Everything is controlled
The fear of flying, as we see, is not exclusive to us, oh mere mortals . In fact, "evolutionarily, it makes sense that we are afraid", tells us Dr. Juan Ramos Cejudo, co-founder of Mind Group and Professor of the Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment of the Complutense University of Madrid.
"Fear is a normal emotional response, very intense that occurs in the face of stimuli or situations that we perceive as threatening, but that does not interfere with the functioning of the subject ", he clarifies. That is to say, it is that bug that enters you when the plane takes off and you think: "Will I get out of this alive?" and then start playing on the mobile without giving it much more importance... Until there are turbulence , for instance.
The problem comes when the fear is so pronounced that it becomes a phobia, because this interferes with the daily life of the subject, who would not only not be able to get on a plane, but not even watch related movies and documentaries with aeronautics, as Dr. Ramos Cejudo . If this is your case, the best thing is that you contact a clinical psychologist specialized in anxiety disorders and put yourself in their hands to treat your fear (and overcome it, because, according to Ramos, it is not too difficult and it disappears in a few! months of treatment!)
Nevertheless, if your panic alarms do not reach those levels , we can help you: we have prepared a few ** very serious tips on how to overcome the fear of flying ,** in addition to this article itself, which is for those who they have tried everything or for those travelers, shall we say, especially "creatives".
If these don't sound like cute little cotton balls to you, read on.
1.- Watch this great video of the inhabitants of the Lord of the Rings universe before leaving. "It's so fun and relaxing that it takes away a lot of anxiety and fear of flying," explains psychologist Jaime Burque on his website Filmoterapia.
2.- Download the Turbcast application, that shows you the weather patterns as if you were a pilot. Thus, you will be able to analyze the incidence of factors such as air bags and electrical storms, which usually cause turbulence. "Once we are filled with well-founded knowledge, our "what if" thoughts will be limited by the most objective, rational and realistic facts," Jaime tells us.
3.- Have sex before you fly . You will secrete oxytocin and avoid anxiety, as explained in this article.
That's how nice they explain the details of the flight from Air New Zealand
4.- Take a book that you have already started or a television series that you are hooked on. "A very effective way to deal with the fear of flying is distractors , which help the brain stop focusing on the negative elements of the trip," adds Burque.
5.- Tune in to the plane's relaxation channel. B.B. tells us that his company offers soothing in-flight broadcasts, and even teaches fear-mongering courses like Fear of Flying.
6.- Sing opera , or whatever you like. "Many years ago I had to sit next to a lady who, to overcome her fear of taking off, sang opera, while she squeezed me very hard; you can imagine how she left my hand, as well as my eardrums, because the woman sang at the top of her voice ...", the stewardess tells us between laughs.
Get hooked on 'Mad Men' and kill two birds with one stone
**7.- Be the director of your own movie (mental) **. "Think of a really nice memory that happened while you were on a plane. Take that image and make it bigger and brighter. What happens when you manipulate that image? That the intensity of the experience changes, doesn't it? You increase the strength and it puts you in a more vigorous and joyful state. Now turn up the volume of the voices or sounds you heard. Give it more rhythm, more depth. Make the memory of that trip warmer and softer than before." recommends Juanma de la Rosa, personal and executive coach and founder of JDR Coaching.
8.- Travel by plane... through virtual reality . It is one of the ways in which gradual exposure to feared situations is applied in some treatments. However, "before exposing ourselves, we have to have learned cognitive strategies to handle the exposure," Juan Ramos Cejudo tells us.
9.- Take with you a photo of your destination and visualize yourself as if you were already there. "The idea is to stop thinking about those little (and negative) things that make us afraid of flying and focus on the positive aspects of our trip," they point out from Filmoterapia.
10.- Do a session of Land as You Can before the trip. "The sense of humor is a psychological strength that helps us relativize and break the rigidities that we have when interpreting many situations. If we accompany this film, which takes our fears of flying to the absurd, with a good cognitive therapy, can work the phobia," says Burque.
*You may also like...
- Tips to lose the fear of flying - 17 things you need to know when you move through the airport so you don't end up like Melendi - Everything you always wanted to know about traveling in Primera and you didn't dare to ask - Five airports where you won't care ( so much) miss the plane - “Stewardess, please, could you open this window of the plane?
- What if we could choose our fellow passengers? - Twelve Spanish airports with unlimited free Wi-Fi - 37 types of travelers that you will meet in airports and planes
- All articles by Marta Sader