From worrying to mid-flight panic attack, fear of flying can cause numerous problems for those who have to travel by plane. Generally speaking, people are not afraid of flying but they are afraid of plane crash and their minds create various scenarios that can lead to a plane falling from the sky. Meditating as you travel can help beat your fear of flying because it will keep your mind occupied and it won’t allow it to create those scenarios in the first place.
Fear of flying is a serious phobia that can cause inconvenience especially for people who have to travel on a regular basis so if you are one of those people you should start acting on it and engage your mind in a mental process that will allow you to go from fearing stepping into a plane to loving the time you spend in the air.
Meditating To Beat Your Fear Of Flying
First of all, you have to change your entire mindset and to make your mind to see flying as a new and exciting adventure. This is hard so don’t expect this to be a smooth process because it won’t however, if you approach flying as you would approach a new sport or a new activity, chances are you will be more willing to see flying as a new experience in your life rather than an experience that caused you numerous problems in the past. You will have setbacks and you will have good moments but that is normal in any activity you’ll try during your life.
Second of all, try to reduce your anxiety levels before flying. We are not talking about fear of flying, we are talking about other stressful situations that are going on in your life. Most of us are more fearful when we are stressed on a regular basis so when you reduce your background anxiety, flying won’t seem as scary as it would seem when you are already stressed and anxious. In order to do this you will have to practice mindfulness and meditation on a regular basis. You can try muscle relaxation or breathing exercise or any other type of meditation that makes you relaxed. Try this every day for at least 15 minutes and you will definitely notice a difference.
Visualization is also a good technique you can practice in your home. Try to imagine yourself in a situation that involves a plane or the airport, nothing dramatic or tragic, just imagine yourself walking through the airport or sitting in a plane or any situation that scares you, such as taking off, landing or turbulence. When negative thoughts come to your head, try challenge the thoughts with all the facts you know about flying and planes (it’s a good idea to learn as much as you can about the subject before doing this) and take deep breaths until the situation doesn’t appear as threatening as before.
Last but not least, try to practice focused flying. Focused flying involves being familiar with the things that scare you about a flight and getting used to them. For example, if you are afraid of take-offs, try to listen to the sound of planes taking off at home, in a safe environment. Get used to the sound, learn about the sensations and everything else. While doing this, don’t forget to focus on your breathing as well. Clear your mind from negative thoughts and focus on breathing. When you are in a real plane, it will be easier to focus on breathing exercises and to keep negative thoughts away if you know what to expect and you mind can associate the sounds and sensations you feel with something it experienced before in a safe environment and in this way something that was scary before will be just logical and normal now.
In order to beat your fear of flying for good, you will have to fly on a regular basis however, we advise you to start with short flights and then to move to longer flights and don’t be disappointed if you have setbacks or you don’t feel relaxed and calm all the time. It’s a process but if you practice these mind hacks, you will be able to enjoy your flights.