Overcome fear of flying

Fear of flying as an obstacle to travel experiences

Do you also have family members who would never board a plane simply because they are too scared of flying? My father was one of them. He was fascinated by flying and everything that had to do with it. I can still remember how he used to drive us to the airport when we were kids so we could watch the planes take off and land. In doing so, he sowed the wanderlust in me early on that has stayed with me for the rest of my life. I've always wanted to know what's over the horizon. The quicker I can get there, the better. And my father encouraged that. But getting on a plane yourself? That would never have occurred to him. And so he never flew in his life. Traveled, yes - a lot, even. But always on the safe ground. And so he gave up an incredible number of interesting experiences because he didn't want to fly.

Causes and symptoms of fear of flying

He had already dreamed as a little boy from distant worlds. Driving down the Panamericana - that was his big dream. He never realized it. And he is not alone with his fear of flying. Allegedly, about 15% of Germans suffer from this fear and get already sweats, if they only think of having to get on a plane. The fear shows up in stomach cramps, headache, dizziness and nausea, so it has quite obvious symptoms. These can be so strong that at least about 10% of Germans have never flown.

The causes of fear of flying are manifold: it does not matter how old someone is, which social class he comes from or what gender he has. And even people who fly a lot may be afraid of flying. Rather, as a passenger you go into a situation that you can not influence yourself. One does not know enough about what happens when flying, and some may have had bad experiences. Add to this the fear of closed rooms, seemingly hopeless situations or fear of heights. All together, you can really miss flying.

Therapies and ways to overcome the fear of flying

But you can do something about it: there are therapies whose healing success lies between 70 and 95%. At seminars, one can train how to master his fear of flying: for example, this can be done using certain breathing techniques that help to control panic attacks. The passenger concerned learns more about what actually happens when flying, and it is even practiced how to deal with fear of flying - in a real flight in a group of people also affected.

Tips to overcome fear of flying during flight

If you do not want to attend a seminar, you can help yourself. It is only important to note some things that reduce anxiety: Alcohol should be used before and during speedily avoided as much as possible, and coffee, nicotine and medication can also increase fear of flying It is important to drink a lot during a flight: water and juice - and yes also the "famous" tomato juice - help. In addition, you can distract yourself well in modern aircraft: a music program of your own taste, a good book or just an interesting conversation with your neighbors distract you. And when the dreaded turmoil occurs, you just stay seated. They are part of flying and are harmless. Airplanes were eventually built to fly, and airplane travel is still considered one of the safest transportation methods.

If you follow these recommendations, then you can also travel to the other side of the Atlantic.