Get Over the Fear of Flying
According to Arnold Barnett, a statistical expert in the field of flight safety, your chances of being in a fatal plane accident are one in every 19,000 years. However, more than 30 million Americans have some form of fear towards flying. This has become especially true after the September 11th terrorist attacks. However, there are a few ways to get over your fear of flying.
Instructions
1. Understand the real risks. Flying is actually safer than driving when you look at the statistics. More people die in car accidents than in airplane accidents. In fact, according to the OAG Aviation Accident Database, your chances of being killed in an airplane crash are 1 in 13.57 million. According to the National Safety Council, your chances of being killed in a car accident are about 1 in 78.
2. Practice in-flight relaxation techniques. There are a variety of different relaxation techniques that you can use when getting ready to fly, as well as in flight. These include breathing exercises, mental imaging exercises, and even pre-made tapes of relaxing music or sounds.
3. Fly non-stop. If you are truly worried about crashing, try booking flights that have no stops on the way to their destinations. Since most accidents occur on take off or landing, booking a non-stop flight should help give you some peace of mind to know that you only have to take off and land once.
4. Try medication. There are many over the counter and prescription medications available to both help your relax, or even sleep through your flight. Most commonly, if the medicine is prescribed, it will be an anti-anxiety medication such as Xanex. Medication is usually a last response to an extreme fear of flying.
5. Face your fear. The best way to get over your fear is to face it. Find a friend or family member and take a short flight to a nearby city. Use the techniques that have already been discussed and by the time you land, you should see that flying is not as bad as you thought it would be. It might take a couple of flights before your fear starts to subside, but the more you fly, the less your fear will have a hold on your life.
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