About my fear
I stopped flying for 25 years. I work out of Chicago and the majority of my customers were around the Country. The only way I would travel is by car and mostly I went to Florida and back. One time I had two meetings in Florida two weeks apart, and drove back and forth each time as to not miss the meeting. I had control issues and had a very hard time letting anyone drive me anywhere such as car or plane.
My first successful flight
I got back on an airplane 4 years ago. I set a goal that if I could get to my seat, and put my seat belt on, that would be my first step. The second step would be to try and maintain a normal breathing pattern. My third goal was to give up the power and trust the pilots and professionals to do their jobs. I next took a sedative and brought on board a word search magazine and kept myself busy without worrying about what was happening around me. I also met the pilot beforehand to tell him I was a first time flyer who was trying his best.
Tips and Tricks
- Flying is what you make it out to be. if you project having a bad experience, you will and if you make it more routine like, that is what the outcome will be. I like to keep busy in the airplane and it is also a good idea to let people know how you feel. The pilot, the flight attendant, the person next to you. Also, if the plane goes through turbulence, it is a good idea to write to yourself on paper how you feel. I find that was another technique that worked for me when I felt stressed. Sometimes when I finished writing down my thoughts, the turbulance would stop and I would learn about how I felt at that moment.
