Excitement Hampered by Fear of Flying

[Chrononymous]

My WDWMAGIC family is so intelligent and caring... love you all!! I CAN do this (I'm just being stupid) I appreciate all of your responses :wave:

You aren't being stupid at all!
Fears and anxiety are very real things.

I know you will do wonderfully...and keep focusing on all the awesome things you will do when you get there!

Another trick that works for me is to visualize the whole process...what it will look like when we land, what the pilot will say the weather is, and the little monorail ride to the baggage claim, and the first time you see all the cool airport stores in Orlando!
That stuff gets me really excited, and I forget about the anxiety...just a little bit!

 

[Scuttle]

Also remember if your flying a major carrier that means you have a captain with ATLEAST 10,000 hours and the co pilot will have a minimum of 3,500 hours. And there a good chance both were in the air force. Just remember you've got VERY experienced Pilots at the yoke with very good stick and rudder skills so even if the situation arises you'll have very good pilots that have trained for every possible emergency procedure.

 

[BigTxEars]

Lots of these and you will be fine :ROFLOL:

 

[Clever Name]

You'll Be Just Fine!

[youtube]KP4OxDP332U&feature=related[/youtube] :wave:

 

[docdebbi]

Xanax

 

[docdebbi]

ok, more details

i didn't fly for 20 years, just the thought gave me palpitations. prior to my last flight stewardesses asked me never to fly again: my screaming and hyperventilating was scaring the other passengers.

then i found xanax.

i start taking it several hours before the flight, i do take quite a few, i take the last one after i sit in my seat. then i lay back and wake up in orlando. now i face my flight with no fear till an hour or so before. i save 2 days travel each way and spend them in WDW instead, and am so glad that i found the little miracle pill. ask your doctor. it's a gift from God.

p.s. my daughter assures me that they still do the safety/emergency talk before take off. couldn't prove it by me......i've never been awake for it

 

[musketeer]

I had no idea so many people were afraid of flying but still fly. I travel quite often, and I guess I've just never noticed someone around me who looks deathly afraid.

My favorite thing about flying now is the delta lady shaking her finger at me telling me "smoking is not allowed..."

The thing is, you don't want to know TOO much about it. Being an aerospace engineer, I know all too well lots of mistakes that have been made, but take comfort in knowing that lessons were learned from them.

 

[gnuts0306]

Ever since I saw the movie La Bamba I too was always afraid of flying..... i still DO NOT love it, but keeping busy on the plane helps....and as others have said, a few drinks in the airport lounge pre-flight!!

 

[cynic710]

dont be ashamed in the least! i grew up with a mother how has very powerful anxieties that limit her abilities to do the things she loves. she even missed the birth of my first son because of her fear of heights and elevators, (born on the 10th floor of the hospital). anyway, i know well enough that it is hard to beat fear. But believe you me it IS beatable.

think of it this way, we all have one life, and for what its worth its a very short time to make an impact. That impact should affect us well enough that there are no regrets over anything. just think, nothing in this world is worth being afraid of. God bless and enjoy life!


i live by this quote "dont sweat the small stuff, and by the way, EVERYTHING is the small stuff"

 

[Mukta]

Like nolatron above, I have a snack that I always bring with me...for me it's a Japanese rice cracker snack mix. And it makes me calm to eat it. I can usually buy some at the airport too.

I get my favorite calming essential oil (rosemary, ginger or lavender) and I douse a cotton handkerchief with it, and put it in a plastic ziplock. When I am feeling anxious (like during take off) I open the bag and take a whiff...which always calms me.

I keep a good luck traveling charm with me. It might be silly and superstitious, but it works for me. I have a lucky coin that I associate with protection while traveling, and makes me feel like I am in control of something.

This is great advice.
I do not have a fear of flying, but we all have different things we are anxious/scared about.

If I told you I was scared of something, what advice would you give me? What things do you find calm you when you are anxious?

 

[the-reason14]

I can relate to this fear. I've flown maybe 4 or 5 times total in my life. Most of those were to and from Disney World and one was to and from Disneyland. I will say that the were within a year or two of each other, so I was never and probably will never be a frequent flyer which does not help. The last time was back in 2009 when I went to Disneyland, and even though since I've flown before that I seen things and watched movies that would make me think twice about flying, the day of the flight I was extremely calm. I kept thinking about Disneyland and I just forgot about it. So think heavily about the destination and not the trip, even though the trip itself can actually be pretty fun.

 

[pjpauly2k]

Solution!

I understand your fear dont worry I used to be the same when I was younger but then I discovered a cure! ALCOHOL! lol.

Ok I know its not good for you and you shouldnt be too drunk on a plane but a few drinks in the airport before you get on then 1 or 2 on the flight and you really wont care what happens! (Which will be nothing any way).

Now I do this on each flight and I dont even get nervous the days leading up to a flight because I know I wont be nervous on the day! Its almost like I was nervous of being nervous!

Have fun!

 

[BigRedDad]

For all the other people that are on the flight, please do not fly. The reason is anything imaginary you cause to happen will delay their trips. You can delay take off, you can have something go wrong in flight causing an emergency landing, or anything else.

If you have a fear of flying, don't. There is a difference between being nervous and afraid. Nervousness can be handled with alcohol and medication. Fear cannot. I know if I were on the flight I would be pi**ed if it were delayed for this reason.

Let your family fly and you can drive. You said it is a 10 day trip. You can spend 4 of those driving yourself.

I know you want happy thoughts. Unfortunately, your happiness should not interfere with others'.

 

[dizneycraig]

I am an airline pilot with over 9000 hours of flying. Feel free to PM me if I can help.

 

[CaptainShortty]

I'm the same way! I hate flying even though I've been doing it 4-6 times a year from the time I was a baby. It equals about 100+ flights. For me, I always take a Tylenol PM before we fly. It was recommended to me for a flight to Hawaii (3 hours from NYC - Texas then 8 hours from Texas to Hawaii) from someone who often has to fly from NY to China. I didn't sleep because of the nerves but it definitely mellowed me out. Now I have to take it and I think it's as much psychosomatic as it is actually working for me. Give it a try. If you don't want something as strong as that, try Dramamine. That works well too but isn't as strong.

I also use my love of Disney to help me with the fear. I always bring at least one Disney book with me on the flight. It keeps my mind busy and helps me forget that I'm afraid of the flight. Plus it makes me even more excited to get there!! I recommend the Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World or The Walt Disney World Trivia Book. Both will keep you plenty busy. Hope that helps! Have a great trip and try not to worry so much. =)

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

I have an idea........ you ALL should come with me!!!! :ROFLOL: I feel alot better!! Ya know a very good point was made, maybe it IS a control thing too?? But you all make so much sense!!!

 

[Scuttle]

If I could add one more thing about plane crashes that will ease your nervousness of flying. EVERY plane crash gets investigated by the NTSB and they fix the problem so that it will never arise again. For a plane crash to happen a series of events has to happen to lead to a crash. I said earlier the USA has not had a fatal crash since Feb. 2009. that crash was fully investigated and caused by pilot fatigue. Since this crash investigation was completed pilots are now required to have 9 hours off between flights as opposed to 8. So basically minus that colgan air crash, which should have never happened in the first place, we should be at almost 5 years since a single fatality on a commercial airliner. So the ironic thing about plane crashes are that every single one makes flying that much safer. If it wasn't for all these previous crashes we wouldn't have a 2 1/2 year streak of zero fatalities on a commercial airliner. So the next time you hear a plane crash, remember that that plane crash your listening about is going to lead in breakthrough safety measures to insure even safer flights in the future. We as pilots hate it because 80% of crahes are due to pilot error and usually a pilot making a bad move when a simple correction could have been made, but it is what is and if we have to sit through stories and read about previous crashes to insure my own safety when flying then so be it.

http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/2011-01-21-RWaircrashes20_ST_N.htm