Fear of Flying and Stress

We sometimes confuse being busy, with being stressed. We confuse not getting our own way as being stressed. Often there isn’t enough time in the day to complete everything and so we have to prioritise what we do. It’s likely that the ordinary stresses of life make your fear of flying even worse. Stress reduces your capacity to cope with things. Stress and the effects of stress are part of modern life.

This page will show you that:

Stress is yours to control.
Stress in the right amounts can be motivating.
When left unmanaged un-managed, stress will make you vulnerable.

What is Stress? Dealing with Stress Quick Tip

Stress is the difference between what you think you have to do and what you think you can manage to do. Premium level membership will show you how pilots control stress. For example, the reason that traffic jams are so stressful to some people is that the perceived task i.e. getting to work on time, versus the perceived ability to get there on time, is in conflict and out of one’s control. However if each morning you had a police escort to work, then your perceived ability to get to work on time would be high and your stress levels would come down. Solutions are often as obvious as that.

The first step in reducing stress levels is to set realisable outcomes. When you take your flight you should concentrate on a small part of the flight where your anxiety can be reduced. Perhaps your first task might be to walk around in the cabin or to let go of the armrests for a few moments … start with something simple, congratulate yourself, then set new targets.

Here is an idea that might help you. If you plan to climb to the top of a mountain, success will be reaching the summit. If however, your aim is to get as far up the mountain as you can each time you try, then every time you try, you’ll succeed. Overcoming your fear is not a competition, there’s no winning or losing, there is only succeeding. And of course one day, in this comparison, the mountain may be in a blizzard, and another day might be sunny and bright. Whatever the circumstances keep your stress levels down by being realistic. Success breeds success.

In the Premium level membership, there is a more complete section on stress and on strategies to lower your stress level when flying. There are comprehensive articles on reducing stress before your flight, at the airport, in flight, and after a flight while you’re on holiday and then when you’re back home again. Best wishes, Captain Keith

+Fear of Flying and Stress

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