Can you help me face my fears? ACK! AIRPLANES!

Posted on July 9, 2009 by elizabeth

So, I'm going to hang with my sister in New York City next week. Which is YAY and also, BOO.

YAY because I get to see her and YAY because I get to wear this rockin' dress from Shabby Apple. (Thank you, lovely Betty Beguiles, for picking it out for me!)

BOO because I have to get on that freakiest and most disturbing of human inventions: the airplane.  I don't care how "statistically safe" they are, airplanes are like soda cans with aluminum foil wings. How does that not freak you out???

Can't someone just put me under general anesthesia and wake me up when we get there? And also, am I the only one who memorizes that safety card cover-to-cover and is hyper-aware of all the exit signs and doors?

Hmm…yes, my flying inexperience is showing. Hey, I'm a mother of five who rarely travels. And I like it that way!

But the only way I know how to cope with crises (or potential crises) is by developing strategies. Super intelligent, super holy strategies like reading a celebrity gossip magazine during takeoff and landing.

Somehow, reading about how much weight Oprah has gained REALLY helps take my mind off the fact that I'm in a soda can with aluminum foil wings and I'm going to diiiiiieeeee.

But I'm just wondering: Do YOU have any ideas for in-flight mental distractions? Please share! All tips–including humorous, crazy ones–are welcome!

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  • http://www.coopersx4.blogspot.com Sara

    honestly, take an over the counter sleep aid…or your iPod with your favorite book to listen to…
    OR you can have a drink :)
    Darling dress, by the way!

  • http://highcountries.wordpress.com Jamie

    i always get nervous to fly, but less about the real flight and more about the prep, getting to the airport on time, etc. once we take off, i’m okay, but i’m anxious beforehand. i take lots of deep breaths, i bring snacks with me and just eat a little at a time, and MAGAZINES.. they really help. (a drink wouldn’t be bad, either..) ;)

  • Michelle

    Xanax. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that!

  • http://musingsnstuff.blogspot.com Leanne

    My mp3 player, a stack of books in my carry-on, and lots of closing my eyes and silent prayer upon take-off and landing [I'm fine with the "being in the air" part, but I always feel like we're going to flip upside down when the plane takes off!].

    Gum is good, too.

  • Sara V.

    No tips on fearless flying. Take that back, I have one tip – PRAY. May the God of Hope fill you with all JOY and PEACE. And a glass of wine wouldn’t hurt either. But LOVE the dress! Try to relax and have a fantastic time!

  • http://www.sixblessings.blogspot.com Carmen

    Love the dress!
    I hate to fly, too. Makes me sick to my stomach to even think of it! I really have no good tips or encouragement of any kind. Sorry.

  • http://jen5972.blogspot.com/ Jen W.

    I feel for ya. We went to Florida in April, and I HATE to fly. I downloaded one of my favorite movies on my ipod and watched it. That helped. But during the times of taking off and landing (landing is my favorite part because that means that shortly I get to get out of the tin can with wheels), when you can’t have electronic devices on, I just sat and prayed, and praised God. I thanked Him outloud (whispering, not shouting. Lol) that we were going to get to where we were supposed to go safely, and I thanked Him that His angels were surrounding the plane and protecting us. I quoted Psalm 91, which I memorized a long time ago. It is a Psalm of protection. It really did give me more of a peace. I still didn’t enjoy it, but it made it much more bearable.

  • http://www.kansascrochetmom.blogspot.com Rachel

    I flew for the first time ever in my life this year. I was terrified and had myself all worked up about it. I get motion sickness horribly bad too. The flight there was scary and I was sick on landing each time. But the flight home was amazing. I took some motion sickness medication and decided that I was just going to enjoy it. It was in God’s hands and if it was my time it was my time. Take off scares me so much more than landing. I just sat back in my seat and closed my eyes until the plane was in the air. Then I enjoyed the view. The clouds from above are breathe taking. It looks like an ocean of white cotton candy :) When landing(which is where I would be sick without the medicine) I just focused on a building or something like that until we were completely landed. It was kind of cool. :) ((hugs)) I hope its a wonderful flight for you!

  • GrammaMack

    I’ve always hated flying, too. I just can’t get my head around something that big and heavy being in the air! The last time I flew, though, I did really well, through God’s grace. I was going to see my newest grandson, and I tried to keep my thoughts on him and my son and daughter-in-law.

    I also recently read a book on fear that said that expecting and imagining the worst happening is being a false prophet. It made me realize in a deeper way that not only is indulging in fear a lack of faith, it’s also a waste of a lot of time and, yes, being a false prophet. If I (you) ever was on a plane that went down, God would be there. But it is appointed for us to die once (Hebrews 9:27), and Jesus’ resurrection is intended to free us from the fear of death: “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

    So my advice is to face the fear head-on and tell it to be on its way, because you are not a slave to fear. Have fun with your sister–sisters are such a blessing from the Lord!

  • http://thedcookshouse.blogspot.com Becca

    If you are on one of the larger planes, they will have TV or movies you can watch in your seat, you just need headphones. They also have (silly) trivia games you can play against the other passengers. I once spend most of a 50 minute flight playing the game, and I even ranked. Until a bunch of others started playing later in the flight.

    If you are on a smaller plane you will want a book or book on tape or even movie or music on a media player to help distract you.

  • http://jasminlovescoffee.blogspot.com Jasmin

    I hate hate hate hate HATE flying as well, but I do it because I can’t live my life in fear. I just pray that I’ll have a safe flight and then I try to read a book to focus on something else. Sometimes if it’s a really long flight, I’ll pop some tylenol PM and zonk out. Nothing better than sleeping through a flight. :)

    I hope you have a wonderful time in NYC! Safe travels. :)

  • http://www.usborneconnection.com Tressa

    Breath in, breath out…

    Charlie Dodrill on the iPod

  • Pat

    I feel the same way and told my doctor about it. She said I could take a small dose of Xanax, which she prescribed for me and it really does the trick. Now I don’t dig flesh from my husband’s arms during take off, landing, or that pesky turbulence. It doesn’t make me love to get in an airplane, but I board without feeling like I’m doomed. Have fun in NYC. It is such a fun city, especially with a beloved sister!

  • Liesl

    I’m not too bad with flying, but I do worry about it. I take word puzzles and I always start a prayer upon take off and say Amen when we land.

  • http://www.sweetlifeunderthesavior.blogspot.com Jean Marie

    Well, Elizabeth – I love to fly, but also get nervous with takeoffs and landings. Hah. I’m a contradiction. Here are my tips:

    1. Pray. Pray for joy of flying, viewing God’s creation, joy and exhilaration in getting to do something fun, or scary. Whatever.

    2. If you are in a window seat, look out and DOWN at God’s world as much as possible before you get a crick in your neck. It’s amazing how much time you can pass and enjoy this during the flight.

    3. Chew gum, if you fly through turbulence sit forward in your seat, laugh at your flipping stomach, and think how much better this plane is than a cargo airforce plane. You’ve got it good.

    4. If all else fails, listen to your ipod, take off your shoes, curl up in the seat like a kid and go to sleep.

    I do ALL of this, in fact, I enjoy it so much, that my schedule uses all of these, and it’s like…the best ever. Haha.

    There’s mine! :D
    God bless, and have FUN!
    ~ Jean Marie

  • Lynn

    I hate flying too and am usually very nervous when I have to. I’m getting better the more I fly. I pray, obviously, but I actually do concentrate on a People magazine while we take off! It’s a good distraction. I usually take my ipod and a snack. Oh, and I don’t look out the window until we are on the descent…somehow it makes it easier not to realize I can’t see the ground. Praying that you will have good flights and focus on the great time you will have with your sister!

  • http://www.elizabethesther.com Elizabeth Esther

    These are some awesome ideas! Thanks, everyone! I feel encouraged and happy already! If anyone has another other song recommendations for my iPod, send ‘em along!
    XO
    EE

  • http://andi-horton.livejournal.com Andrea

    My problem with flying isn’t heights or safety, it’s pain; my ears don’t clear as easily as most peoples’ seem to and so I spend a lot of time in fear of the pain that will quite likely affect me during ascent and landing. The best flight I ever had, I popped a Clonazepam and just breezed through it, turbulence and all. I may even have laughed a little! Second-best flight (flights, I guess; there was a stopover in Toronto) was drug free (unless you count the Otrivin I took to keep my ears clear) and although I was quite nervous, I find that the chance to see the countryside spread out below me like a beautiful map takes away a great deal of the apprehension. And the sight of the city I was flying into, all lit up and twinkling at night, bigger than I ever knew any city could be? It just took my breath away.

    I had a lot of show tunes on my iPod for those flights, and some very spirited, modern takes on old Celtic songs. Very cheering!

  • http://jenngrant.blogspot.com jenn grant

    oh man! every time i fly i start to think of all the ways that i would try to save my children from getting hurt if there was a crash! i start confessing most of my sins, look for all the exits and try not to look out the window too much because then i think about falling!!!!!
    not a fan of flying either!!!!
    i would say keeping yourself occupied,music books and movies!! certain over the counter items and prescriptions might do the trick too! :)

    love you lots! be safe and have fun!

  • http://www.conversiondiary.com/ Jennifer (Conversion Diary)

    Wine.

  • http://www.declarehisgreatness.com Cathy

    I wrote a comment, but it disappeared. It wasn’t exactly inspired, so I think that I can write something again.

    I understand hating to fly. I struggle w/panic attacks (I’ve written about them), and flying requires me to discipline my mind–a lot.

    Years ago, while I was pregnant w/my 8th child (I think–it’s all a blur), my husband and I were in the Reno airport awaiting a return flight to our home in No CA. The flights were running late, and we wanted to get home. My husband suggested that we take an available commuter flight. I wasn’t on board (no pun intended) w/the idea, but I knew that Gene wanted to get home, and I figured that I needed to trust God to get me through the flight. Gene assured me that if I didn’t feel comfortable (how can you feel comfortable when your due date is less than a month away?), we could bag the idea.

    I decided to go for it. I was OK–until I saw the plane, and began to board. There were no more that about 15 seats, and I nearly hit my head when I had to duck down to board. BUT GOD (my husband says that those are the two greatest words in the Bible), got me through the trip, which involved flying over the Sierra Nevadas, no less. They are a stunning mountain range. I know. I saw them CLOSE up that day.

    For me, sedatives are not the answer. That isn’t to disparage anyone else, but, for me, I think it’s a matter of disciplining my mind. It’s never easy for me, but perhaps the more I do it, the easier it will be. Sigh…

    I’m happy to report that we made it home on that stifling hot summer, safe and sound…obviously.

    Elizabeth, I will be praying. I have been already. What day will you be in the air?

    Cathy

  • http://betweenbabies.wordpress.com Abby

    Sorry you had to change your trip! But I’ll say that I have always loved flying, I’m kind of a thrill-seeker, so anything that seems a little scary to me also has a risk that I like taking. I’m not reckless or anything, I just like thrills (like roller coasters, that kind of thing) but you wouldn’t guess if you knew me.

    That said: I think your best bet is distraction. I’ve flown with a lot of people who freak out on airplanes (friends, that is), and I think if they are focused on something other than the scary part of flying then they seem to do better. Can’t help you when turbulence hits, though. That’s not something you can stop focusing on…

    But here’s something you can feel better about: You are talking about flying to NYC (couple hours max–okay, unless you’re taking stupid layovers). Over land. Tomorrow, my husband and I are taking our 2 kids (under 5) to EGYPT. From Ohio. We leave at 10 am tomorrow, and arrive Egypt time 10 PM Thursday. It’s gonna be a long two days.

    Enjoying your blog (Molly’s great, isn’t she?)
    Abby