I understand you my friend, well most of the times in such cases it is advisable to know yourself thoroughly to know you brain your fear properly. I have some suggestions I hope they help -
1. Educate Yourself About Air Travel
Often, fears are strengthened by mystery. Learning about safety measures, including plane mechanics and turbulence, may help alleviate your anxiety.You can do online research, watch YouTube videos, read books, or attend group classes for people who struggle with fear of flying. These resources are offered by many airline companies.
2. Recognize When Your Thoughts Are Becoming Irrational
Work to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. For instance, if you find yourself thinking about what might go wrong, try thinking about the wonderful things you will experience at your flight’s destination. Whenever you catch yourself slipping back into negative thoughts, tell your mind to “stop” and shift focus to something positive.
3. Understand Your Triggers
When you find your fear and anxiety peaking, observe your environment and thought patterns so you can better understand what is triggering your fear responses. Triggers include certain thoughts, sights, memories, sensations, or even smells.
4. Practice Relaxation Techniques
You may be able to better cope with aerophobia if you develop techniques to help calm yourself down. Try breathing techniques, visualization, or progressive muscle relaxation to help relieve your symptoms. Some people find journaling, meditating, or praying helps them get through their fears.Try to practice these techniques two or three weeks prior to boarding a plane. The more practice you have, the more effective these techniques will be.
5. Distract Yourself
Figuring out a way to distract yourself can help alleviate feelings of fear. Bring along relaxing elements to immerse yourself in such as a soothing playlist, a comfort movie, or your favorite book.
6. Set Travel Goals
So much beauty around the world is not accessible without air travel. Set travel goals for yourself, including where to go and what to do when you get there to motivate yourself to get on a plane despite your fears.
7. Ask for Help
Help from your friends and family can be invaluable, but at times, it is not enough. Consider asking for help from mental health professionals to make progress quickly.
I hope this helps in any possible way
Take care
I understand your fears, we all have anxiety regarding something or the other, but I feel it should not be that much of a problem if you try to understand yourself and get determined to fix it, I mean try to know why you exactly are scared of this maybe it is something more than just heights maybe it's the death with scares you, maybe it's the unsure fate of life, if we break down your fear basically you're scared of some sudden unfortunate incident, and I completely get you, no one wishes to die early, but if you don't wish to die it means you have this urge of living, and are you really living if you're holding yourself back my friend, you get one life, and if you have the means and sources to make it fun and exquisite, that make it happen, why stay in a shell just assuming the worst would happen, and if it is really destined to happen it can happen even while you're sitting on your couch comfortably or sleeping, anything, do not hold yourself back, don't be so presumptuous, let yourself and your mind breathe
First of all take out what made you feel that panic attack? Then think did you landed safely? What made you so fearful? Answer these questions to me if u see this.
Hello!
Aerophobia is a rather common phenomenon, especially among young people. It is possible to overcome it on your own, but it will require a high level of self-discipline and motivation. Here are some basic steps to help you overcome the fear.
1) Learn as many facts about air travel as you can
Overcoming aerophobia always starts with studying the principles of the aircraft, how the flight goes, what the various sounds mean during the flight, why turbulence occurs.
In particular, every person experiencing severe anxiety before flying on airplanes should know the following facts:
-According to Harvard University, the chance of a plane crash is 1 in 1,200,000, and the chance of being a victim of a plane crash is 1 in 11,000,000. The chance of dying in a car crash is 1 in 5,000.
-Planes are able to fly to their destination even if one engine fails.
-Before each flight, the aircraft undergoes a technical check.
-Each civil aviation aircraft system consists of four subsystems: main, auxiliary, reserve and emergency ones. If the main system fails, the auxiliary system takes over, and then, if necessary, the other ones.
-Pilots are trained to safely land the aircraft in zero visibility conditions.
-Every civil aviation aircraft has a collision avoidance system that minimizes the risk of crashing into another aircraft.
-When lightning strikes an aircraft, it passes through it without harming either people or equipment.
-Aircraft must have enough fuel on board to reach the destination, perform a go-around, fly to the farthest alternative landing point, stay in the air for another 30 minutes and land with 10% excess fuel in the tanks.
2) Work through the irrational thoughts that support the phobia
This process starts with accepting them: you should learn to track such thoughts, but not condemn yourself for them.
To do this, take a sheet of paper and a pen, write down irrational thoughts in the first column, rational thoughts in the second one. For example:
“The stewardess is so gloomy because the plane is about to crash.” – “I don’t know what she is thinking about. Mind reading is impossible. Her depressed state may be due to lots of events in her personal life I know nothing about.”
Or “Getting into a zone of turbulence will make me nauseous. It will make me sick, I won’t be able to stand it” – “I don’t know whether we’ll get into a zone of turbulence and how strong it will be. But even if I get sick, there’s nothing to worry about. I got sick many times on the rides, and I got over it well.”
3) How to replace irrational thoughts with rational ones
Learn relaxation techniques. For example, breathing practices, meditation, Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation. It is useful to have your own set of these techniques - those that are effective for you.
You need to learn how to perform them in advance: in a calm environment. In a stressful situation, the first time they most likely will not give the desired result.
4) Prepare carefully for the flight
To do this, try to adhere to the following rules:
-control your breathing before landing and on board: inhale at a count of 5 through your nose, exhale at a count of 7-8 through your mouth.
-Avoid caffeine and alcohol on the day of the flight. But if you have sedatives prescribed by your doctor, be sure to take them as directed.
-Take a break from thinking about triggers of anxiety. Don’t focus on your internal physical and mental sensations, don’t try to analyze the sounds of engines and the pilot’s voice. Instead, do something pleasant: listen to music, watch a movie, read. Or imagine a vacation at the sea.
You can also use some of these principles in case of claustrophobia and acrophobia.
We wish you good luck in overcoming anxiety and fears!