Oh no...

JayC5

I'm sure some would consider it inappropriate to post this here - but believe me it's a BIG personal issue pour moi...!

Basically, I have to endure a very long plane journey soon and it scares the freaking crap outta me - I hate flying and I avoid it at all costs. No amount of vacuous pleasantries, back-pattings and 'just enjoy it!' statements make it any easier for me. I usually end up hyperventilating or paralysed, actually both. It's not a nice feeling for me, I'm just aware of every single nanosecond of the journey, listening for engine-noise or rattling plates and/or grinding things that shouldn't grind...

So, I'm going alone on this particular flight and am wondering what your advice is - should I go for sleeping tablets or something, sedatives? Its going to be approx 12 hours in total with one stopover within the first hour - I don't want to be frothing at the mouth whilst waiting on the connecting flight. However I don't want to be cowering like Gollum in the departure lounge either...

Spare me the statistics about donkeys etc etc and that more die on the roads, there are more cars than planes so I think that negates that arguement...


Thanks in advance for any help/info/insights you may offer - I'm weak thinking about it already..

iguana2005

hi there - flying anxiety is very common. my first trip to australia I was more worried about the flight then going away for a year!

Ask your doc for some calmers - they usually prescribe only 5 and they do take the edge off the flight.

If its a long haul you will be enterteined with your own TV - try and tune out of your anxiety.

Take things that will take your mind off worrying. Books, watching TV, go for little walks...

You will be fine! Enjoy - flying is amazing and more comfortble then smaller trips for sure.

Ruu_Old

Well, bring something decent to eat for a start (most plane food is sheeeeeite). If you are going to be up there for a while then you may as well be comfortable. Keep well hydrated with lots of water and avoid the booze. Bring a neck pillow. I take motion sickness tablets and they put me to sleep as well for a good while and then I watch whatever is on the television screens which really helps pass the time.

Ann22

I'm the very same:(. I was lucky enough to get to Florida 3 times but was sweating the whole way through the journeys. I don't feel so bad flying over land but the sheer thoughts of miles of ocean below me brings me out in goosebumps:eek:. Every noise I hear, I'm gripping the armrests and watching the air hostesses' faces to check for signs of panic. I calm down after it's been smooth for a while but any bumps at all and I'm back in the grip of terror. Kalm tablets along with rescue remedies is what I take, they take the edge of the fear. Would love to be knocked out for the whole journey but as it's so long I'd need a horse tranquiliser. Something holy like a medal brings me some comfort too and a good book to try and get lost in.

JayC5

iguana2005 wrote: »

Take things that will take your mind off worrying. Books, watching TV, go for little walks...

Walk!!! I'll be glued to the seat, - walking is not an option, I was hoping for the merciful oblivion of a meds-induced sleep...

I think I'll need horse tranqulizers or something to get me thru this. I appreciate your help & advice but trust me, I'm like Mr T - they'll have to knock me out...

I've already prepared my ******-mask ipod playlist for any impending doomsday scenario, a plane-crash top ten that would put Dave Fanning to shame!

JayC5

JayC5 wrote: »

I've already prepared my ******-mask ipod playlist for any impending doomsday scenario

Ha!!

Mis-spelt that one! should read as my "air" mask and not my festival that I can't mention mask!!!!

Westfalia2

Take your cue from the air stewards/stewardesses/whatever the pc term is; they have done this hundreds of times and are well aware of the potential risks (or considerable lack thereof) and are still happy (-ish but that's another matter entirely)

Teh Noob

Stay awake the night before, that way you'll have to sleep during flight. With 12 hour flight, you'll be changing day for night anyway. In case you can't sleep, bring a book that makes you laugh. Try and think about what awaits you once you land down safely, must be worth the hassle. And finally, think how great you'll feel about yourself for enduring it once it's over.

Ann22

During times when I've been feeling calmer I can nod off for short periods. I use one of those travel cushions that fit around your neck and an eye mask. Puzzles are good too for keeping your mind occupied.

Toots

If you're a really bad flier, your GP should be able to prescribe you a sedative. One of my friends is in the army and he's like you, he only has to go in the doors of an airport for him to break out in a sweat. He was assigned to Kosovo a while back and he went to his doc beforehand to explain his fear, the doc gave him something (could have been vallium, I can't remember) and he said it was brilliant, he popped one about half an hour before the flight and he was grand.

CDfm

This is true -avoid alchohol and take a sedative if you need.

Chocolate works for me:D

bluecell99

Hi Op,

I have done several long-haul flights and to be honest the best solution in my opinion is the medication.There are pills available which will put you to nsleep as well as relax you completlely beforehand.Just have a word with the Doctor.

Nothing to be be worried about.No side effects and worth their weight in gold.I dont know the name but flying back from a golf trip in Thailand last January nine people in the group took a pill prescribed over there about an hour into the 12 hour flight.Woke up blissfully relaxed and rested somewhere over Germany!!

Just another couple of hours to go.

Enjoy.

Joey the lips

i am flying next friday by aer lingus. only an hour to the UK. But at 31000 feet Oh sh1t!!!

I seem to get more nervous the older I get. Will have to get some lovin thursday incase its my last

pyrite

I also used to be quite afraid of flying, here's how I deal with it now:

1) When very anxious I try to see the plane as being the limit of my environment, my seat is my own little space in it. This means that I can try to avoid thinking about what's outside the plane, I could just as easily be sitting in a bus on the ground for all I know (not looking out the window helps with this!). I then remind myself that all that is required of me is to just sit here. That's it! That's all I have to do for the next few hours is sit in the seat. Accepting that you have no control over anything that's happening makes it easier to relax oddly. Do I know anything about engines? Not really... therefore me worrying about every noise won't make a blind bit of notice to what happens. I'll trust the pilot to know what he's doing.

2) Next I break the time of the journey up into small segments, maybe 15 mins at a time. Then think of activities to do. I stock up on magazines and newspapers to flick through, probably won't be able to concentrate enough for a novel. I bring a pen and paper and plan my next few days. Think of the routine of the flight if you know it to reassure yourself that everything is fine. When the drinks or food trolley comes along, have something, even just as a distraction. Distraction is v important for me.

3) Finally if I do have a moment of extreme panic, I would think to myself, "this time will pass, I will not feel like this forever, this will soon be over, just focus on breathing innnn... and outtt....". Plus although you say statistics don't help, I try to think of just how mundane and routine this actually all is, with soo many flights happening every day all over the world.

I now feel only very mild nerves about flights, and shocked myself on the last one by actually being so exhausted I fell asleep - never thought that would happen on a plane!

Good luck!

Overheal

Flying anxiety is understandable, though I first flew at a young curious age, so I had a lot of fun with it. Only recently has it become a chore. Once into a Thunderstorm on approach - despite a bit of mild turbulence that was easilly the coolest thing I have ever witnessed. Theres a lot to see up there. I also have a morbid fascination with watching Plane Crash documentaries in the couple days before flying out. Oddly, it does a lot to put you at ease knowing just how bizarre circumstances have to be before these crashes happen.

My Dad has been building planes and doing maintenance on them for 25 years now. I've seen and heard about how much abuse a plane can actually withstand, versus what they actually experience at any time during a flight, versus what the maintenance schedule is meant to check for. Planes are checked over Very Regularly - Landing gear and all that jazz gets checked before every flight, and planes go in for a full hangar lookover not much longer than every few dozen flights, sometimes less depending on the flying distances. The plane is also over-engineered to fly in conditions far more severe that what it will ever experience in-flight. Those wings aren't made of Balsa Wood - its like trying to break a CD with your hands, they can be bend up or down about 35 degrees in either direction, and in flight only ever fluctuate as much as 5 or 10 in the worst conditions. To try and put your mind at ease about all the creaks and noises, those air liners are built like tanks.

pyrite wrote: »

Finally if I do have a moment of extreme panic, I would think to myself, "this time will pass, I will not feel like this forever, this will soon be over, just focus on breathing innnn... and outtt....". Plus although you say statistics don't help, I try to think of just how mundane and routine this actually all is, with soo many flights happening every day all over the world.

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.



Engine noise is a bitch, mainly because it stops you from sleeping as much, then theres the low to no humidity in the cabin which is actually pretty unnatural, makes your nose dry and all that nasty. Can't do anything about the humidity, but for the engine noise I strongly abide by Noise Cancelling Headphones (you can get a pair in any computer store just about, for anywhere from 50-100 eur last I bought) and it does a Great Job of drowning out 80% of the noise just by hitting the On Switch. Once you start playing music or a film the difference is night and day - you'd almost forget you were flying. Pick a good long playlist of flight-worthy songs, or load a few good movies into your laptop/dvd player and have fun. (If you do have a laptop you can save a lot of much wanted battery power on long flights by ripping your DVDs into a video file first, saves on running and spinning the DVD Drive, which destroys battery life)

Sedatives arent a bad idea. Only really tried it once, had them before I got on, practically fell asleep before we got off the tarmac and woke up a couple hours later feeling very refreshed. Also as Ruu says a good meal is essential - plane food is less than glamorous. Eat up some comfort food (BK Whopper, Cinnabon, something something) or a big hearty breakfast at the Airport's food stops before departing. I miss Shannon for its Irish Brekkie. Important to indulge yourself during the trip a bit, imo, as it does bring some much needed enjoyment to the whole ordeal - and if you're having fun, you're not worrying.

Darragh29

Fear is a funny thing. I love flying, as a passenger I love the feel of the plane tearing down the runway and the idea of being afraid to get on a plane is something I can't understand.

Having said that, I'm terrified of spiders... If I see a spider on a wall, I have to leave the room and get someone to deal with the spider. I'd love to understand how fear works, like how irrational fears can take over and get in the way of you doing things. Funnily enough, my fear is more irrational than yours, like you could argue that you could in theory get killed if you faced up to your fear and got on a plane whereas my fear of spiders is completely irrational, a spider cannot kill me, at least not the ones I'm afraid of that I see around the place...

Weird....

What is it that you think your fear of flying is grounded in??? Do you think the plane will crash???

LegacyUser

I am the exact same. I am doing a 12 hour flight in a few weeks and I am absolutley petrified. Everytime I think about it I actually feel sick.

I am going away for a year and when everyone asks am I excited all I can think of is I will be when the plane journey is finished. It absolutley terrifies me, some people think I'm mad but different strokes for different folks an all that. We can't help our fears.

I flew to New York in the summer and took a sleeping tablet but it did absolutley nothing for me and it was an overnight flight so I should have slept but I just couldn't, I don't know its probably something to do with your mindset. I have got more sleeping tabs for this journey and hope to god they work. All this stuff about watch a movie/read a book/do a puzzle, I can't do any of that because I'm so scared I can't concentrate on it, and as for turbelence and engine sounds, don't get me started.

Feel ill now.

Silverfish

Unregistered wrote: »

I am the exact same. I am doing a 12 hour flight in a few weeks and I am absolutley petrified. Everytime I think about it I actually feel sick.

I am going away for a year and when everyone asks am I excited all I can think of is I will be when the plane journey is finished. It absolutley terrifies me, some people think I'm mad but different strokes for different folks an all that. We can't help our fears.

I flew to New York in the summer and took a sleeping tablet but it did absolutley nothing for me and it was an overnight flight so I should have slept but I just couldn't, I don't know its probably something to do with your mindset. I have got more sleeping tabs for this journey and hope to god they work. All this stuff about watch a movie/read a book/do a puzzle, I can't do any of that because I'm so scared I can't concentrate on it, and as for turbelence and engine sounds, don't get me started.

Feel ill now.

I hear you.

It's all ahead of me now, first flight to anywhere other than the UK in May, it's a four hour flight and I am absolutely bricking it.

McCrack

I'd approach this from trying to understand and learn about flying. People with an irrational fear of flying tend to have very little or no knowledge of how planes fly. I think such people need to appreciate that planes don't drop out of the sky and turbulance for example is both perfectly normal and safe.

To the OP try reading up on aircraft and flying and if youre really feeling adventurous go out to Weston airport or similiar and get taken up in a light aircraft where you will see first hand the dynamics of flying and get to take control yourself of the airplane.

cojomo2

i used to be the same but i fly longhaul 4 times a year now so im kinda used to it.

ive tried sleeping pills which didnt always work..last time i needed to take pills my mate said that valium was way better...i wasnt sure as i didnt think i could be relaxed on a plane, i though sleep was much better.

anyway i gave the valium a shot and it worked vey well...hard to explain but you dont actually feel any different only that ur just not bothered about what goin on around u. It really chills u out, id give it a try.

also as another poster said, force urself to say awake the entire night before..watch dvds, play video games , whatever, it really works way better then any sleeping tab.

LegacyUser

my doc gave me valium after a full on panic attack on a plane once. Used them the next time, worked a treat, chills you right out in a wierd "i should be panicing but Im not" vibe. In a high stress situation its a lifesaver.Strange sorta feeling but it works.

Another idea is load up one of those meditation cds onto the ipod with breathing exercises and such. I love them, and have regularly used them on flights.

Get a good meal into you, drink plenty of water. Bring the ipod, a neck pillow, a good book anything that comforts you no matter how silly. And I hope you have a fab time where ever you're headed.

JayC5

Thanks for all the info and perspectives folks, I find solace in knowing that I'm not the only one!

I guess it's the feeling of zero control, thousands of feet in the air in a freakin' huge cigar tube thats controlled by a few buttons & a clutch!!! Plus the fact that death is not so instantaneous gets to me, the thoughts of a descent to impact with air-masks dancing and people screaming... ughhh.. I feel ill already. Patiently bracing myself for the inevitable & then being identified by my dental records... not the legacy I thought I would leave behind!

The 911 attacks have done little to help me either - I'm definitely going the meds route, valium sounds interesting, does it enhance the appreciation of music by any chance!?

Thanks again, it's been very interesting to hear other peoples coping methods

lolli

Hey Op,

I tend to panic about these things too but not to the extreme you seem to be though. I was on a boat once for 20 something hours didnt get sick or anything but just felt stressed.

I am prone to panic attacks so If i'm going anywhere now I make sure I get a few Xanax off the doctor seems to do the trick. As far as non prescription things go, i'd recommend kalms. I think you should go to the doc and get some Valium or Xanax and maybe a few sleeping tablets