If the idea of flying makes you nervous, you’re not alone.
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If you live withaerophobiaaka the fear of flyingyou are far from alone.
“Fear of flying can be a deeply uncomfortable condition to live with.
A woman feeling anxious while flying on an airplane.Credit:skynesher/Getty Images
Indeed, there are ways tocombat this fearto ensure you see as much of the world as possible.
Figure out the root cause.
Try exposure therapy.
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Or think about cognitive behavioral therapy.
“CBT helps you identify and challenge irrational fears about flying,” Pena said.
This may be perhaps one of the easier approaches to take.
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Learn a simple breathing technique.
“This helps regulate your nervous system and reduces anxiety.”
Or this grounding exercise.
Pena also offered one other simple sensory grounding technique: the 5-4-3-2-1.
“This keeps your mind present rather than focusing on fear,” Pena said.
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Download the right apps.
And avoid certain triggers.
The reason is that alcohol and sugar cause your blood sugar levels to spike as they are digested.
“That spike leads to your heart racing.
Undergo hypnosis.
Keep your mind busy.
“Bring something that can distract youlike a book, music, or a movie,” English said.
Talk to the crew.
Sometimes, chatting up the crew before takeoff can help calm those nerves, too.
“One thing that can help is to talk to the flight crew.
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Understand that flying is abundantly safe.
One more critical thing to do is to understand that flying is abundantly safe.
“Flying is one of the safest modes of transportation,” Sprung said.
“Planes are built to handle turbulence, and pilots train extensively for every scenario.
Turbulence may feel scary, but its just like bumps on a roaduncomfortable but not dangerous.”
Learning about the science behind flying can replace fear with understanding.”
