As humans, our relationship to flight has transformed in the last century. Air travel has formed from a dream into a typical and broadly used mode of transportation.
Conferring to the International Air Transport Association, around 100,000 flights estimated that 3.7 billion passengers globally would travel during 2017. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that an unsurpassed high of almost 718 million travelers flew on 8.6 million flights during 2016 globally.
Air travel has increased in the last few years in recurrence and general security. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, the 2016 accident rate of 2.8 accidents per million takeoffs is the minimal airline accident rate in recent history. According to a report in Transportation Economics, air travel is more secure in terms of fatalities than any other common mode of transportation, including:
- Ferries
- Cars
- Trains
- Buses
- Subways
Still, some moments make even a competent passenger uncomfortable. When the wheels run down the landing area, or you hit an awful patch of turbulence, it’s not unusual to grip the armrests faster.
These moments of feeling shoved or confused are primarily short-lived, and they go once the second is over, except if you have a definite fear of flying, known as aviophobia. Individuals with aviophobia have a deep-rooted, persistent fear of flying that is substantially more than a transitory sensation of anxiety.
While it’s not uncommon for passengers to have fear flying, it’s challenging to legitimize with individuals shaking from their nerves. Not even the travel insurance plan can diminish the fear of flying if you have one. It’s 100 percent a personal battle that each person deals with separately. However, there are ways of adapting to a fear of flying, so you don’t need to sacrifice traveling because of fear.
Symptoms
A person with aerophobia or fear of flying might abstain from flying no matter what. It could mean missing family holidays or refusing to travel for work. You might demand other modes of transportation, like buses, cars, or trains – regardless of whether they are less convenient than flying.
If you fear flying, you might likewise stay away from films, books, or news reports that connect with air travel. Or you may become fixated on finding out about safety measures at airports and on planes.
It is additionally possible for individuals with fear of flying to have panic attacks before or during a flight. Symptoms may include:
- Chills
- Dizziness and lightheadedness
- Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)
- Heart palpitations
- Nausea
- Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
- Trembling or shaking
- Upset stomach or indigestion (dyspepsia)
Causes
While many things can contribute to a traveler’s fear of flying, some of the most common causes include:
- Fear of heights
- Claustrophobia
- Turbulence
- Bad weather, including strong winds, rain, thunderstorms, etc.
- Specific flight paths, including over large bodies of water
- Time of day (e.g., red-eyes and night flights)
- Medical conditions (e.g., IBS)
- Life events include pregnancy, new babies, young children, etc.
- Smaller sized planes and aircrafts
If you suffer from aviophobia, you may feel that this list will only boost your fears. However, we have featured these typical causes for two reasons. The first reason is that the individuals who fear flying will realize that they are not alone.
Feeling alone frequently adds to the stigma of having these fears and can fuel your aviophobia, particularly if you are traveling solo. Realizing that others experience comparative circumstances is often encouraging for aviophobes.
Many individuals with aviophobia have conquered their fears through treatment, medication, and experience.
Identifying the cause (or trigger) is an initial step and may help defeat your fear of flying.
Diagnosis
There is no specific diagnostic test for fear of flying. Your health care provider will cautiously review your symptoms and ask you various questions about your fear of flying.
Aerophobia can range from mild (you will fly if you need to, yet it makes you restless) to severe (you have refused to fly for over five years). Your specialist may diagnose you with a specific phobic problem, for example, aerophobia, if you:
- Develop symptoms at the thought of the fearful object or circumstance, for example, airplanes or air travel
- Experience your fear for a considerable amount of time or longer
- Avoid the thing or situation you fear
- Have difficulty working at home, work, or in social situations because of your fear
Treatment
Individuals who are hesitant to travel via plane need treatment by psychiatrists who are specialists in this field with techniques like hypnosis. The severity of flight phobia can be extremely high, so diagnosis and treatment are essential in such cases.
We suggest that individuals who carry this fear should not travel via airplane before conquering their fears. If you wish to conquer this fear, you can get help from accomplished experts.
Treatment for fear of flying involves medications or treatment. Specialists may suggest antianxiety medicines. You take two types: when you experience triggers for your stress and another that you take daily.
Specialists may likewise recommend psychotherapy, including:
- Exposure therapy
- Modeling
- Hypnosis
- Talk therapy
- Relaxation and breathing exercises
5 Tips for Conquering Fear of Flying
If you wish to conquer your fear of flying, the following tips may assist with diminishing your discomfort on your next flight.
1. Stay Centered
Inhale profoundly for four counts and then release for six.
2. Find a Focus
Cross your ankles and cross your hands in front of your chest. Inhale while laying your tongue on the top of your mouth.
3. Eliminate Stressful Interruptions
Bring down the window shade so that moving components do not divert you.
4. Select Your Seat
Limit turbulence by sitting at the front of the plane, which is less affected than the back. Booking a walkway seat could likewise assist you with feeling less contracted and panicky.
5. Be Prepared with Soothing Components
Find things that assist you to stay on track and be less anxious. Find music that is relieving—pack snacks you like and make you feel good. Avoid things with sugar, which is an energizer.