If you’re anything like me, I find flights very stressful and anxiety-inducing, which can really affect how much you enjoy traveling.
The mix of being in a confined space, the unfamiliar sounds, turbulence and similar worries can make even short flights feel overwhelming. To reduce how stressful you find flying, it’s not about ignoring these reactions, but trying some methods to control those negative feelings before and during your flights.
Work Out What Triggers Your Flight Anxiety
Understanding what causes your anxiety about flying is the first step to help you manage it. People all have different things that trigger the fear of flying, and once you know what your triggers are, you can work on trying to handle them.
The most common triggers for people that feel anxious about flying are:
- Claustrophobia – Being in a small, enclosed space with no easy way to leave, especially if you’re stuck in a window seat or a middle seat with strangers either side.
- Turbulence – The feeling of bumps and movement during the flight, as well as unexpected noises.
- Takeoff and landing – The most intense parts of any flight.
- Fear of heights – Flying in the air thousands of feet above the ground.
- Previous bad experiences – A past flight that was scary or uncomfortable.
- News stories – Hearing about plane accidents or negative flying stories.
Aerophobia can also be linked to over anxiety issues you might have, and some people worry about having a panic attack during the flight, of getting sick from other people’s germs, or just feeling trapped.
Watch for when your anxiety starts – does it start days before your flight, or is when you have boarded the plane? Keep a simple list of your known triggers, with what bothers you the most specifically, so you can focus on solutions for those exact triggers.
Choose Seats That Help You Feel More At Ease
Your seat choice makes a massive difference to how you’ll feel during the flight.
If you want less turbulence, choose a seat that is over the wing, as this area is closest to the plane’s center of gravity, which usually means less motion during bumpy air. Seats over the wings are said to be the most stable part of the aircraft.
For less claustrophobia, choose an aisle seat as it’ll give you more freedom to move around and you won’t feel boxed in against the window. I personally hate window seats, and having an aisle seat means you can get up easily without worrying about inconveniencing other passengers.
If you want some distraction from your anxiety, a window seat might actually help, as you can look outside and see the ground below or clouds, which might feel calming if you don’t have a fear of heights.
For those that hate turbulence, avoid the seats at the back of the plane, as they tend to experience more turbulence.
Stay away from the seats near the engines if noise bothers you, and make sure you book your seats early, so you have more seat options available rather than just getting lumbered with random seats on the day you travel.
Plan Your Arrival And Boarding To Reduce Stress
If you get to the airport early, it’s one of the most simplest ways to reduce your travel anxiety.
Arrive at least 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international flight, giving you extra time to move through security and check-in at your own pace without feeling rushed.
Before you leave home, ensure you have your boarding pass ready (digital or paper), your ID or passport in an easy-to-reach location, your liquids in a clear bag and your electronics ready to remove your bag when asked.
Pack some noise-canceling headphone or earbuds in you carry-on, so you can put them on quickly once you board.
Use your flight’s online check-in feature 24 hours before your flight, as it’ll save so much time and queueing at the airport, and it’ll let you choose a better seat.
Once you’ve made it through security, find your gate right away, so you can relax or get food without worrying about being lost.
Use Breathing Techniques To Calm Your Nervous System
When your anxiety kicks in during the flight, breathing exercises can help by activating your body’s natural calming system.
It tells your nervous system to relax, and when you slow down your breath and breathe from your belly, instead of your chest, your body gets the signal that you’re safe.
Try some 4-7-8 breathing, by breathing in through your nose for the count of 4, hold your breath for the count of 7, and breath out through your mouth for the count of 8, repeating 3-4 times, to quickly calm your nervous system.
You can also try box breathing, when you breathe in for the count of 4, hold your breath for the count of 4, breathe out for the count of 4 and hold your breath for the count for 4, picturing drawing a box as you breathe.
They’re good exercises as you don’t need any equipment, and you can do them anywhere and at any time during the flying process.
Reframe Turbulence And Normal Flight Sensations
Your brain might automatically see turbulence as danger, but planes are built to handle much more turbulence than you’ll ever experience during a normal flight. Flight safety records show that turbulence has never caused a modern plane to crash.
Pilots always expect turbulence to happen, and they regularly adjust their flight path when needed.
Try some mental shifts to help when the anxiety hits:
- Replace “we’re going to crash” with “the plane is designed for this”
- Change “something is wrong” to “this is a normal part of flying”
- Swap “I’m not safe” for “turbulence is uncomfortable but not dangerous”
The sounds you hear during the flight are all normal too, like the thud when the landing gear goes up – it is supposed to happen.
Watch the flight attendants during turbulence, if they look calm and continue their work, that can be your signal that everything’s fine. They fly hundreds of times per year, and know what real danger looks like.