Don't fly, book a cruise! There we go that was nice and easy! All joking aside though the thought of flying terrifies a lot of people so I thought today I'd give you a few handy 'tips' I've picked up over the years to help if it is a worry for you.......
Arrive Early - this allows you plenty of time to prepare yourself and avoids any additional stress of last minute dashes to the gate.
Phone ahead - Most airlines have special assistance helplines that you can call if you'd like someone to accompany you during the boarding process to explain what's happening and keep you calm.
Exercise - Working off that extra adrenaline will really help you relax, (although you might look a bit strange doing star jumps in the terminal).
Avoid alcohol - I never thought I'd say this but alcohol is not your friend here. Rather than having a numbing effect, alcohol can either trigger or increase your anxiety. It's much better to stay in control of your thoughts.
Fly with your eyes wide open - The instinctive reaction when scared is too close your eyes and hope the thing that has scared you goes away, however all this will do is magnify all your other senses like noise and movement, making the whole situation seem a lot worse.
Tell the cabin crew - They are trained to deal with passengers in this situation and will be happy to help.
Look at a glass of water - This will help put things in perspective by showing you just how little you move during the flight.
Time your take off - This is the worst part for many people who are afraid of flying so timing it may well help your anxiety, (it normally only lasts 30-60 seconds)!
If you find that the thought of flying is so terrifying that these tips really aren't going to be of any use to you then there are other things you could try before you leave.
You could sign up for Virgins 'Flying without Fear' course, available at 11 airports around the UK for £249, which claims a 98% success rate.
There are online support groups and courses you could try that have helped a lot of people in the past. One good that is available for free is www.fearofflyinghelp.com
In extreme cases you may want to speak to a hypnotherapist. This can be one of the more expensive options as they may well want to book more than one session so this should probably be used as a last resort.
Do any of you suffer from a fear of flying? If so how did you overcome it? Or did you? If you have any other tips you want to share with other people feel free to add them below.
Happy fly cruising
PS. If you have enjoyed this blog why not share it with your friends by clicking the recommend button at the top of the page and sharing it on Facebook - thanks
No comments:
Post a Comment