Overcome the Fear of Flying

A Guide to Conquering the Fear of Flying

The fear of flying, or aviophobia, is a common anxiety disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. While it can impact travel plans and overall quality of life, it’s important to remember that it’s a manageable fear. With the right strategies and mindset, it’s possible to overcome aviophobia and enjoy the freedom of air travel.

In the United States alone, an estimated 25 million adults struggle with aviophobia. Those affected may experience intense anxiety, fear, or panic attacks before or during flying. Even for those who aren’t prone to such fears, turbulence can be unsettling, especially during severe episodes.

In this article we’re gonna talk about techniques that have proven effective in reducing and even eliminating the fear of flying.

Understanding Turbulence: A Key to Calming Your Nerves

Understanding turbulence is a good first step in lessening the fear of it: Turbulence is caused by air currents changes that airplanes sometimes fly through. While severe turbulence can be uncomfortable, it is extremely rare for a plane to crash due to turbulence alone. Airplanes are designed to withstand much stronger forces than those encountered during turbulence.

Turbulence is like hitting a few bumps on a road trip. While it might feel unsettling, is a natural part of flying and you are safe

Why turbulence is scary?

Now we’re confident the plane is not going down, let’s focus on what is going on in our minds while the plane is shaking: It’s common for anxious thoughts to race through our minds. We might worry about the plane’s stability, the pilot’s ability to control the aircraft, or even the possibility of a crash. These fears can intensify, leading to feelings of panic and dread. It’s important to remember that these thoughts are often exaggerated and not based on reality.

Even when we understand that turbulence is normal and safe, our minds can still feel anxious. This is because our bodies react to fear by making our heart race and our breath quicken. This can make us feel even more scared.

A simple technique called cardiac coherence can help a lot. By taking slow, deep breaths, we can calm our bodies and minds. This helps reduce anxiety and makes us feel more relaxed, even during turbulence.

How to reduce anxiety during turbulence

Turbulence can be a significant trigger for anxiety. Cardiac coherence is a great practice to relax and help redirect your attention away from anxious thoughts. By focusing on your breath and heart rate, you regain a sense of control and calm.

Remember, turbulence is pockets of air in the sky. You’re safe inside the plane, no matter how much it shakes

How Does Cardiac Coherence Help with the Fear of Flying?

• Calms the Mind: By focusing on the breath, the mind stays present and calm. This can help reduce anxious thoughts and worries.
• Reduces Physical Symptoms: Cardiac coherence can help alleviate physical symptoms of anxiety, such as rapid heart rate, sweating, and shortness of breath.
• Improves Sleep: By calming your mind and body, cardiac coherence can help you drift and fall asleep more easily during long flights.

Cardiac coherence is a simple exercise with powerful effects: By synchronizing your breath with your heartbeat, you can activate your body’s relaxation response and create a deep sense of relaxation

An exercise to calm down during turbulence

Any time you find yourself overwhelmed by anxious thoughts, especially during turbulence, try practicing cardiac coherence. By synchronizing your breath with your heartbeat, you can activate your body’s relaxation response and create a deep sense of relaxation. By also keeping your attention focused, you’re essentially training your mind to stay present and calm. This focused attention helps to quiet racing thoughts and reduce anxiety.

The great advantage of cardiac coherence is that you can repeat it as often as needed, making it a valuable tool for managing anxiety in any situation.

To practice cardiac coherence during a flight:

• Find a relaxing position
• Use earbuds to better isolate you from outside noises
• Start the coherence app and follow the directions
• Enable the background sound for a more immersive experience

During a long flight, you might need to practice cardiac coherence multiple times. It’s a great way to stay calm and centered, especially when you encounter turbulence or other stressful situations. The more you practice, the easier it will become to manage your anxiety and enjoy your flight.

How to be relaxed during a flight

• Choose Your Seat Wisely: Select a seat closer to the wing, where turbulence is less noticeable
• Practice Coherence in the plane: Use the Coherence app to guide you and stay calm
• Engage in Distractions: Read a book, listen to music, or watch a movie to divert your attention

Being relaxed before your flight

These steps will help being calm and avoid frustrations even before your trip starts:

• Plan extra time: In case something unexpected happens. Navigating airports can be confusing and getting there can be tricky. When you’re not in a hurry, it’s easier to stay calm.
• Stay mindful while waiting: Practice patience and stay present while waiting in line for tickets or security: notice how your mind reacts to events instead of being reactive to them.
• Get enough sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep in the days leading up to your trip. Use Coherence to fall asleep quickly.

Overcome the fear of flying over time

Cardiac Coherence: a long term solution to the fear of flying

The more you practice cardiac coherence, the more effective it becomes. Over time, as you practice this technique, you’ll find that your ability to focus and stay calm improves, making it easier to manage stress and anxiety in various situations, including before and during a flight.

By regularly practicing this technique, you’ll find that it becomes easier to calm your mind and body, even in the most stressful situations. Over time, you’ll notice a significant reduction in anxiety and an improvement in your overall well-being. It’s a simple technique that can make a big difference.

How to fall asleep more easily during a flight

Cardiac coherence is an effective technique that helps fall asleep during a flight. By slowing down your breathing and heart rate, cardiac coherence can help you transition into a more relaxed state, preparing your body for sleep.

How to fall asleep:

• Find a relaxing position. Use a pillow and an eye mask if you have one
• Use noise cancelling earbuds to better isolate you from outside noises
• Start the coherence app and use the sounds or vibrations to guid your breathing
• Close your eyes, breathe and let your body relax and fall asleep

Did you know? Coherence improves sleep quality: Studies have shown that practicing cardiac coherence can lead to improvements in sleep quality, including falling asleep faster and staying asleep for longer.

Coherence, concentration and breathing to overcome the fear of flying

Learning to be mindful, by using Coherence or doing other exercices like deep breathing and meditation, can help you feel less scared of flying. With practice, you’ll find yourself worrying less about flying and start to enjoy traveling more. During turbulence, the Coherence app can help you center your mind and remain grounded in the present moment. This helps you avoid dwelling on frightening thoughts.

Remember, with patience and practice, you can overcome this fear and soar your life to new heights.