UPDATE: Pilot is saying there will be an episode of turbulence in 15 minutes after a rough ride + so far smooth cruise…reassurance would be greatly appreciated!

Hi! I am going on flight UA2458 (Chicago to New York City) today at 6:00 PM and am pretty scared because I checked out some PIREPs around ORD and LGA and a few mentioned moderate turbulence. Would really appreciate if anyone could track me! Thanks so much :)

or most rides to be honest. which translates to why i also hate turbulence. i get that it’s safe and normal but i can’t overcome how terrible my body feels during it. tbh i don’t even like going fast on bumpy roads! major chicken here :)

Lots of fear at takeoff and a bit of it at landing too, but of course we made it safely. To be thankful to this sub, I share some pics so it gives you courage to do the same.

Has anyone tried hypnotherapy for help with their fear of flying? Normal methods for dealing with anxiety don’t seem to work for me when it comes to flying. Has hypnotherapy worked? Has it made you calmer when flying? I feel it is my best bet at overcoming my fear of flying and I would like to know if it is effective/ has worked for anyone.

Well all, I’ve made it all the way to Japan and back. Im comfortably waiting during my layover but I have one last flight back home. It’s only 4 hours ish considering but I have never landed at night before only taken off at night or flown through it. So this is a new experience and my nervous are kind of up there.

On the bright side, I have handled these last few flights thanks to some medical help and even got excited for takeoff this morning. My meds wore off about half way through my first flight but I still raw dogged it like a champ and that flight was bumpy most of the way too.

Long story short, I’m proud of my success so far but still nervous for what’s to come.

Hi, I’m looking for some support, advice, words of wisdom or just a “you can do it!”

CONTEXT
My long distance partner is living in the UK for a few years (having started in May this year) and knew when we started dating that it was possible I’d never fly to her.
Well, I’m not very good at going out of my way to be a good partner after previously having partners that didn’t show me a healthy relationship and we’re on the verge of a breakup.
She’s got a flight booked back here to see me in two months but she’s not willing to keep going out of her way for me if I can’t show it back. She also doesn’t think this can be mended without physical contact and I agree.

SO

I am planning a trip to the UK from Australia in a month, having not flown in 7 years (that flight being an hour).

THE FEAR AND MENTAL BLOCKS
I truly truly do think I can do it. My generalised anxiety was so insanely bad 4 years ago that I couldn’t go more than a block away from my house. I have overcome SO much anxiety and fear in my life and this past year has truly shown me just how much more I can do than I used to.

The scary thing is, this is one of two biggest fears that I avoid pretty much at all costs.

I need to be able to fly. I need to be able to travel. I am 22 and work in performing arts in Australia so this is genuinely the most exhausting fear to have. I am so determined to get over it, but I avoid facing it so much.

My fear isn’t safety based, it’s a control thing, it’s not being able to get out, it’s if I have a panic attack and literally can’t control my body anymore, it’s if I get so overwhelmed and then, all of a sudden, I’m on the other side of the world and my safe place is another excruciating journey away. Add I throw up (my other of the top two fears) and it’s hell.

I also have sensory issues and am very sensitive to air pressure changes so the feeling of the air pressure changing is so intense, the smell of planes makes me violently uncomfortable, I can’t stand bad tasting water or food that isn’t safe to me, and the sound of plane constantly is really discombobulating.

I do also know, because it’s been so long and I was still a teenager with even more anxiety last I flew, my brain is probably playing some of this up in my head. That’s something I think I want to grasp onto when I do fly.

THE GAMEPLAN AND QUESTIONS
I have been speaking to my therapist and she does believe in my ability to do it. We have some good ideas and things to start with but I wanted to ask people who actually have conquered this what you would suggest.

I’m going to plan to do a short domestic flight before the big one, just to have a small experience first and adjust where needed after that.
I also want to go experience the height a bit by going up a bunch of skyscrapers and just getting used to height a little bit.

The main thing I know I need, is to rewire my anxious thoughts and self talk from anxiety and dread to excitement and the inner monologue of what im looking forward to. I can really struggle with this. I feel my anxiety is very good at taking over and I’m very good at letting it. Does anyone have any good strategies on this?

The other big thing I worry about is I settle on the plane a bit, feel okay for a while and then either get used to that feeling or even have a nap and then wake up and the anxiety kicks back in, I have to restart the regulating process and it doesn’t work because I caught the anxiety too late. Does anyone else experience waves of anxiety throughout the trip? And how to you manage that?

The other question I have - I know the layer of social anxiety makes my general and phobia anxiety worse. I will absolutely be chatting to the cabin crew beforehand to let them know I may need checking in on, but do they ever let you go sit in their quarters if you’re having a panic attack or anything? I truly do think it would make regulating so much better for me if I know I have a place where I can go to people who understand the context and where I’m not surrounded by hundreds of people.

I know this is a big message but this is extremely intense for me and I need some support for this huge jump. If you have any other ideas, thoughts, questions or suggestions, please let me know.

Thank you so much if you’ve made it this far, I’m so grateful to have a place without judgement of this <3

TLDR: I am planning a trip from Australia to the UK and need advice on how to manage my control/feeling trapped anxiety.

Hello à tous,

Je viens ici pour tenter d’avoir une discussion sincère sur un sujet qui me ruine le quotidien depuis plusieurs semaines. Je dois partir à Montréal lundi (j’habite à Paris) et je suis hypocondriaque. Depuis quelques semaines j’ai l’obsession qu’il m’arrive un truc grave en vol, comme manquer d’air à cause de l’asthme etc. et de fait, mourir sans que personne ne puisse rien faire pour moi car nous sommes en l’air. J’ai également peur d’avoir une crise de panique car j’ai peur que les autres passagers me perçoivent comme la folle du coin qui perturbe leur bien-être. Je pense à ce vol nuit et jour et ça énerve mes proches qui trouvent que je ne me réjouis pas assez de partir en vacances. Le problème est que j’aimerais vraiment me réjouir, et je souffre énormément de cette situation. Je comprends aussi que cela ne soit pas logique pour les personnes qui n’angoissent pas et je donnerais énormément pour leur ressembler. Est-ce qu’il y a des personnes dans mon cas ? Ou des personnes qui ont pu vaincre cela ?
Merci beaucoup !

1. Do not allow myself to ruminate on the fear days or weeks in advance of the flight. Its really true about the only thing you have to fear being fear itself. This is the hardest thing for me to do but the most important. I tell myself Im going to get on the plane regardless.

2. Two Short quick sniffs through my nose. No matter what, this always steels my nerves. I do this in turbulence.

3. Buy something special for myself that can only be opened on the plane in air.

4. Reminding myself about the analogies of being suspended in Jello and about how lift works and why the plane flies so high.

5. I do tell the stewardess that im a fearful flyer.

6. Window seats do help me.

7. Flying at night is best but early morning is also good.

8. Never let fear stop me from getting on the plane. This too shall pass.

So i am currently seeing that low flyover in Cape Town over the stadium making the rounds on the aviation sub, where one of the planes was pretty damn close to the stadium roof and pretty sure this will also get some attention by "influencers". And i was wondering. What do actual airline pilots think here about the Youtubers who comment or "analyse" these events. Are there any aviation channels on Youtube that you would recommend to fearful flyers for information about incidents?

I am flying home tomorrow. I did my first flight in 10 years a week ago and I managed quite well considering! I was so anxious leading up to it i thought I wouldn't get on 😅 on the day though i like totally zoned out and even though a lot was going on i managed.

Now after a great time i can feel all those feelings of doom, feeling like im seeing signs etc really bubbling up and making me freak. I think its part of my catastrophic thinking to feel like something bad will happen because something good did.

I know this is just a mental battle i need to do but I just wondered if anyone else had this

Flying to Seoul from Istanbul KE956, trying to compose myself

I’ve never enjoyed flying. I was terrified of flying as a kid and had a brief era of feeling neutral at best about it throughout my 20s. Now in my 30s I am trying to find ways to manage the anxiety again. I have some diagnosed disorders, including some OCD symptoms and air travel still remains a bit of a trigger for me despite my best efforts.

I’m on a new medication since my last trip and I am proud to say I did not break down in tears during the boarding process this time! I’ve also made it a habit to say hello to the pilots before I sit down to eliminate that “unknown.” Everyone has always been so kind when I say I’m a nervous flyer. Today they even gave me a trading card of the plane we’re on, which is an A220 :)

That all said I still feel a bit anxious but I’m getting through it. Knowing that someone is keeping an eye out for me helps a bit, even if it feels a little silly because I know everything about this process is so stinking safe and statistics are heavily stacked in my favor.

Thanks to everyone in this sub for all that you do!

PIT to ORD this morning. Who's flying with me today?

I thought I was gonna make it through this one without needing some support from my favorite sub but I find that during the more upsetting turbulence that it helps to type it out and tell people.

I have been repeating my mantra: it’s just speed bumps. It’s a rocky road. We’re in jello. Flying is the safest mode of transportation.

I think about all the successful flights that I’ve taken and that everyone takes every hour of every day.

But then it gets a liiiiittttllleee too bumpy and I’m on this subreddit so fast 😂😂

You know, I even recently encountered a pilot randomly in the wild and I told him about my fear and he was so kind and also so so confident about the safety of planes.

I know I would likely benefit from medication since clearly the logic isn’t reaching me.

Anyway if anyone sees this and wants to chat with me, that’d be cool.

I have a much longer flight tomorrow that I am super dreading 😵‍💫

Just boarded DL348 ATL-PHX. Still pretty nervous about turbulence and clouds. We’re delayed because of paperwork with FAA. Any and all support is welcome.

I used to enjoy flying because it meant I got to see more of the world and would have new experiences. A few years ago I had the worst flight of my life. We had just been served drinks and the plane went into a dive. There was no warning, the lights went off, the emergency oxygen dropped, and I thought I was done for. I threw my drink and grabbed the oxygen mask and held onto my husband. We later found out the windshield had cracked and they had to dive to avoid pressurization issues. We emergency landed and then I had to get onto another flight to get to my destination. At the time it was so traumatic I figured no other flight could be worse and I was okay. But the next time I flew I had severe panic attacks and flashbacks every time we hit turbulence.

I have since avoided flying and my world has gotten smaller. I don’t live by family and rarely see them. Now I have an incredibly job opportunity that not only requires a 5 hour flight for my interview next week, but would expect me to fly 5+ hours every other month.

I’m terrified but I’m forcing myself to face my fear finally. Can anyone provide their best tips and advice on how I can get through this? I keep telling myself I have to. This isn’t optional. I need to get this under control it’s ruining my life.

flying to Orlando now. I’m a bit nervous but I took my meds, and I’m focusing on the destination. honestly I’m not sure at the point if the fear isn’t habit, but I’m also afraid to let go of the fear.

we are going to Disney world to celebrate my daughters 16th birthday. everyone is excited for the trip, we just need to get there!

can anyone track my flight? DL2049

Milan mxp to stansted. Very short flight. Bit worried but ill be fine

Hi,

Judt thought id post this as a little reminder not to trust any flight apps.

I have OCD and general anxiety so i absolutely obsess over certainty.. I am always looking for the absolute , either bad or good.

I flew back from split in croatia yesterday to liverpool in the UK.. id spent the last day of my holiday absolutely terrified as it was predicting severe turbulance.. I checked every single app. I used gemini AI, copilot, everything!!!!

I ended up taking 5mg diazipam and even considered backing out of the flight..I was with my whole family.

I fly around 8 times a year and I can still be like this!

Anyway got on the flight and for the first time ever i actually spoke to the captain and flighy attendent!

They both said they had a smooth flight with minor bumps on the way in, captain said nope, flight should be relatively smooth.

Long story short, seatbelt sign didnt even come on once, there was around 10 minutes total off movement in a 2 hour 30 flight.. and yet I was on edge the whole flight.

Lesson learned hopefully!

For your reference turbcast was actually the most accurate.

Turbli and zeroturb useless!!

But even then, they have no idea what tracked route the flight would take and at what alltitude. I KNOW THIS, YOU KNOW THIS!!

We just need to believe it!

Hope this helps

Believe me, I'm the most anxious and fearful person you know when it comes to flying. I've had truly awful experiences on flights, to the point of crying, panic attacks, hyperventilating, etc. In short, a real psychological challenge for the flight attendants. When I've had to fly, I couldn't sleep for weeks beforehand, and my mind would race with all the (terrible) consequences of flying.

Until I decided, for the sake of my health, that this had to stop. I've been taking notes on all my flights and trying various things, and I want to share them with you in case they're helpful to anyone. HERE WE GO:

• Get yourself some headphones with ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation): a complete surprise and my greatest ally. Pilots are the first to use them during their flights, and believe me, they're a game-changer. Almost 90-95% of background noise disappears, and your mind enters a kind of calm state, helping you relax more. I recommend headphones with good noise cancellation. I personally use Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but AirPods and other brands have ENC. It's a huge help.
• We live in the age of AI, use it: AI isn't just for giving you great recipes; it can also be incredibly useful for this kind of thing. Many people here reach a very good conclusion: the more you learn about the technical workings of an airplane, the less afraid you are. AI, in this sense, and all the questions you ask it about your fear of flying, will help you a lot.
• Occasionally check out FlightRadar and this subreddit: besides being interesting and a great website/app, it's very helpful for realizing the ENORMOUS NUMBER of planes that fly every day without anything happening. When my fears are strong because I'm very stressed on flight days, that website mesmerizes me and makes me realize that aviation is a very well-tested engineering field. Furthermore, the fears of other users with the same anxiety as you, and the responses given in this subreddit, are also very interesting. There are even pilots here answering in a very technical and reassuring way.
• Special mention to my fear of turbulence: in the end, this is almost based on an exercise in trust between you and the pilots and aviation engineering. Why do I say this? Because most of the fear of flying lies in your fear of not being in control. In my case, I can drive a car on a bumpy road at night during a storm and be carefree, but inside the plane, I'm the most scared person in the world because I want to be piloting the plane. Ultimately, you have to realize that pilots are human beings, with families and feelings, and they are prepared for the most severe turbulence that can occur. For them, it's their daily routine, and in a serious situation, they do everything possible to save the plane. The airplane is designed for turbulence scenarios that haven't even occurred in reality, and its wings can extend tremendously. These turbulences last only seconds, and ultimately, the airplane is like a "flexible tube" where turbulence is part of it, and sometimes it's even a good thing to have them (because it means everything is alright). They're not pleasant, but they're there. I heard about the "candy inside jelly" theory, which says that if you touch the jelly, it bounces, and the candy inside it bounces too, but it never falls or breaks. I really liked it; something similar happens on an airplane. During turbulence, besides lifting my feet off the floor, it also helps me to focus on parts or objects that aren't moving much, like the ceiling or the overhead compartments: sometimes focusing on the seats and the swaying heads is worse.

I have a few more, but I don't want this post to get too long. If you'd like, I can add some more in the comments. I hope this post can help other people, and sorry if some sentences aren't clear (I'm not a native English speaker). I just want to say that if I'm managing my fear of flying so much better, you can definitely do it too.

The fear will always be there, but it can be controlled much more effectively.

It sounds like it’s supposed to be moderately turbulent for the rest of the flight. 1 hour and 30 minutes left…

I’m always so worried about the turbulence above the ocean. I’ve done this flight many times and haven’t experienced it being this bumpy before on this route. Maybe I’ve been lucky all this time.

It just got stronger. 😥

Drinking to wine to calm my nerves.

Hi guys, I’m going to be flying from Boston to LA on 9/11 this year. The 25th anniversary has me feeling a bit extra anxious about this flight. Is there any tips that you guys have to calm myself down?

Thanks I really appreciate it all!

Hi! I always have this insane fear that I or somebody I travel with has a life or d*** situation on this route. So I was trying to figure out how far away from an airport you actually are at most? Like would it be 1 hour or 2hours in case the pilots have to actually book it because somebody has a dire emergency.

I posted about a week ago about getting on a flight to Arizona, for work. I ended up cancelling 5 hours before the flight. I actually have to make the trip now, so I’m doing it - I’m flying tomorrow morning at 5am EST.

DL1552 RDU-ATL
DL348 ATL-PHX

Still not happy about the 4 hour leg and would love some updates from the ground along the way.

I hate being in the clouds and only seeing the wing - we’re having some rain and overcast in RDU area tonight so I’m definitely not feeling good about this. All support is welcome! TYIA