Fear of flying help!!

I have somehow developed and intense fear of flying.
Last summer out of nowhere I started panicking on planes and the last one I went on (a big plane from Dublin to Chicago) I had a panic attack setting off and went into TOTAL melt down mode. It not only shocked me but really threw me off travelling which is my dream.
I'm due to fly to France in a few weeks, what can I get to help me as the doctors no longer prescribe medication due to insurance.
I have heard of kalms and rescue remedy, are they any good?

Reply 1

thotiana

i know that it can be scary, and i completely understand why that would panic you, but the likeliness of a plane crashing is roughly one in 5 million !! flying is the safest form of travel, eventhough it might not feel that way lol. i promise you will be absolutely fine. is there any medication or something you can take to try and calm you down? if not, maybe mention it to your parents/carer asap. have a lovely holiday (:

Reply 2

thotiana

i believe rescue remedy is good, never tried it but i've heard it is

Original post by Someoutthere

Reply 3

Unexpectedly

I was scared of flying, but I took a huge leap forward by making my first ever time flying experience a long haul one by visiting Canada.

Reply 4

Sabertooth

You seem to be in the UK so I'm confused about the insurance part of your post. But if you have no insurance something like diazepam has been around a while and is very cheap if you can get a prescription for it.

Reply 5

Unexpectedly

Original post by Sabertooth

Taking diazepam totally screwed me up when I was prescribed it back in 2013/14. :sadnod:

Reply 6

Sabertooth

Original post by Unexpectedly

Taking diazepam totally screwed me up when I was prescribed it back in 2013/14. :sadnod:

Sorry to hear that. I took it for my fear of flying and it really helped me get over the fear.

Reply 7

Unexpectedly

Original post by Sabertooth

Sorry to hear that. I took it for my fear of flying and it really helped me get over the fear.

I got bullied into taking it by social workers who used lying tactics to bully me. :grumble:

Reply 8

ErasistratusV

Being afraid of flying is a common thing: you are not alone by any means.

Three things to do or consider:

1. Consider that, statistically, if you have arrived at the airport by car and are now sat on the plane, you have already completed the most risky part of your journey.

2. The flight crew up front are human, too. They are going to act with the same amount of self preservation that you would.

3. Get online and watch youtube videos about flying, particularly commercial aircraft. Study it. Learn as much as you can. Find out how it works, the core and auxiliary systems of the aircraft, how much technology and work is involved in just manufacturing the engines on an aircraft (each fan blade costs 15K and is a made in a process so secret neither GE nor RR will divulge it) and then all the back ups and flight crew procedures involved. Once you have that digested, you realise that actually, the chances of anyone being in a genuine air disaster are minuscule.

I would avoid the drugs if at all possible, use them as a last resort. Honestly. If you have the cash go and fly in a light aircraft or worse, a helicopter and you realise that actually, a commercial airliner is about as dull as riding a bus.

Reply 9

JustOneMoreThing

Chances of dying in a plane crash are 1 in 11 million, chances of dying in a car crash are 1 in 572.

We tend to think certain activities aren’t dangerous because we do them very often when in fact they are quite dangerous, so I hope you see that you should be more scared on the ground than the air, I’ve probably just given you a new phobia but hey, at least you’ll be able to fly with peace of mind.

Reply 10

Sabertooth

Original post by Unexpectedly

I got bullied into taking it by social workers who used lying tactics to bully me. :grumble:

That sounds pretty *****y, sorry to hear you went through that.

I'm personally a big fan of diazepam and others in its class. The diazepam for me was more "just in case". To start with I took it everytime I flew, then I scaled back the dose until I was flying without it but still taking it in my pocket so I felt it there if I needed it. I just got back from Canada on Sunday - no fear, no diazepam, I just fell asleep and that was that :tongue:

Reply 11

Unexpectedly

Original post by Sabertooth

Whereabouts in Canada did you fly to, might I ask? :smile:

Reply 12

Sabertooth

Original post by Unexpectedly

Whereabouts in Canada did you fly to, might I ask? :smile:

Toronto.

It was a lot of fun although it only snowed on my last day there which was sad as I love snow.

Reply 13

Unexpectedly

Original post by Sabertooth

Toronto.

It was a lot of fun although it only snowed on my last day there which was sad as I love snow.

I loved Toronto when I visited, but it was so hot when I visited that I could feel the heat from the pavement through the soles of my shoes.

Reply 14

Sabertooth

Original post by Unexpectedly

I loved Toronto when I visited, but it was so hot when I visited that I could feel the heat from the pavement through the soles of my shoes.

I wasn't aware it got that hot in Toronto. I'm guessing you went in July or close to that? I did a hell of a lot of walking when I was there so I guess the temperature was ok. I had my jacket unzipped - I wouldn't want to be walking about in the temperature you describe. Though I live in the American south so I'm used to many months of feeling heat radiate off the pavement. Toronto was a nice getaway! :tongue:

Reply 15

Unexpectedly