Dealing with Plane Phobia?

[GatorDirus]

I know its forever away, but in March I'm suppose to go across the country to Oregon for a friend's wedding. The plane ticket is paid for, but the problem is I have never flown before. I've never even been inside of an airport!
As a result I have a severe phobia of flying and planes. Any idea's how to handle said anxiety when I get on the plane? Also can anyone explain to me how layovers work haha. I have an hour to get from plane A to plane B (same airport). Do I just hop off the plane and go find the other gate and that's it?

[Philip027]

I don't know if you get into cars without a second thought, but it's worth pointing out you're far, far more likely to die in a car than a plane.

I don't know how much that helps. Possibly not at all. Sorry!

[Palovana]

Oooh, I'm terrified of flying. I only flew once, in August 2001 (only a few weeks before 9/11, yikes) when I went to Salt Lake City from Nashville. I won't get on a plane, even if I go overseas (to Europe). I'll take an ocean liner instead. The amount of plane crashes this year alone is just frightening. All I can think of when I imagine flying is how horrifying it would be to be on a flight when it's going down, nothing you can do, knowing you're about to die...

I'm probably not helping. Sorry.

Take Amtrak. It'll take you a few days to cross the US, but it costs about the same as flying, is less stressful, you don't get raped by the TSA, etc. Plus, you get to site-see. My friend just took the train from New Jersey to Seattle. She got to see a lot of parts of the country she ordinarily would never get to see. She said it was enjoyable, part of the vacation.

But if you're set on flying...I guess you could say compared to all the flights take off and land every day, it's relatively rare that one would crash. Still, the problem is that if the plane does go down, you have very little chance of survival, if any. I don't know, take a Xanax before you get on the plane? Get drunk when you get to the airport? (Don't take Xanax and drink at the same time though...)

[GatorDirus]

Noooo talkin about plane crashes is not helping, thanks. Haha.

And the plane is already paid for (Bride and Groom paid for it since my job doesnt pay well but they want me as maid of honor) . So I'm taking a plane.

[Palovana]

Only advice I have then is drink a shitload of wine or some other sort of alcohol that'll put you out/make you not give a shit when you get to the airport. They always have bars. They even have alcohol on the plane. Either that, or go to your doctor, explain the issue, and get a prescription for some benzos. It's terrible advice, but really, there's not much else you could do.

[5_♦♣]

Try to clear your mind either the day before or the day of the flight, depending on the time of flight.

[Notte stellata]

Also can anyone explain to me how layovers work haha. I have an hour to get from plane A to plane B (same airport). Do I just hop off the plane and go find the other gate and that's it?

Yes. Depending on the airport and the gates, you may need to go to another terminal for the next plane, which may involve taking an airport tram or shuttle. You can check out the airport map before your trip to get familiar with its layout (there are maps inside the airport as well). Don't hesitate to ask any airport staff for directions when necessary, but it should be pretty easy.

[PlanetF]

So, I don't have any fear of flights, and I've flown a lot so it's a bit hard to be in your shoes, but here would be my tips:

- get to the airport a good 3 hours early. Getting through security and finding your gate with plenty of time, getting some food, and having a walk around will all help calm you down and lessen the stress

- treat it like an adventure. Bring a good book, your favourite candies (I like wine gums for plane rides). Take photos of the experience. Instead of dwelling on fear, dwell on the awesomeness of being able to fly through the air from one place to another.

- you can find maps of airports online, so you could print one out of the changeover airport. Flight attendants will sometimes be able to give you information about your next gate before arrival at the terminal. Just ask them to see.

- make sure that what your bags comply with the regulations (you can check this with your airline), and my advice would always be to pack light. It will make your life so much easier.

- make sure you drink LOTS of water to avoid dehydration, which can be made worse by the dryness in the plane

Have fun!

[Grace Barton]

Do not under any circumstances read about things like terrorism or crashes. Avoid them at all costs. I made this mistake and it made me very anxious.

Maybe you could take something on-board the plane that could distract you, like a book or a magazine. Something you can focus your brain on and force yourself to read. I don't like take-offs or turns, so I avoid looking out of the windows and just read. If you're going with someone, have them talk to you about anything that isn't related to the plane or flying, but something you're interested in. Distraction is the simplest technique.

Other techniques would be to just try breathing exercises. These don't work for me but may do for you. Just slow deep breaths. If you feel so inclined, you should take some herbal medicine designed to relax you. I usually take Kalms for my anxiety, but you need to start taking them for about two-weeks for the effects to kick in. I fly to Corfu in two weeks, so I will be taking my Kalms from now in preparation, and continue taking them in Corfu ready for my return flight.

Depending on the time you're travelling, you might be given a sleep mask. You could wear that during the flight so you can close your eyes and focus on relaxing. If you feel too stressed and anxious, get up and walk about the plane and get some exercise. If you feel you can, talk to the plane staff. If they know you're anxious, they'll be able to talk to you and help you. They'll be used to people being anxious.

Take-offs are the worst part for me, mostly because I don't like to see the ground pull away. Once I'm up in the air I'm fine.

[londonfog]

As a result I have a severe phobia of flying and planes. Any idea's how to handle said anxiety when I get on the plane?

Hi! Okay so you can do this!

I have a phobia of flying on planes as well and I was able to fly twice within the last few months after refusing to fly at all for years. Think about what you do to alleviate discomfort during other stressful situations and work out a plan for how to deal with your feelings of panic, if you expect them and have a plan of how to deal with them you'll be much better adept at handling them.

When you start to panic, don't take deep breaths! Your body is preparing to 'fight or flight' and you have too much adrenaline, instead breath in counting to seven and out counting to eleven. At first it'll be hard to stretch your out breath even counting quickly to eleven but after a while you'll be able to, I don't know what I would do without this trick it has helped me so many times.

Heres a nifty animation you can practice with.

Also, I literally trick my brain into believing I'm just hovering a few inches above the ground, just picture yourself on a bus or train and do everything you can to avoid thinking about what is actually happening. Listen to music and find a book that you know will be entertaining and distracting and block everything else out. I also get nervous about people being able to tell that I'm nervous so it helps to be able to look like I'm just really into my music instead of internally freaking out. I also like to tell myself that I'm getting from point A to point B by the most logical means and that at least I don't have to worry about my anxiety being dangerous (like when driving over a bridge ahhh) all I need to do is sit there! But you need to spend some time thinking about what will make you feel better, I imagine.

If OTC drugs for motion sickness etc make you drowsy you could take some and just sleep the whole time. I'd test it out beforehand though, I don't take anything because I hate feeling drowsy and I'm certain the out-of-control sleepy feeling would worsen my nervousness, but this is about you. I will say knowing you did something that was really hard for you by sheer force of will and without any help is seriously a huge confidence boost!

I know you can do this!

[poindexter]

Planes are nothing to be scared of. Thousands of planes travel across the world every day, and no one is hurt, apart from in a few anomalous cases. The odds of being in a plane accident is 1 in 1.2 million, the odds of dying in one is 1 in 11 million. It is one of the safest modes of transport. To put it in perspective, you're far more likely to die on your way to the airport - the odds of dying in a car crash is 1 in 5000.

[Guest]

I was kinda scared first time. My advice is do not sit by the window, that freaks me out. And it will shake a bit during take off, take something you can grip during if you are scared. Once the initial take off and stuff happened, it felt like being in a car, for me. If you are having very bad anxiety though, you could ask for a pill to relax you from a doctor for the trip.

For layovers, you get off the plane and go through security into the airport. Then, find the gate and go through security to the ticket holders area and wait. There is usually a tv, or wifi, or something to eat in that area. If the layover is short (hour or less) you want to go straight through though. If you get lost, ask any employee, they can point you to the gate you need.

Wear as little metal as possible. My mom had the bright idea to wear a studded belt, which set off the detectors. Also, they have you remove your shoes at security, so wear slip ons to avoid tie/retie hassles. Don't try to take liquid on board, less hassle for you. And keep your phones etc charged, or with new rules you may be asked to leave it behind if it can't turn on (depending on where you live).

[misskrys]

ive never flown before and tbh I'm pretty terrified of planes as well, but I think some kind of distraction would probably help! bring a good, long book or a portable DVD player and some of your favorite movies or tv series, and let yourself get absorbed in them. Maybe even call a friend or family member and ask them to just talk to you and keep you company while on your flight, or put in some headphones and listen to music or take a nap.

good luck!!

[girltwink666]

..you don't get raped by the TSA, etc.

hey dont say that its insensitive.... please don't make rape jokes its gross

anyway i fly like a lot like this summer i went on at least 7 planes yeah and what i always think of is that scene in the 80s movie say anything where lloyd is all like "when you hear the smoking sign go 'ding', you know everything's going to be okay" im trying to find a video clip of it because its the cutest thign but whateverim going to make myself emotional over 80s romcoms so imma stop now i wish u good luck on your flight!!

[GatorDirus]

Thank you so much you guys for the helpful responses :> I'm looking forwards to seeing my friend and attending her wedding, the plane just freaks me out hahaha.