Terrified of flying and being on holiday!

[LiziJenks]

It sounds ridiculous but since I have had anxiety and panic disorder I have become terrified of flying and even being on holiday.
I was never a brilliant flyer but could tolerate it, when I was younger I would even travel on long haul flights but since the anxiety kicked in I cant even imagine being on a plane, the thought of being on one scares me.
As well as this being away from home and on holiday scares me.
I want to be able to enjoy myself and be able to go abroad but at the minute even the thought of it makes me anxious.
Any tips would be really helpful! Thanks x

[celestial]

Hi Lizi

Sorry to hear you're going through this. This is a really tricky one to overcome, simply because you can't approach it gradually - you can either get on a flight or not. Unfortunately this can really impact on your ability to enjoy a relaxing holiday, which can often be the thing you most need!

I share this fear, and used to be about as bad as you could get without physically being unable to get on the plane. I have had panic attacks that lasted most of a flight, and have freaked out in some very embarrassing and upsetting ways that I am still ashamed of and probably always will be.

Nowadays I am still really scared but I have somehow got the panic under control enough to not let flying ruin my trips abroad. I can offer a few tips on what has helped me, though it will obvisously differ from one preso to the next.

- listening to music i really like on noise cancelling headphones for most of the flight. This is helpful if (like me) the unfamiliar noises of flying tend to freak you out. And the music puts me in a good, confident mood. I have made special flying playlists with music I know has this effect on me.

- booking an exit row seat. You'll pay a bit extra for this, but if claustrophobia is an issue this is life changing.

- having just enough alcohol to make me feel relaxed. Some people don't agree with this one (and I have sadly found that having too much can have a really bad effect) but if you know how much it takes just to get you a bit tipsy, it can really take the edge of things.

hope this helps.

[itwillbefine]

- listening to music i really like on noise cancelling headphones for most of the flight. This is helpful if (like me) the unfamiliar noises of flying tend to freak you out. And the music puts me in a good, confident mood. I have made special flying playlists with music I know has this effect on me.

- booking an exit row seat. You'll pay a bit extra for this, but if claustrophobia is an issue this is life changing.

- having just enough alcohol to make me feel relaxed. Some people don't agree with this one (and I have sadly found that having too much can have a really bad effect) but if you know how much it takes just to get you a bit tipsy, it can really take the edge of things.

.

Good to hear it worked for you. I'm amazed that this could distract you enough to control your panic. I think you're likely to have changed your thought patterns first of all, and these measurements have been supportive.

When I was a nervous flyer, I used to crochet my way through a flight and enjoy a glass of wine to relax.

When I became an anxious flyer, I started using benzodiazepam, which calms me completely during the flight. It enables you to fly, but does not fix the problem. Being able to fly is important however, since we know avoidance is worse.

Alcohol would just make me more anxious.

Some short flights are so cheap, so I'm planning to expose myself to flying by taking one day trips once in a while. I think this can be useful.