THAT'S HOW I OVERCAME THE FEAR OF FLYING ✈️

~That's me, getting nervous before jumping on a 7-hour long flight to Kuala Lumpur.

At any given point in our lives, most of us have freaked out on our flights. According to the report of "Stratojets", around 33% to 40% of of people of all age groups suffer from some sort of fear while flying. This is called "Aviophobia" (source). 

During my early teen days, I was someone, who would get panic attacks, sweaty palms, and nausea due to the fear of flying. I used to mentally prepare myself weeks before I would get on the airplane. However, later I realized this was not something normal and it would restrict me from traveling places. 

There is a : "There is no illusion greater than the fear"~Lao Tzu. From that day onwards, I followed the 5 simple techniques, which helped me overcome the fear of flying (aviophobia). 

1-Study about the aircrafts:

The closer you get to your fear, the less scary it becomes for you. This is something I stayed firm on. Anyways, I used to think "what if the aircraft falls during the take-off/landing" or "what if the aircraft crashes due to turbulence", or "what if this flight runs out of fuel" etc. These alarming thoughts were all over my mind and I could not withstand the pressure. 

So, I started exploring the basic mechanisms of the aircraft. I learned that the aircraft have flaps, which adjust the balance during the take-off/landing. I learned that turbulence occurs due to different densities and temperatures of the air, plus the aircraft have extra fuel, which could be used in case of emergency. Moreover, I started making friends, who were Aerospace Engineers. Even, my maths teacher happened to be an Aerospace Engineer. 

I would question them about my every doubt related to the flights and they would give me effective answers. I gradually started losing my fear of flying. Instead, I started to find air travel fascinating.

2-Go the airport early:

By going to the airport early like, 3-4 hours before the prior flight timings, you get to avoid all that rush, crowd, and tension. Also, you would check-in smoothly, and if there is any problem related to the luggage, you have enough time to adjust your belongings. 

Plus the COVID thing is going on so always expect delays in boarding, immigration, etc at the airport. This may be a nerve-wracking process, but it can be eased if you come early. You even get a chance to familiarize yourself with the environment and you will feel normal, just like roaming around a shopping mall. 

However, if you go to the airport late like, 2 hours before the flight, you have to hustle from one counter to another; thinking you might not be able to catch your flight and the last nail in the coffin would be problems with the luggage! Even if you make it to your flight, in this case, you will have bad vibes going in your mind, and your journey becomes terrifying. So, "the earlier the better"

3-Do not overeat:

You need to make sure you eat light, yet healthy food before boarding such as; Cereals. Also, you need to avoid eating heavy on-flight meals such as; Chicken Manchurian. This is because you can't do much physical work during the flight and therefore, your stomach doesn't properly churn up the heavy food you eat. 

As you encounter turbulence during the flight, your chances of feeling nausea or even vomiting become greater due to the heavy and undigested meal you took in. In this way, your flight becomes a haunted roller-coaster ride, which seems endless. So, eat snacks, stay hydrated and say NO to full course meal! That's because you are on a flight, not attending a feast.

4-Sit next to the wings:

If you want to minimize the effect of take-off, landing, or turbulence, it is suggested that you book your seat next to the wings. The wings keep the aircraft balanced during various phases of the flight. In other words, the entire body of the aircraft is pivoted by the wings. Hence, if you sit next to the wings, you will feel more comfortable.

5-Speak to the flight attendants: 

You may not know, but if some passengers feel nervous during the flight, it is part of the flight attendants' job to make those passengers comfortable. Given that, if you have aviophobia, anxiety, nausea, or shortness of breath, you are always welcome to inform the flight attendants about your condition. Once I was scared on the flight, and I told this about the stewardess. 

She assisted me by giving me a tour of the aircraft and allowed me to have a chat with the Co-pilot, who explained to me that everything was normal and safe. I felt as if I was home.

Verdict: In my opinion, overcoming fear of flying was like a life lesson. I can safely say that your fear of ANYTHING is associated more with the unwillingness to explore that thing. If I had not explored more about flying, I would have not been able to overcome the fear of flying. 

These are the 5 ways to overcome the fear of flying (aviophobia). If I can conquer this fear, you can too do it because "fear doesn't shut you down, it wakes you up"~Veronica Roth

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