hi i need advice

[charmain24]

ive been suffering with panic attacks and anxiety and agraphobia for 5 years now i first had my panic attack when i was boarding a plane to tenerife ive flew loads of times so still cant understand y i had a panic attack. i used to be house bound years ago but i had cbt and have managed to get out the house and ive managed to have a few holidays in wales. but now i so want to go abroad again just the thought of it is terrifying me. as this is what triggered my panic attacks in the first place. i would love to go to benidorm as it aint along flight from th uk. i know my husband would love to go abroad again and my eldest son would like to go on a plane. can anyone give me any advice ? is there anything i can take to take the anxious ness away and the panic attacks im just imagining myself now sitting on a plane with loads of people and im panicking already feel like i cor breathe theres loads of people on here and i feel like everyones staring at me.i feel trapped theres no way out.i have not been on a plane for 5 years and this would be a big thing for me to do. i so really wanna go abroad again any advice would be appreciated xx:weep:

[JoT]

Hi charmain,

I too suddenly became afraid of flying on a trip to Barcelona when I was about 21, I loved flying before and the fear hit me suddenly out of the blue.

I still fly and I'm not comfortable with it at all, but this is what helps me:

In the airport lounge, a couple of glasses of wine (if it's a redeye flight, I have a double vodka and fresh orange, so it looks like i'm just drinking orange juice LOL)
Lots of glossy mags: I look at all the celebrities and think "they do this all the time it's normal for them"
Take stuff for your kids to do that you enjoy too, I quite like colouring - it's kinda therapeutic and kind of takes my mind of it.

Don't pre-guess how bad you are going to feel on the flight, if you imagine how you are going to feel - this is how you will feel. Think of the outcome, the wonderful holiday, nice positive thoughts. How much fun you will have with your little boy and hubby.

You could go to your docs and get diazepam, even if you don't take them it's just a comfort to know they are there if you start feeling bad.

Also no one will be staring at you, probably the majority of them will be too busy battling their own fears.

How about doing a little refresher course on CBT? I've heard this one is good http://www.livinglifetothefull.com/index.php

[jill]

Hi Hun,

I have been a memeber of this forum for mmmm 4 years I think, I am now panic high anxiety free cos of this great site.

This is the first time I have read a post, I could have written myself, I had my first PA, not boarding the plane, but in the airport. I did get on the plane, panic, high anxiety came with me, will not go into the holiday, you know, not very good.

My first thoughts when I came back off hols, panic and all, was, BLIMEY. I like flying, but could not bring myself to go abroad for along time, I like you NEVER stoped going on hols, went to wales LOL mmm, panic came there too, but I never let it stop me, HAY, I like my hols.

The thing is, with PANIC, we label a place, a thing and many, many other things as the casue of our panic, and ITS NOT, you have to help yourself understand, that it WAS NOT the plane, YOU LIKE FLYING, but maybe alot of stresses or other things and the plane was just the last strew. Panic, IS truma and our minds are reminded of that truma, especial, where we had our first pa. It takes alot of hard work, time and support, to get over that, exposure therapy, learn to change thought pattens, helps lots.

It took me, 2 years to get back on a plane, but I had been working on this for along time.

I am lucky well if you call it that, to know and understand that IS WAS NOT, the plane that caused me to panic, that was just the trigger, the last strew so to speak. So, I had good memerois of flying, to recall on.

I live near the airport I flew out of, with my first panic, so, as soon as I got back, well not as soon, a few months later, I went for a walk to the airport, ohhhh boy, it was not easy, walking into the terminal, but I kept on recalling all my good memories of my past good flights and holdays, I did this for along time. Me and mum would just sit in the cafe at the airport, remembering good holidays.

The thing was, I was NOT allowed to go where I had, had the my first PA, becasue it was through passport control, the only way I could do that was to fly.

I had in my head, the bad memories, the truma, of the panic in the airport, the panic on the plane and the panic on the hols to deal with. I had to take each one and deal with them sepratly.

The termanal and flight are the same thought pattens, changing things to more positive reasuring thoughts, I LIKE FLYING, I LIKE MY HOLS. it WAS NOT the plane that caused me to panic. (I do know and have reasons for my mind and body to push the panic button), but will not go into that right now) so i feel knowing that helped too.

Hubby took me alot and I mean alot, to where they the planes take off, ohhh boy, I could feel the adrenaline, the anx riseing.

I new dame well that there was noooo link, FOR ME, AT ALL between, panic and plane's, BUT reprogramming my mind to think that way was bl**dy hard.

If you are like me, like flying and have always had good flights, you have good foundation to work from.

YOUR THOUGH pattens are sooooo important on this hun, I cannot express on how important they are.


***im just imagining myself now sitting on a plane with loads of people and im panicking already feel like i cor breathe theres loads of people on here and i feel like everyones staring at me.i feel trapped theres no way out****

Ohhhhh hun, Please, please DON'T do this to yourself, your feeding your anxiety and Mrs anxiety is loving it every steep of the way.

I know this is dame hard for you hun, but you have to use positive self thoughts, work dame hard on your thought pattens, see yourself sitting on the plane having a good time, see your goal DONE, with NOOO panic, feel how you would feel when you have done the flight with noo problems.

I know this is DAME HARD to close this patten off, ohh boy is it, BUT, its possible.

I flew out 2 years ago on a hen weekend, mmmm bits of anx and felt sooo proud of myself. yet, in the same year I flew out with hubby and son AND BAM, panic, there WHERE reasons for this, will tell you

first reson, memories of first Truma (PA) triggered hard that day, reason why. I had been drinking alcahol the night before, (this is a no, no FOR ME, NO alcahol at all FOR ME) LESSON LEARNED.

2 reason, my daughter who was supposed come with us, said the day we where going, she did not want to come, soooo got myself stressed over that, mixing with hangover, this for me, is a bad mix, tired, lesson learned again, for me I think LOL

YES, I did panic, BUT, I got on the plane, ohhhhhh boy, sooo proud of myself, noo harm came to me at all, lesson learned, I CAN DO IT. went on to have a great hol.

I NEVER prodict if I will panic, after all, I don't know into the future, all I try to see is positivaty, I don't expect the worse. From lessons learned.

I have not flew out since 2 years ago, not because of Panic, money things, I have kept going to the airport, looking at planes, wanting sooo much to be looking out of the window and going somewhere. I have worked DAME hard on my thought pattens to close, the memorie of the truma (panic)

I flew out last week to tenarife, OHHHHHH BOY, I DID IT, noooo panic, I am soo used to making any anx I get less important anything I felt while in the airport or on the plane is NOT even worth a mention, yeeeehaaaa. I owe this site alot.

Our thoughts are our main tool in our anxirty panic box, it is not easy, changing the way we think, BUT, its possible.

I don't no much about meds, I know my friend who was flying for the first time, got something off her gp, she said it helped lots and she was fine, he only gave her 2 tabs, 1 for going and 1 for coming back she did not need the one comeing back LOL

I do however take calms for a few weeks before my flight, I take alot of things to distracted me, pane my time at the airport, even have ago on the masarge chairs and the excersis machince LOL anything to distract me.

I take what I call a panic first aid kit (I have never used it) but in it is,

a brown paper bag
rescue remady,
(this one may sound strange) a note to myself, advising myself on how to think and reminding me off all the special people on here:yesyes:
Mags
head phons for tv
puzzul books
when I used to travel with the kids, thing to do with them, travel games.

Hun, YOU CAN DO THIS, but please, please, don't put so much importance on this, if you make it something you HAVE TO DO, this can cause anx probs eg, I HAVE TO DO THIS, this is far to negative, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do, you have to help yourself see this. We do holidays becasue, WE choose to do them, cos WE love them:yesyes:

Believe in yourself hun, YOU CAN DO THIS, when you really believe you can do something, your mind finds ways to do it.

Hope I have been of some help, even if its just knowing that it can be done

YOU TAKE CARE

LOVE JILLXX

[polly123]

Hiya
I have the same problems as both of you, but not just flying its going away full stop, i had a nasty panic attack that came from nowhere on hoiday 3 years ago and ever since ive been so worked up with anxiety its untrue, the funny part of it is, we have a caravan in a lovely part of west wales on a lovely site, im determind not to let this stop me from going away, but at the mo can only manage 2 nights max, which is why im stessing out cause in 3 weeks time we are supposed to be going for a whole week HELP!!! I also carry a panic kit with me each time i go, Jill thanks for the tips iam going to give them a try even though im only going 95 miles down the road lol
Wish me luck lol
POLLY

[noworriesnocries]

Bach makes these pastilles called rescue remedy. They are herbal won't interact with medication. Try them before a nervous situation... If they are helping, use them. Talk to your doc. if there is a med you can take before flight...

[heath]

I would honestly say I am the most horrified of planes I even start getting the fear the night before and have just come back from America(Florida) with my family.I was that terrified and having panic attacks that I did pass out and woke up on the bathroom floor with my hubby trying to bring me round that is how much i worked myself up over flying. What I have found is if i have a couple of glasses of wine before I get on the plane I am fine and everything is reduced but I made my trip there and back and it was a long flight try it I thought nothing would work for me.

[Louise123]

Hi- ive experienced fear anxiety and panic on planes...it helped me to think about the cabin crew, their lives and what their upcoming plans might be- this allowed me to consider more rationally that people fly and choose to be in aeroplanes all the time- every day- and my one odd trip here and there is highly unlikely to be eventful. I even have wondered which of the cabin crew may be having an affair with the male pilot- it keeps me amused and relaxed to humanise the people around me. LOL- i have even had to talk a woman through her anxiety when we suddenly had to take off again close to landing cos there wasn't space, and had to circle the air for 20 minutes...i did divulge i was prone to anxiety- but she just needed to be distracted so we talked about menial things to pass the time xx