Fear of flying not only effectively destroys our well-being while traveling by plane, but can also reduce the feeling of joy at the thought of the holidays ahead, meeting with long-lost loved ones waiting for us after the end of the journey. Read how to deal with the fear of flying, find out why we are so afraid of flying, and learn some facts that may convince you to give up your fear of flying.

The fear of flyingis nothing special - it accompanies many of us. According to the data of the Institute of Public Opinion Research, as many as half of us,traveling by plane , feel discomfort, and 30% of people are accompanied by anxiety. We are much more afraid of flying than driving a car - although we hear about road accidents almost every day, single plane crashes remain in our memory for the longest time. Meanwhile, taking the facts into account, we should have a completely different attitude: in 2015, there were 20 plane crashes worldwide, in which 186 people died, while the data of the European Commission indicate that in the same year as many as 25 people lost their lives on the roads of EU countries. thousand people. Why then, after all, is more often accompanied byfear of flying ?

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Where does the fear of flying come from?

1. Flying in an unnatural state for humans?

Humans are a terrestrial mammal. We cannot fly, so we are afraid of what is against our nature. On the ground, the organs of balance, sight, and our inner feeling interact thanks to the numerous receptors distributed throughout the body. In the air, we lose this orientation in space: we do not know where exactly we are, we do not see what is around - outside the window we have either clear sky or clouds, even worse when they are black and with lightning.

2. No sense of control

Another factor that inspires our fear of flying is the feeling of being out of control. Although, according to the data of the United States National Transportation Safety Council (NTSB), the risk of death while driving is 1:122, and when traveling by plane is 1: 8357, we are more afraid to fly anyway,because we believe that in the moment of possible danger while driving the car, we will have time to press the brake or avoid a collision.

On average, only 1 in 3.1 million flights has an accident.

In the plane we are dependent on others - we do not fly it, we do not have many possibilities of action - we "only" sit and wait until we reach our destination. We are afraid that in the event of a misfortune, we will not receive adequate help, because hospitals are unavailable. We focus on these kinds of thoughts, and our fears grow and grow - instead of relaxing in flight, we stubbornly squeeze the armrests.

3. Catastrophe=death of all passengersFear of flying also stems from the belief that while we may be injured in a car accident, but alive, air accidents always result in the death of all passengers. Meanwhile, further data from the above-mentioned NTSB indicate that the percentage of passengers who died in plane accidents in the years 1982-2009 was 39%, while in 1962-1981 - 54% - so the difference is very large, flying is becoming safer. One of the examples of a successful airplane accident is the landing of Captain Wrona at the Okecie airport without the landing gear extended.

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How to overcome your fear of flying?

There are two ways to deal with the fear of flying: the first is the right attitude during the flight, the second - rationalizing the fear by recalling many data that indicate the safety of traveling by plane. So what to do in order not to (too much) be nervous during the flight?

1. Breathe calmly!

If you notice the first signs of nervousness on the plane, proper breathing will help you to calm down. Take a few deep breaths in and out as you breathe slowly, and relax your facial muscles, jaws and arms, and reduce the tension in your chest and abdominal area. Also, relax your hands so tightly on the armrest and your legs so tightly against the plane floor.

2. Distract your thoughts

It's obviously about dispelling the negative thoughts that focus on picking up every sound emanating from the plane and sensing the slightest vibration of the plane. The best cure for fear of flying is the company of a loved one who is not afraid to fly and will help us survive the time on the plane by talking to us and giving us arguments that it is not worth being afraid. What else can help you? Turn on the movie,delving into reading, and even more so - thinking about all the beautiful things that await a brave passenger after landing: about rest, sightseeing or returning to loved ones, home. Traveling by plane is a great opportunity to read about the most interesting places to see in the place we are flying to, and carefully plan your visit.

3. The more you fly, the less you fear

The saying "Training makes perfect" also works in the case of fear of flying. The more we fly, the less we think about it, the plane becomes just a means of transport, not a potentially lethal machine. Traveling by car does not scare us so much ( although according to statistics it should be more), among others. because we do it almost every day.

Worth knowing

Arnold Barnett is a professor of statistics at the famous MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The scientist calculated that a person would have to fly a plane every day for 4 million years to die in a plane crash. So little is the probability that this will happen.

4. Tell the flight attendant that you are afraid

People who fly for the first time and those who, despite many trips behind them, still feel fear of flying, can inform the flight attendant about it. It is even worth doing to feel safer, at the same time we will also gain greater attention to the plane's personal towards us.

5. Give up alcohol and coffee

A frequent anti-anxiety method used by passengers who are afraid to fly is to drink alcohol before boarding the plane. This method, however, can be deceptive: while high-alcohol drinks help to "loosen up", they also dehydrate the body and increase fatigue. It is also worth remembering that a passenger under too much influence may not be allowed to board the plane. Unfortunately, if we want to feel good during the flight, we should also give up coffee, which arouses and intensifies anxiety. The best solution, which will not hinder our travels, will be to use water and juices.

Why shouldn't you be afraid of traveling by plane?

Here are some facts that may make your fear of flying less.

1. Turbulence is not that bad

Turbulence makes even the most seasoned travelers nervous - experiencing them is definitely not pleasant. It is worth noting, however, that they are usually not dangerous. The plane can withstand even overloads of 5 G (this abbreviation is used to denote the overload value in the plane), and in the case of the strongestturbulence, they amount to only around 1.6 G.

2. Control as the basis of confidence in the aircraft

The technical condition of airplanes is checked much more often than cars - before each flight, the functioning of the systems in the machine, its equipment, and all faults are repaired. Before they are released for use, airplanes undergo a series of tests, including those provoking situations with a very small risk of occurrence, e.g. a flight on a specific section with one engine working. Before the plane obtains a specific certificate, it will take a year to check its operation.

3. Exceptional Aircraft Security

In airplanes, solutions are used that cannot be found, for example, in cars. The upholstery of the armchairs and carpets are fire-resistant, and the seats themselves are designed so that they adhere very tightly to the floor. On the other hand, the design of the emergency doors allows them to be easily opened in an emergency.

There are over 100,000 passenger planes in the air every day.

4. Supervised airspace

Another common fear that accompanies us is the one concerning the collision of two airplanes. 25,000 planes fly over the European Union alone, but the risk of a collision is almost non-existent. The plane moves along a strictly defined route, and the air traffic is supervised by flight controllers. Flight controllers work for 12 hours, but are given 2 hours off every 2 hours so that they can be as attentive as possible during their on-call hours.

5. Airplane lightning harmless

What happens when the plane is struck by lightning? Most often, nothing at all - airplanes have lightning arresters, special antennas that discharge electric charges into the atmosphere. If the impact is very severe, it can leave a mark in the outer shell of the aircraft, which is later removed during a technical inspection. If the outside temperature is very low, the plane is de-iced before take-off and has its own de-icing systems.

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Worth knowing

All over the world, including Poland, there are courses for people who are afraid of flying. During the classes, they learn how the plane works from the technical side. They also take part in the psychotherapeutic part of the workshop, where they can share their experiences related to traveling by plane. Some courses also include flights on whichparticipants are explained their individual phases.

How to deal with the fear of flying? Listen to the advice of the psychologist!

source: newseria.pl

See the gallery of 10 photosAbout the authorAnna SierantEditor in charge of the Psychology and Beauty sections, as well as the main page of Poradnikzdrowie.pl. As a journalist, she cooperated, among others. with "Wysokie Obcasy", the websites: dwutygodnik.com and entertheroom.com, the quarterly "G'RLS Room". She also co-founded the online magazine "PudOWY Róż". He runs a blog jakdzżyna.wordpress.com.

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Psychology