, Grab the Free Flight Anxiety Toolkit for my top 12 tips here.
Packing for Peace: Essential Items for Anxious Flyers
If the thought of spending hours on a plane sends shivers down your spine, you're not alone. I've been there, eyes shut, desperately trying to ignore the reality of the flight. It was miserable until I figured out my own formula for a cozy, busy, and calm flight. So, let's dive into items you should pack in your carry-on to make your next flight a breeze.
Comfort from Head to Toe
Headphones: Be sure to bring your own headphones. Pro-tip: bring both wired and wireless ones. Because most airlines don’t have bluetooth capabilities on the TVs on the back of the seat in front of you and the flight crew may not be handing out headphones until later in the flight. If the noises on the plane bother you, consider packing Noise-canceling headphones to drown out the sounds.
Neck Pillow: It’s hard enough to sleep on a plane when anxiety is running through your veins, but your chances are better for sleep and relaxation if you pack a neck pillow..
Eye Mask: If you plan to try and sleep, it can be great to bring your own sleep mask so you can shut out the sunlight and distractions.
Comfy Clothes: Don’t bother wearing jeans or anything fancy. You’re going to be sitting for a while in a less than ideal seat (unless you are flying first class), so wear something cozy. I like wearing my cozy wool socks and joggers. Your body temps can vary on the plane (especially as your anxiety ebs and flows) so dress in layers so you can always be comfortable.
Mindful Distractions
Entertainment: Download movies, podcasts, or audiobooks for a pleasant distraction. Find a new series on Netflix that you can binge watch on the flight. If you plan to watch it on your device, then I recommend downloading it at home in advance so that you can watch it before you have wifi available on the flight.
Reading Material: Bring a favorite book or a calming magazine.
Puzzle Games: One of my favorite activities for an anxious mind is something that requires you to focus, like a game. Try a crossword or sudoku puzzle.
Notes: I’m a planner so I like to be productive on the flight by planning. You can make an itinerary for your trip, make a meal plan, or on your return flight make your to-do list for the week you get home (maybe even order groceries and get them scheduled for delivery to make the week easy-peasy!)
If you need other ideas for how to keep busy on a plane, check out my blog on 50 Things to Do on a Plane.
Nourishment for Your Body
Hydration: Bring an empty reusable water bottle through security and the fill up before your flight to stay hydrated.
Healthy Snacks: Pack light, nutritious snacks to keep your energy up.
Snacks for Calm: If you are prone to motion sickness, pack some ginger chews to help ease nausea.
Soothing Scents
Essential Oils: Bring a calming scent, like lavender, to promote relaxation. You can put a few drops on a cotton ball at home and place it in a ziploc for convenience while traveling.
Scented Lotion: Your favorite lotion can be soothing and comforting. Just be sure it’s in a travel size container so the TSA doesn’t snatch it from you.
Anxiety-Busting Tools
Playlist: Create a playlist of songs to boost your mood. It could be calming, favorite tunes, or motivational. I personally love a motivational playlist as a way to get pumped up and ready to face my fears.
Breathing Exercises: My quick go-to breathing exercise is to imagine breathing in something hot…like tea, and then cool it down with your breath. There are a ton of different breathing exercises out there, find one you like and use it as needed.
Intense Candy: If you're prone to panic attacks, consider carrying a candy with a bold, intense flavor like sour or spicy (like WarHeads). The strong sensation in your mouth can be a powerful distraction.
Take these tips as a starting point and modify them based on what you like the best. My pro tip to you is to have a variety of options to keep yourself busy and calm so that you can switch it up as needed. Don’t expect any one single tip here to eliminate your anxiety completely. Your anxiety doesn’t work like a light switch that you can just switch off. But these items can help you to get through your flight with ease.
If you need more help with flying anxiety, Grab the Free Flight Anxiety Toolkit for my top 12 tips here.
50 Things to Do on a Plane Besides Worrying
If you're a nervous flyer, having a plan for how you'll spend your time can make a huge difference. Whether you experience mild flight anxiety or consider yourself afraid of flying, giving your brain something meaningful to focus on can help prevent worry from taking over.
If you've ever found yourself staring at the seatback in front of you, counting down the minutes until landing, you already know that boredom and anxiety make for a challenging combination.
When you're sitting on a plane with nothing else to focus on, it's easy for your mind to start scanning for danger. You might find yourself paying attention to every sound the plane makes, checking how much time is left in the flight, monitoring every sensation in your body, or replaying worst-case scenarios over and over again.
If this sounds familiar, you may enjoy reading my article on how anxiety pulls us into imagined problems and convinces us they need our immediate attention.
The problem is that the more attention you give those thoughts, the bigger and more important they tend to feel.
That doesn't mean you can simply tell yourself to stop worrying.
If you've ever struggled with flight anxiety, you already know it doesn't work that way.
But you can choose where to direct your attention.
And while that sounds simple, it isn't always easy.
Sometimes you'll be able to get completely absorbed in a movie or a good book. Other times, anxiety might make it difficult to focus. You may read the same paragraph five times or realize you've missed half the movie because your mind wandered back to worrying.
That's okay.
The goal isn't to eliminate anxiety before you allow yourself to enjoy something. The goal is to continue engaging with life even if some anxiety comes along for the ride.
As a therapist who specializes in flight anxiety, I also think it's important to acknowledge something that often comes up when we talk about activities and flight anxiety: people sometimes worry that keeping themselves busy is the same thing as avoiding anxiety.
In reality, airplanes are one of the few places where you truly need to plan how you're going to spend your time. Whether you're a nervous flyer or not, you're probably going to read, watch something, listen to music, work, sleep, or chat with a travel companion.
The difference isn't whether you're doing activities.
The difference is why you're doing them.
If you're desperately trying to make anxiety disappear, that's different than accepting that some anxiety may be present while you continue doing things that matter to you.
So instead of spending the entire flight monitoring every bump, checking the clock, or replaying worst-case scenarios, let's give your brain something else to do.
Relaxing Things to Do on a Plane
Watch an in-flight movie.
Listen to music.
Listen to an audiobook.
Listen to a podcast.
Listen to white noise or calming sounds.
Listen to a guided relaxation audio exercise.
Watch your favorite show (America’s Funniest Home Videos is a great antithesis to anxiety!)
Practice mindfulness and stay present with your surroundings instead of focusing on anxious thoughts about flying. (One of my favorite tools for anxious flyers is called Dropping Anchor. Learn how it works here.)
Meditate.
Do a few deep breathing exercises.
Take a short nap if you're able.
Things to Do on a Plane to Keep Your Hands Busy
Solve Sudoku puzzles.
Complete crossword puzzles.
Try a word search.
Solve riddles or brain teasers.
Work on a jigsaw puzzle app.
Solve a Rubik's Cube.
Color in an adult coloring book.
Sketch or draw. (Link to drawing ideas blog if applicable)
Knit or crochet.
Try origami with an airline napkin.
Educational Things to Do While Flying
Learn a new language using an app.
Read a book.
Explore a new topic on YouTube such as photography, personal finance, history, or travel.
Learn about the history and culture of your destination.
Learn about constellations and stargazing.
Read travel magazines.
Read articles you've saved but never had time to finish.
Learn about the airline you're flying and how commercial aviation works.
Things to Do on a Plane Before Your Vacation
Plan your itinerary.
Research restaurants you'd like to try.
Create a travel bucket list.
Make a list of experiences you're most excited about.
Write down the top 10 moments you hope to remember from this trip.
Create a photography shot list for your destination.
Plan a special activity for your first day.
Create a to-do list for when you arrive.
Plan your return trip.
Meal prep ideas for the week after you get home. (And maybe even schedule them to be delivered!)
Creative Things to Do on a Flight
Write in a travel journal.
Draft a postcard to someone you care about.
Create a playlist for your trip.
Create and listen to a "pump-up playlist" for when you fly.
Write about what you're looking forward to six months from now.
Brainstorm future travel destinations.
Create a vision board on your phone.
Practice photography editing.
Productive Things to Do on a Plane
Chat with your seatmate.
Strike up a conversation with a flight attendant.
Travel with a deck of cards and play a game with the person you are traveling with
People-watch and make observations about the world around you.
Catch up on emails you've been putting off.
Organize your camera roll
Clean up your phone or digital files.
Catch up on work or studying.
Explore the airline's entertainment system.
Read the news.
Build Your Flight Plan Before You Leave
It can help to be proactive about the activities you will engage with on the flight. Think about the length of your flight and plan accordingly.
If you're taking a one-hour flight, you probably don't need a backpack full of activities. But if you're taking a five-hour flight, it can be helpful to have several options ready to go.
As a general rule, I like having roughly one activity for each hour of flight time.
For example:
✅ A podcast during boarding
✅ A movie during cruise
✅ A travel-planning activity before landing
The goal isn't to create the perfect distraction plan.
It's simply to make sure you have enough options so that if one activity isn't holding your attention, you can easily switch to something else.
Remember: you don't have to enjoy every activity perfectly for it to be helpful. If anxiety shows up and makes it harder to focus, that's okay. Keep gently redirecting your attention back to what you're doing and allow the anxiety to come along for the ride.
Final Thoughts
You don't need to spend your flight monitoring every sensation, checking turbulence apps, or counting down the minutes until landing.
A little preparation can go a long way. In fact, many nervous flyers tell me that simply having a plan for how they'll spend their time reduces a lot of pre-flight stress.
Before your next flight, choose a handful of activities that genuinely interest you. Having a plan for your attention can make the experience feel more manageable (and maybe even enjoyable!)
And remember: the goal isn't to eliminate anxiety completely. It's to keep moving toward what matters, even if some anxiety comes along for the ride.
If you're looking for additional support with flight anxiety, check out the Fearful Flyers Blueprint, where I teach the same strategies I use with clients to help them stop letting fear dictate their travel plans.
You don't have to wait until anxiety disappears to start traveling again.
Related Articles
How To Support an Anxious Flyer
Traveling with someone anxious about flying? Check out this article on Travel and Leisure Magazine that Jenny contributed to for helpful tips on how to support your loved one.
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