Hi, I feel your pain. If I can't be in first or business, it helps to be in the front of the coach section. I feel better if I am close to the door. The worst part of the flight for me is at the end, after the seat belt sign is off and before the cabin door has been opened. I sometimes get panicky when there are a lot of people standing up in the aisles.

What kind of plane are you on? Check out Seat Guru and see how it is configured. I'm OK with window seats if there are only 2 seats; not so OK if there are 3. Also the plane itself makes a difference. I was nervous about a flight to Australia last year, where we were stuck in the middle section in the back of coach. The plane was one of those huge Airbus A380s though, and it turned out to be a lot better than I expected.

Also, I make sure to bring water on the plane with me, and I keep a Xanax in my front pocket. I rarely have to take it but I feel better knowing it is there.

Good luck.