3 Steps to Overcome Your Fear of Flying

Flying is one of the best ways to get somewhere fast and in relative comfort. Airplane accidents are extremely rare, yet there are some people who have an intense fear of flying. Usually called aerophobia or aviophobia by psychologists, the fear of flying will make it impossible for some people to get on a plane.

If you have a fear of flying, do not worry. You can live a live fear-free when it comes to flying on airplanes. It just takes some re-patterning of your mind processes and shifting your perspective. Here are the steps you can take to overcome your fear of flying.

• Educate Yourself on Flying Accidents

Airplanes are one of the safest ways to travel. It may even be the safest. Research has found that you have a 1 in 7 million chance of dying on a flight if you are in the United States. If you are one of the nearly 7% of people that has a fear of flying, hopefully this statistic can calm you down enough to see rationally that there is little to worry about. 

Movies like to conjure up dramatic scenes of airplanes crashing and people getting lost on a mysterious island. However, this is all fantasy and it not something that you will come face to face with.

• Partake in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

You may get a great deal of help from a psychologist that employs cognitive-behavioral therapy. You may be brave enough to even incorporate this therapy on your own. What is involved in CBT is a mix of exposure therapy, various relaxation techniques, as well as cognitive restructuring. 

With exposure therapy, you can do something like first look at an image of an airplane, followed by a video, followed by putting on virtual reality goggles where you are in a simulated airplane. Relaxation techniques can include deep breathing exercises and mindfulness meditation. Cognitive restructuring can involve identifying when you have a distorted perspective on something, behaviorally testing that perspective, and evaluating evidence for or against the perspective.

• Select an Aisle Seat

When you have managed to get the courage to get onto a real airplane, you can ease your fears more by selecting an aisle seat. You will avoid feeling claustrophobic and will have the opportunity to walk around the plane more easily. You also get avoid looking out the window and seeing how high above the ground you are.

• Know How to Protect Yourself

Flying is usually an enjoyable experience. However, things could occasionally, albeit rarely, go wrong and that is when you would benefit from insurance. Filing an airplane accident claim is easier than you may think. 

You will need to prove liability on the airline’s part. More specifically, it could be the pilot or an airplane mechanic. It will take more than just filing a claim. You will also have to read all the relevant insurance policies pertaining to airplane flights. There also needs to be an investigation into the cause of the incident. You should also document all of the damages you experienced. When you take these steps, you protect yourself in the event that an airplane accident occurs.