Why do I worry about flying?

The Role of Anxiety in Flying

Honestly, I have never been comfortable with flying, not that I have a phobia of it or anything, it's just that flying makes me nervous. In my childhood, I always feared getting on an airplane and would be tensed for days before any flight. This fear, however, was not limited to childhood; rather, as an adult, it has only worsened with time. If I have a trip for which I need to take a plane ride, I get anxious and think about all the things that could go wrong.

For me, there are a few main reasons why I tend to worry so much about flying: 

Lack of Control

I suppose the main issue is that when you are on a plane, it is the most powerless that one can be. You have completely relied on the pilots and the crew as well as onboard technology. You are right on the money with that remark; once that door of a plane closes, that is the last time you can do something, get ready for the worst. That is so scary for someone like me who loves to be in charge and feels secure when things are in her hands. I learned that I am helpless and that I have to surrender myself to authorities that I cannot control. Any noise, any odor, any pulsation, sets my mind racing as to whether there is an ailment or condition that I am powerless to treat if so. That loss of sovereignty is at the root of a lot of apprehension.

Fear of Heights/Crashes

When it comes to fear, I always had somewhat of a problem with heights. This is counterintuitive to my every instinct to clutch for dear life on the ground firmly and not be in a slim metal pipe at an altitude of 30,000 ft +. Rationally I am aware that planes are designed to stay in the sky and do not drop out of it on a whim. But, every turbulence causes images to flash in my mind and the images are of the plane crashing. While statistically air travel is extremely safe whenever there is an incident involving a plane, it is bound to be horrible and devastating. It is very difficult to stop once my imagination goes down a certain path it just keeps on going. Most of the time, even slight contact has me expecting the worst.

Claustrophobia

I also suffer from claustrophobia, and the space on planes is often so limited that it only makes my condition worse. Sitting tightly restricted to a chair and having little control of my body movements causes me to feel claustrophobic. Of course, I understood that in case of an emergency, no escape route could be completely safe and without any obstacles. I experience claustrophobic feelings inside the cabin and even when on a flight, especially if it is a long one, my feelings of distress are heightened. Sometimes I attempt to cover up my anxiety with movies or books, but the chattering and other cues I am enclosed in that metal hull keep me anxious.

Hypervigilance About Health Risks

Logically, I comprehend that the circulated and filtered cabin air has virtually no implications for the health of humans. But as soon as anyone nearby in my seat starts to cough or sneeze during the initial phase of a flight, I will be in a state of fear for a few hours thinking that he or she has transmitted some awful virus to me. I get easily worked up and am now convinced that I have a life-threatening disease at the slightest itch around my skin or a tickle in my throat especially if I find myself in a poorly lit room with no access to a doctor. Such events as turbulence, disgruntled passengers, the poor condition of the aircraft, sickness while on board or an accident involving the particular airline that someone is using just fuels this anxiety and heightened awareness of health complications while on a flight.

I felt like the usual coping mechanisms were no longer available to me.
Climbing onto a plane significantly reduces the options available to me in utilizing my regular techniques for combating anxiety. I cannot afford to take a long walk or run to expel the excess nervous energy I have before a flight. One can hardly imagine the possibility of doing some gentle regulations on the ship. When airports are overcrowded and the lines at the security checkpoints are extremely long, there is no time at all for a little ˜me time. Chatting with a friend or having a nice bath to relax is out of the question at 30,000 feet. Things like reading, listening to music, watching movies, or the programs on the entertainment screen that are provided during the flight do not relax me in that manner. Not only that, even prescribed medicines do not work as they are expected to work above the cloud.

Fear of Panic Attacks

I had panic attacks before and many times, I feel scared I may experience another one on the plane and there is no way to avoid the causes for it. Having quick and irregular heart palpitations, nausea, choking feelings, dizziness and loss of control during panic attacks is frightening enough. One of my biggest fears is to be locked inside a small plane with strangers while enduring all that for a minimum of 5 hours. So, I get on each flight with the utmost attentiveness of a warning sign that a panic attack is about to occur which in turn makes me sicker.

Feeling Foolish

And on top of that, yet another layer of my phobia is just plain and simple embarrassment to be flying. I realize that most individuals believe that flying is entirely ordinary and unaccompanied by any risk to the slightest degree. Everyone else does not appear to be terrified before departure or even during the turbulent moments “ they just look irritated. I also realized that there is an element of fear of being stupid or somehow inadequate to get this scared to do something that millions of people do without any apprehensions at least once a day. Do you believe that the flight crew will look at me as a ridiculous person when I tell them that I have a flying phobia? Is it acceptable for me to cry in front of the other passengers or hold on to the armrests, are they judging me behind my back? I scold myself for not having better shields for my anxieties over something that has such meager odds of happening. But all the self-criticism is just added to make the whole experience a much more miserable one.

Therefore while flying phobia may well be considered irrational and unlikely, for myself and others who suffer from flying phobia, it is genuinely real and a cause of considerable anxiety. The absence of control, confined space, fear of accidents and/or health risks, inability to engage in diversionary activities, and the dread of panic attacks all work together in presenting us with a most chilling brand of torture. But to do so is to compound injury to insult, concern to discontent. Through empathetic understanding, proper techniques that can be utilized during flight, and possibly therapy, we can help to reduce our anxieties. However, the next time you find yourself sitting next to a man scared of flying and not having a good time, then criticism is a step beyond courtesy. The jolt and turbulence within the confines of our brains are a thousand times worse than what an aircraft undergoes.

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