Traveling Anxiety
The plane has a mark on it, it’s gonna crash! This was me for years. I had a million reasons for why the plane I was about to board would crash. I had traveling anxiety and constant stress for years and even though I was stuck in a constant cycle of ‘what if,’ I still went on with my trips on planes.
But That’s No Way To Travel And See The World
One thing was extremely clear though after dozens of fear filled trips on board planes. None of the planes I ever boarded actually crashed! Sure there were some turbulence, but that’s normal apparently. All the made up stories in my head never actually manifested, and this I needed to accept right away.
So things got better after that simple realization. Was it a life-changing observation? Yes! And boy did it get the ball rolling for me in the direction of freedom over traveling anxiety. Here are the 5 tips you need to understand and apply starting today if you want to end traveling anxiety:
- Get The Aisle Seat – This was a great start for me because I hated the window. It started growing my confidence over traveling anxiety, and kept my sight on other people rather than the sky-high view.
- Focus On What You’ll Do/See At The Destination – Taking yourself out of the present moment in this situation is ok. Putting your attention on the future will lessen your traveling anxiety. What sights will you see, what work will you get done, who will you meet, where will you eat that night etc.
- Bring Along Work Or Entertainment For The Duration Of The Trip – I personally don’t think this is running from your fears and anxiety. This one is more about turning your focus from what could happen, to what you can learn, and enjoy during your trip.
- Pretend You’re On A Rollercoaster During Turbulence – Turn fear into fun, yes you can. You’ve trained yourself to fear, to experience traveling anxiety constantly. Now it’s time to gain a new perspective. An enjoyable one.
- Set Up Your Stopwatch For Success – I still to this day do this anytime I feel nervous or anxious about a flight. Every timer goes off 15 minutes at a time, I usually set the intervals for as long as the flight is. When the stopwatch goes off it comes with a description (something like ‘great job!’ Or a message such as deep breaths).
Start applying these tips for traveling anxiety starting today. See which one works best and stick to it. The goal is to take you out of the traveling anxiety cycle, and turn your focus elsewhere. I believe in you, now it’s your time to believe in yourself. Happy travels!
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Your tip on setting a timer and adding a message is something that I have done for many other things besides flying. It really works! If everyone reading this article just does that one thing, they will have success in beating their anxiety. I think we all need positive reinforcement and sometimes when that reinforcement comes from others for simple tasks, it may sound condescending. The timer/message tip avoids that.
Ya it really can be a great reminder and has helped many people lately. Funny how simple tips that we rarely think of can create big changes Sarah.
Getting an aisle seat does seem like a good thing to get if you have a lot of anxiety about traveling. I know that I always feel more comfortable if I can get up at any time. It does seem like you should probably talk to a therapist if you have really bad anxiety.
I’ve never thought of thinking of turbulence as a roller coaster before. It would probably only work if you have never been on a real roller coaster before but it’s a good idea.
This new perspective took time to apply, but when I felt comfortable with the idea, my fear of flying definitely started to lessen and eventually end.
I second using time on the plane for work or entertainment. I sometimes like to do some extra trip planning, my transportation, hotels, and other essentials are normally planned for, but I can plan out what sites I want to see. Just make sure you don’t need the internet for it. If that fails I like to play computer games. They are more engaging than movies and do a better job of keeping my mind off of the flight.
Good feedback James thanks for sharing.
Thanks for these useful tips. I had never thought about sitting in the aisle seat to help reduce anxiety. I can see why focusing on the people around you and not outside could be helpful. I think that it is important to distract yourself from what is going on. I find that a movie or game is a good distracting device.
Focusing on something other than your anxiety, whether that’s work, entertainment, or the sights you see on your trip, is excellent advice. Having your focus elsewhere in order to reduce anxiety and allow you to travel would be very useful. I would imagine that having someone who you can call that can help, whether it’s a friend, a psychologist, or a family member would also help you relax while you travel.
Good feedback Tiffany.