fear of flying
 

i love to fly only when thr is no turbulance , i cant relax, when the seat belt sign is on , what can i do,i thought about a valium , will that help, joe

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

Welcome to FT!

It's best to discuss questions regarding treatment for anxiety with your physician.

In the past, some airlines have offered programs for fearful flyers. Whether these are still offered, and whether you are willing to invest your time and money in one, I do not know.

Welcome to FlyerTalk… as this is a general travel topic it will likely do better in the TravelBuzz forum, where there have been several other relatively recent discussions of this same topic:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ar-flying.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ime-flyer.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ng-flight.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...fear-mine.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ar-flying.html

Good luck, and safe travels!

Moderator, Information Desk

fear of flying
 

As with all fears ...When you are nervous, take a deep breath. close your eyes and think about good positive things and things that make you happy...whether it's raindrops on roses...

And always remember, in spite of recent news, flight aviation is still a very safe way of traveling.

Years ago I flew with my girlfriend SFO to LHR. First flight for her. We hit turbulence and she started to freak out. She looked at me wondering why I wasn't bothered. I said "think of it as a car going over a rough road". For some reason that did it for her.

I think prior relaxing, calming down and meditating (basically just long breaths) does miracles before take off :-)

My daughter gets a prescription for ativan prior to flying. That has really helped relax her.

I have found that listening music through my Bose noise cancelling headphones while reading a really good book helps.

I'm not a good flyer even though I fly quite a lot. It's just a means to and end.

The next time you fly be sure to stop in with the flight attendant greeting you at the door. Let them know that you are a fearful flyer and are already pretty nervous about this flight. Once I know I have a nervous Nellie onboard I check with them often (I'm a FA) to be sure all is okay. Talk to your seat mate and make a friend so in case you experience that turbulence they will know why you are grabbing their arm!