Are you a nervous flyer? me too!! If we are being honest with each other I basically turn into a massive baby every time I get near an airport. I have never been a fan of flying, despite never having had a particularly bad flight ever!
This past week I had a lovely relaxing holiday in Tenerife, however in the lead up to the holiday I was also growing increasingly anxious about the flight! So I set myself a few top tips to make the journey as easy for myself as possible and luckily they worked for me. I mean, I wasn't thrilled to be on the plan, but I didn't cry and overall the journey was much more relaxing than my previous flights!
So here are my top tips for all you nervous flyers. I can't promise to cure you of your nerves but hopefully these may help you as they did for me...
1. Be Organised - Nothing is more stressful than getting to an airport late and seeing massive queues at security and thinking to yourself 'oh my gosh I'm going to miss my flight'. That happened to me once and it was honestly horrific - I was a nervous crying mess! So plan your trip to allow for plenty of time and in anticipation of a busy airport. Make sure to get there 2 hours before your flight, it will allow you plenty of time to go through at your own pace and know you have bags of time to get to your gate on the other side!
2. Think Positive - typically when flying you are likely to be going away somewhere new or fun! try to remember why you are doing it in the first place. Also remember that planes are the safest mode of transport! When in the air you are in such good hands and the pilot has done years of training to be able to fly that plane! At worst I always think, even if the flight is horrible and turbulent the pilots are trained to deal with that, and even if it feels horribly unsettling you know you will be off the flight in a few hours.
3. Breathe - I know I harp on about it a lot but a few deep breathes before take off or during turbulence can really do wonders for the mind and have a massive calming effect. I also think if you need something extra try out the Rescue Remedy pastels! They are herbal soothing pastels which have natural ingredients and some sweeteners to help keep your stress at bay! They taste good, are calming and they also really help with the ear popping when you hit the clouds!
4. Avoid Caffeine - too much caffeine can heighten your anxiety levels. If you are already in a place where you feel stressed the chances are it ain't going to help! So avoid it, get a nice glass of juice or water, or if you must have a coffee go for a decaf! I also tend to avoid booze, not only will it make you feel worse when the effects wear off but the last thing I want on the plane is a boozy bladder and needing to pee every 5 mins.
5. Keep Distracted - although scary, airports have lots of things to keep you entertained. Do some window shopping or go grab some food while you wait and before you know it you will be on the plane. While waiting at the gate or for take off have a good book to read, a podcast or some music. If your mind is focused on something else it is less likely to wonder to a place of worry.
6. Book your seat - I watched a documentary one time that told me about the safest place to sit on the plane. This documentary mentioned that nervous flyers should sit near the wings of a plane. This is because the wings are like the stabilisers, so if you do get a bit of turbulence chances are it will feel less bumpy here than at the back or front of the plane! I also personally prefer sitting in the aisle - easy to get up and stretch me legs, easy to reach the loo and also away from the window (looking outside freaks me out more). So if having a pre selected seat calms you, for the few extra pennies it is totally worth it!
So there we have it Textbook.Frog's top tips to a happy flight. I wish I could get on a plane and not feel anxious but last weeks trip was a massive improvement from the time before. Hopefully my next flight will be an improvement again. Happy flying folks!
Until next week...
Kirsty x