Facing your fears

[JTLP]

Whilst sitting through some turbulence over the weekend...it got me to thinking. I'm a pretty seasoned flyer - would have logged thousands of hours travelling everywhere; but recently I've become very edgy. The bumps/jumps and shakes certainly get the heart racing and the palms sweaty...what once was a bit of excitement has now become a bit terrifying! I know that turbulence is generally fine / does no structural damage to the plane (infact you'd have to be pretty unlucky to have something happen) but still!

So what fears do others have? And how have they learned to deal with/overcome them? I know I'll be flying for a long time yet so it's best I learn to master this!

 

[sptrawler]

I think this is compounded by the knowledge the planes are doing a lot more hours, the maintenance is being cut to the bone and accademic standards are dropping.
So in a nutshell, drink as much free alchohol as required, to get yourself to the don't give a $hit state. The down side is you will feel like crap at the end of the flight.lol
I do sympathise, I hate flying. Last year we went to U.K by ship, caught trains through Europe and flew from Dubia to Perth. I hated that flight, even though it was the shortest possible route.

 

[bellenuit]

I think this is compounded by the knowledge the planes are doing a lot more hours, the maintenance is being cut to the bone and accademic standards are dropping.
So in a nutshell, drink as much free alchohol as required, to get yourself to the don't give a $hit state. The down side is you will feel like crap at the end of the flight.lol
I do sympathise, I hate flying. Last year we went to U.K by ship, caught trains through Europe and flew from Dubia to Perth. I hated that flight, even though it was the shortest possible route.

Yes, I agree that alcohol is a good remedy for fear of flying despite the increased risk of whatever they call that blood clotting issue (my brain is failing me right this moment).

For me, my increasing fear of flying is not because I think the planes are less reliable now, it is because the "adventure" is no longer there. When I was younger, flying to new locations was always a thrill and I did my utmost to get a window seat. I was so absorbed in looking for landmarks that I might recognise that I paid little attention to the actual flight itself. Nowadays flying is boring. Everywhere I go I have been at least a dozen times (at least for most of the journey). I choose aisle seating in the centre rows as they are the ones that usually have unoccupied seats and give me a chance to stretch out and also not be disturbed by or having to disturb others when I need to get about. I cannot sleep on flights so I watch the picture of the plane on the screen as it moves a millimetre every 10 minutes. Without the adventure, I instead concentrate on every bump or strange sound during the journey, which adds to my anxiety.

Apart from flying, I don't thing I have developed any new fears over the years.

 

[sptrawler]

Yes, I agree that alcohol is a good remedy for fear of flying despite the increased risk of whatever they call that blood clotting issue (my brain is failing me right this moment).

For me, my increasing fear of flying is not because I think the planes are less reliable now, it is because the "adventure" is no longer there. When I was younger, flying to new locations was always a thrill and I did my utmost to get a window seat. I was so absorbed in looking for landmarks that I might recognise that I paid little attention to the actual flight itself. Nowadays flying is boring. Everywhere I go I have been at least a dozen times (at least for most of the journey). I choose aisle seating in the centre rows as they are the ones that usually have unoccupied seats and give me a chance to stretch out and also not be disturbed by or having to disturb others when I need to get about. I cannot sleep on flights so I watch the picture of the plane on the screen as it moves a millimetre every 10 minutes. Without the adventure, I instead concentrate on every bump or strange sound during the journey, which adds to my anxiety.

Apart from flying, I don't thing I have developed any new fears over the years.

I agree with you completely, it's a necessary evil, not fun but necessary.

 

[CanOz]

Yeah I'm not crazy about flying anymore, unless I get bumped into business by chance. I'm less uneasy about it now, after the last 10 years or so flying more frequently. I guess that's the cure is to just do it so often you get numbed by it...

I had an awful fear of spiders before I moved to Australia. My dad knew it too. He got me a book on Australia's most poisonous creatures....I loved it and when I moved I had a great time trying to find and identify all the spiders. After a while I had a healthy respect for them and found myself catching them in the house and letting them go outside....well the huntsmens that's is....still liked killing white tails and red backs...

I had a bad fear of heights too when I was younger, I still have it but a few years working around the factory with flour silos, waste hoppers etc. cured me of most of that. I still wouldn't bungee jump though...

Face your fears....gotta be done I guess.

CanOz

 

[MrBurns]

My father was in the Air Force , my brother flew a light plane, my nephew is a Qantas captain and his kids also fly
I, on the other hand, get vertigo changing a light bulb.

I love flight but an over active imagination can play havoc with your brain.

I don't worry now I'm a bit older if the plane goes down all my troubles are over, but its the time it would take to reach the ground that scares me if it developed a serious fault.

 

[burglar]

... the increased risk of whatever they call that blood clotting issue (my brain is failing me right this moment).

...

Deep Vein Thrombosis



My blonde sister-out-law, seeing me on the roof, asks:
"What are you doing on the roof?"
"Overcoming my two worst fears."
"I know you're scared of heights, but what's the other one?"
"Fear of work!!" :



Same roof, different day!

I had a premonition while going up the ladder.
I didn't want to come down again.
I sat, and sat, waiting for someone to come home.
At dusk, I took a deep breath and swung out onto the ladder.


A week later, the gutter gave way and crashed to the ground!!