Managing anxiety when flying

I clearly remember the first day I got a panic attack. I was at my work station at my old job, and suddenly my heart started to beat like crazy, my ears were ringing, and I thought I had a heart attack. My boss called an ambulance, and 15 minutes later I was lying in a hospital bed getting a lot of tests.

At the end of the day, doctors told me that I had a panic attack and that I was physically fine. Since that day, my life changed completely, and for the last 25 years I have been dealing with anxiety and panic attacks.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or have any degree in mental health. If you are looking for medical advice, please check with local clinics and get professional help. The intention of this post is to share my first-hand experience of 25 years dealing with anxiety and what I've learned along the way. While everyone's journey is different, I hope that by sharing my story and strategies that have worked for me, others might find some comfort in knowing they're not alone in this struggle. Please remember that what works for one person may not work for another, and that's perfectly okay.

In this post, I will be talking exclusively about how I deal with anxiety while traveling. As a travel blogger and having a Costa Rica Travel blog and an international blog, dealing with anxiety has been a real challenge because, as a blogger, you are your own boss, and if you don't produce content and get yourself out there, you will be out of a job very quickly.

So let's start with what was my biggest challenge: fear of flying!

Understanding Flight Anxiety

Flying can be scary, especially if you've ever dealt with anxiety or panic attacks. In my case, the root of my fear of flying was my fear of dying and the idea of being in an aluminum pressurized can with hundreds of pounds of fuel at 35,000 feet - well, it was not taken well by my brain.

How did I started to control my fear of flying?

In my case, everything started to get better when I started to research, learn, understand aviation and everything I was feeling when I was on a plane. As you keep reading, you will see how understanding played a very important role in my improvement

The anticipation of flying, I think, it was the second worst part for me. Even though I always avoided flying, there were many moments when I just had to do it, and from the moment I purchased the ticket, the snowball of dying thoughts and fears would start to roll.

Pre-flying anxiety managment

Something I started doing every time I booked a ticket was, instead of letting my brain build anxiety, to learn about airplanes and fill my mind with information such as flight routes, airports, seat configurations, statistics, weather at destinations, etc.

For example, we have a trip from Costa Rica to Amsterdam in a few weeks, and we're flying with KLM. The first thing I do is check the type of aircraft, which in this case is an Airbus A350, and then I start my research.

These are some of the questions I ask to better understand the airplane and its capabilities

• What is the maximum range of the A350?
• What is the distance between Costa Rica and Amsterdam?
• What engines does it use?
• Maximum takeoff weight?

Dealing with anxiety during a flight.

Sometimes, even with the best preparation, anxiety can start once you're on the airplane. This has happened to me many times, especially during turbulence. What helped me was learning about turbulence, so when it occurred, I understood what was happening.

I focused on keeping my brain busy, trying to figure out what was causing the turbulence and what type we were experiencing. Below is my short, hopefully easy-to-understand definition of turbulence and its causes.

When turbulance happens

Turbulence occurs when the smooth air that planes usually fly through gets disturbed. Imagine you’re in a boat on a calm lake, and suddenly some waves appear, that’s similar to what a plane experiences when it hits turbulence. Just like a boat moves with the waves, a plane responds to the energy of disturbed air.

Reason why turbulance happen

• Weather: Storms, strong winds, or even nearby thunderstorms can cause the air to become choppy.
  
• Mountains: When a plane flies over mountains, the air flowing over the peaks can get bumpy.
  
• Jet Streams: These are fast-moving air currents high up in the atmosphere. When a plane crosses one of these, it can feel like hitting an air speed bump.
  
• Thermals: These are rising columns of warm air, often found on sunny days, especially over land. They can cause mild turbulence, especially during takeoff or landing.

There are also different types of turbulence, such as clear air turbulence, thermal turbulence, mechanical turbulence, and wake turbulence.

What I’m getting at is the importance of demystifying fearful thoughts with actual facts. This helps your brain understand what’s happening. For me, this practice has made it easier to stay calm during turbulence. I’ve replaced fear and anxiety with knowledge about what’s going on.

Once I realized that turbulence is rarely dangerous, that planes are built to handle it, and that pilots go through rigorous training, my anxiety improved. I even got to the point where I began to enjoy flying.

Anxiety caused by tight spaces when flying:

I am 184 cm tall (6"0) and I weight 98 kilos (216 lb) and being enclosed space on a plane can be really uncomfortable and even another trigger for my anxiety.

The only technique that have worked for me when tight spaces active my anxiety is focusing on what I can control, like breathing exercises and little distractions like music, movies or learn how to do something.

I also learned to talk to myself in a direct way laying out all facts and current situation, here is an example when I started to feel anxious for being sitting in a tight space for a hours.

"Ok Jason, we have no other option than being sitting here for the next 6 hours, so let's see what movies are available and if we started to feel anxious lets do some breathing exersices but just be clear we have no choice everything is fine around us so let's try to make ourself feel as good as we can and enjoy this flight"

My favorite breathing Exercise

Breathing was a game changer to calm my anxiety while flying, and the technique that always works for me is the 4-7-8.

• Inhale: Breathe in quietly through your nose for a count of 4.
• Hold: Hold your breath for a count of 7.
• Exhale: Let it out completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8.

Doing this a couple of times before and during take-off helped me to be more relax and in case of an event it helps me to control myself.

My favorite breathing Exercise

Breathing was a game changer to calm my anxiety while flying, and the technique that always works for me is the 4-7-8.

• Inhale: Breathe in quietly through your nose for a count of 4.
• Hold: Hold your breath for a count of 7.
• Exhale: Let it out completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8.

Doing this a couple of times before and during take-off helped me to be more relax and in case of an event it helps me to control myself.

When my anxiety level is high while I am flying due to situations not from flying like work or lack of sleep I usually carry lavender oil with me and linden pills. I stop taking regular medications long time ago because they made me feel like zombi, but when I need a little extra these two natural products helped a lot.

Conclusion

It's perfectly fine to be an anxious person, there is nothing wrong with you. Anxiety and fears are normal reactions from your brain. What matters is learning to manage these feelings in a way that works for you.

Throughout my 25 year journey with anxiety, I've discovered that knowledge, preparation, and self-compassion are powerful tools. From researching aircraft specifications to practicing breathing exercises, each strategy has helped me transform flying from a terrifying experience into a manageable one.

Remember that overcoming anxiety is not about eliminating fear completely, but about developing a toolkit of techniques that help you cope with it effectively.

While my methods might not work for everyone, I hope sharing my experiences helps others feel less alone in their struggles with flight anxiety. Whether you're dealing with fear of flying or general travel anxiety, taking small steps and finding your own combination of coping strategies can make a significant difference in your journey toward more comfortable travel experiences.