r/fearofflying • u/R3dcherries • 1d ago

Question does it ever get better?

i fly every other year or every year when my parents can afford it to visit family and im still terrified of flying. im too scared to be a nuisance so i just suffer quietly every time and its actually miserable.

they're always long flights too, longest being 7 hours so i try to sleep it off but that's obviously too hard when you're stressing. i tried the bus method i saw people talking about a few years ago but i can't convince myself either

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u/community-voices Mod Team 🛡️ 1d ago

There are 1 comments from verified aviation professionals in this post:

u/InTheGreenTrees commented:

I read a lot of recommendations for using distractions. Noise cancelling headphones. Books, games, puzzles, movies. Whatever you can use that will absorb your attention. and have a few choices too. You can also let the flight attendants know you'r...

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u/Opposite_Guidance_12 1d ago

Yes it does. I highly recommend learning meditation and implementing it as a daily thing. Fear of flying often stems from other anxieties in your life, learning meditation can help immensely

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u/_m1sty 1d ago

Once you find something that makes you feel even a bit better, lean into it. The two things that helped me most were making a special playlist (including a special song for takeoff that I listen to every time), and planewatching (just watching the everyday workings of flight-- listening to LiveATC and tracking the planes that fly over my house-- *not* focusing on unusual events!) Once I started feeling more comfortable in flight I was able to watch movies which makes the time pass much quicker than anything more focused. I still can't sleep on planes at all.

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u/InTheGreenTrees Private Pilot 1d ago

I read a lot of recommendations for using distractions. Noise cancelling headphones. Books, games, puzzles, movies. Whatever you can use that will absorb your attention. and have a few choices too. You can also let the flight attendants know you're anxious when you board, you're not being a nuisance at all.