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Flying is awful, there's nothing
to do when you're up in the air. I bloat up, my skin
gets dry, and when we hit turbulence, I'm terrified.
Daniela
Pestova
I don't
have a fear of flying; I have a fear of crashing.
Billy
Bob Thornton
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January, you’ve just booked that perfect holiday in
July at the exotic resort you have always dreamt about,
it’s a five hour flight but you’re sure you’ll be okay –
won’t you!
April, only 3 months away from your holiday, the
anticipation is now tinged with a slight anxiety as you
think about the air flight and that 5 hours when
anything could happen!!
June, you’re waking up during the night now, anxiety is
turning to stress as you consider what could go wrong,
and what is even more worrying, you suspect that your
time in the resort will be ruined by the expectation of
the flight home!!!
3 weeks to go, you are feeling bouts of panic now. What
will happen if you lose control on the aircraft, how are
you going to face that sensation of the aircraft taking
off and landing? What will happen if there is
turbulence, what will happen if the plane CRASHES!!!!
1 week to go, panic has really set in now, you can’t
stop thinking about the flight and what might happen.
You’ve been to the chemist and they have given you some
pills to help calm your nerves, but will they work on
the day? You talked to your friends and family, and
they all tell you to pull yourself together, flying is
the safest form of transport, the chances of a plane
crash are thousands to one!!!!!
1 days to go, you are suffering cold sweats,
palpitations, headaches, shivering, sickness in the
stomach. This is ridiculous, you should be looking
forward to the holiday, instead, at this moment, you
would rather do anything than get on that plane
tomorrow!!!!!!
The day of the flight ----------- |
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Now the
above scenario may seem extreme, but it is
amazing how many of us fear flying. Our
fear may be slight and easy to control or it
may be so extreme that we cannot contemplate
air travel. Consciously we can tell
ourselves that flying is the safest form of
travel, that there really is nothing to
worry about and the journey should be
regarded as a pleasurable experience, the
drinks, free meals, in house movie, duty
free etc. etc. But our subconscious mind
tells a different story, based around the
‘what if’ scenario……….. What if the plane
crashes, what if our plane collides with
another, what if there is excessive
turbulence, what if the plane can’t land,
what if we have to ditch in the sea , what
if, what if, what if, all situations that
although possibly are statistically
incredibly unlikely.
The
problem we face is that we understand the
problem on a rational and conscious level,
but it is the subconscious that holds the
fear and the subconscious mind is far more
powerful than the conscious mind, so the
fear bubbles up and takes over! |
