I'M AFRAID TO FLY BECAUSE OF MY ANXIETY! (Podcast Ep 221)

Flying Anxiety
It's a thing. This is not the same as fear of flying. In this episode of The Anxious Truth we're talking about flying anxiety - being afraid to fly because of your anxiety issues. This is a topic I've been asked to cover for quite some time, so let's get to it!
For full show notes on this episode:
theanxioustruth.com/221
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[@rbo350]

I get the most nervous when people are getting on the plane,

[@haariskhan9613]

This is quite literally what I wanted to ask about!! It's not that I'm afraid to fly, but rather that I'm concerned about having a panic attack (and, in the worst case, developing agoraphobia) while on the flight / away from home! This is in spite of the fact that I've mostly recovered from agoraphobia and can now go pretty far from my home with little issue

[@TheAnxiousTruth]

That's really great! Assuming you are making great progress because you're been practicing moving through anxiety and panic, then you have a leg up. It'll still be scary if you fly because you won't totally trust that you can do it. It'll seem like a "special" challenge. But keep going with the other work and you'll find that you discover pretty quickly on the flight that you're OK.

[@ksocia]

thank you for normalizing taking a med if needed. flights, dentist, surgery, a one time thing. it's not a failure.

[@TheAnxiousTruth]

TOTALLY not a failure. I have a huge problem with completely demonizing that sort of thing. It makes no sense. We have the benefit of tools. How about we use them judiciously and intelligently!

[@bayleeadele9318]

Incredible, it's as though this was made for me. Thank you as always, Drew! I feel seen and less alone. I read your book often but I've never heard someone talk about fear of flying the way you have in this podcast episode. Due to a family situation I am flying between the North and South Island (New Zealand) often, its only a 60 minute flight but it's just awful. I hate flying because I can't get off, the claustrophobic feeling is killer, no fresh air or being able to step outside and the feeling of being stuck makes my mind and heart race. The feeling of impending doom, racing thoughts, sweaty palms, beating heart and nausea because I feel trapped is sooo triggering. I never used to be scared of flying until 2020 when I had one of my worst panic attacks on a plane.

[@TheAnxiousTruth]

You're welcome Baylee. I hope the episode helped in some small way to conceptualize the flying of challenge in a more productive fashion.

[@fivestarservices-euronics2278]

Hi great pod cast thanks. From the you watching videos part I have a VR will it be good to watch take off videos etc over and over ? Or what sort of VR videos would you suggest ?

[@margarethubbard1173]

Finally someone who gets it! It is about being trapped!

[@TheAnxiousTruth]

Trapped, yes. But really, the "trapped" argument is based on the idea that you must get away from the sensations and thoughts. Nobody ever says they feel "trapped" with an ice cream sundae or spending time with their favorite friend. Its important to go beyond just "I can't because I'm trapped!". We have to address the assertion that anxiety is too much and can't be allowed.

[@margarethubbard1173]

@@TheAnxiousTruth But you are not trapped by ice cream....you can walk away. You can't walk away from plane no matter what. They can even serve you ice cream and you can't walk away.

[@ekaterinates]

I’ve been having panic attacks for some time before my calendar suddenly became packed with some solo business trips abroad, this for sure added to my anxiety, and before the first work trip I had all sorts of thoughts like what if I had a panic attack? how would I handle a flight being trapped on a plane surrounded by strangers. And then while boarding I saw a bunch of priests who were boarding the same plane as me, and there was an old priest who was visibly quite anxious and I offered him my aisle seat and then I thought that with this amount of church people on the plane I’m definitely safe😂 Not that I believed it but the fact that I could be anxious and still act as usual helped me to relax and enjoy the flight😊

[@TheAnxiousTruth]

This kinda made me chuckle because it's super relatable. I have a feeling that most people - anxious or not - think that sort of thing when getting on a plane. LOL

[@njcuban4263]

Wow!! This was so helpful. Thank you. I am still trying to recover but I have an upcoming flight in a few days and dreading it. Not easy because I am still agoraphobic (especially long distances) but I am looking at it as an exposure exercise. The longest flight I did was two hours and now I am facing a 5 hour flight!

[@TheAnxiousTruth]

Hey two hours is a big deal. Well done! Your brain will tell you before the flight that FIVE hours is wayyy too much. But operationally, you'll likely find that when you're actually in the situation your brain will catch on to the idea that there's no difference between two hours and five because even if you get anxious, you can handle that. The fear that a longer flight is bad comes from the idea that you have to "hold it together" for a longer period. But you don't. Recovery is about learning that holding it together has never been required.

[@jamillafrydie7904]

I never fly in my life an a suffering from clostaphobic but will be leaving on😮 pilgrimage in week may God protect me

[@TheAnxiousTruth]

Claustrophobia is a real challenge when it comes to flying. No doubt! I hope your flight goes as well as it can. Hang in there.

[@kathleenhawkes7543]

Thanks, dude. Flying overseas next week. Thanks for your help and support, always. This is gold. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@TheAnxiousTruth]

Go get it Kathleen!!!! :-)

[@nariko47]

There it is right here. I have yet to fly down south to visit my family in Chile. Havent been in 10 years. Had my first major panic attack 8 years ago. I feel I've made major progress in my recovery - however this is the fear: to relapse on a dang airplane 💥 Anxiety can really take a major dump on your life. I used to love flying, turbulence was always fun for me (yup! Can you believe that?! I felt like a cowgirl up in the sky Yeehaw!). Now.... not good. 😔🙏💚

[@njcuban4263]

Try short flights first. Maybe that will help. It is not relapse if panic returns especially if you are willing to accept the fear.

[@TheAnxiousTruth]

I get this worry. It was my worry too. But remember that a panic attack is not a relapse. It's an event. Recovery is partly based on knowing that you can't ever relapse because you're not afraid of being anxious or experiencing panic anymore.

[@marylnmonroe]

i have been flying since i was 5 years old. have been in 2 minor emergencies on a plane nothing serious just some mechanical issues. its been over 2 decades of me flying multiple times a year and i have developed anxiety mainly from watching air crash investigation and the news. its not that im afraid because ill do it but my anxiety starts doing the most 🥴

[@TheAnxiousTruth]

Here' a way to flip that on its head. Go look through KZbin for flight videos where literally nothing happens. People just like to record takeoff and landing and they like sharing those videos. There are THOUSANDS of them, which I find so interesting. Then compare that to the number of videos on on KZbin about crashes. That's a much smaller number for a reason, even though those videos are scary and sensationalistic and get more attention. And have you ever noticed how those "air crash" videos sometimes go WAY back in time to examine crashes? That's because there aren't really that many of them to examine! It's good that you're not avoiding though. Well done on that. xx

[@nonstar8182]

Appreciate the video. It's very unfortunate that american airlines seem to not want to acknowledge this issue, or spend any time/money on it. They would no doubt gain many customers if they would have some fearful flying programs. Several European airlines have programs. I think a lot of people would be willing to pay for this type of thing. They could do a session where you sit in the cabin.. then maybe the next time you taxi.. then the next time they go up make a turn and come right back down. It's not rocket science.. and this would bring some kind of gradual exposure to flying.

[@TheAnxiousTruth]

I agree! I know there are fear of flying programs out there that do use airport trips, trips to simulators, virtual reality, and that sort of thing. But I'm not sure that the airlines themselves are directly involved, which does seem like a huge missed opportunity!