Scared of flying?

[Toby2000]

Hi,

I'm new to this section, so hello!

I'm going on holiday to spain in August and I'm really scared of the plane being shot down by terrorists, the plane crashing or something similar to what happened to MH370 to happen to my plane. I know this is a silly fear, but I'm really scared

Toby

[Tessar]

Hello hissy. If you turn the clock back 18 months, I had never flown on my own. I had only ever gone with other people. The idea of doing it solo was scary. Well, wind the clock back to the present and having made lots of trips for work, I am now confident about getting on a plane.
And what has made the difference...?
Well, first off directly facing my fear. Simple as that. Going and doing it. Getting on the plane... Thinking i might lose it and panic, cry.... All those things, triggered because I would feel so scared I'd Fall apart, But you know what? When we came to take off, I didn't panic. I didn't cry or lose it. Far from it. I sat there and thought "this is familiar". Even tho I was on my own, I was able to cope. I didn't feel as scared as I thought.
Of course having done many trips now, I have built up my confidence.
Instead if noticing every little noise or movement, I am so much more chilled bout it all.
Along the way I have endured some rough flights. All the things I was scared of... Rolled into one on some of them. But I have come out the other side.
And I am confident so will you.
The things you list are of course possibilities but you need to look at the law of averages.
One massive fact you simply cannot deny is that flying is incredibly safe as a means of transport. there are thousands of flights around the world each day. There are strict regulations that must be adhered to.
Because I fly regularly, if something happens, I feel like I can't get away from it. Well, it's on the news in front if you isnt it. I admit I find myself up in the air and thoughts of "what if" go through my mind. But I dismiss them. What's the point winding myself up...? I've made the decision to board the plane. I have put my trust in the airline. The ground staff and the crew. Also in the air traffic controllers too. So I sit back, relax & enjoy my flight.i really do. I take photos to distract myself. I take pen & paper & write notes or letters. Keep my mind busy.

There is no point dwelling. I suggest you do it. And meanwhile Go about your usual day to day business. Dont focus on your fear. By all means look at safety statistics and you will see that flying is generally very safe indeed. But don't focus on the negative side of it because all that will do is needlessly stress you.

Oh and it's not a silly fear at all. It's unrealistic perhaps but not silly. I understand where you are coming from but its worth remembering that incidents often involve alot of people, so they draw alot of attention, . other types of accidents or incidents often go totally unnoticed or are considered a normal part of life. They don't draw attention from the Press.

When I board a plane after a recent incident it is in my mind but I reassure myself that as I say, flying is a generally safe means of transport.

Hope this helps.

[Toby2000]

That really did help, thanks