Something weird has happened to me over the past ten years or so. I’ve slowly gotten more and more scared of turbulence on airplanes. It’s now to the point where I’m barely fighting off a panic attack.
When I was younger, I enjoyed turbulence. I would snicker when I saw other people with nervous faces when the ride was bumpy.
But suddenly it all changed.
Just a few weeks ago, I was on a flight from Tokyo to San Francisco, and every time the plane moved even a tiny bit, my body was jolted into a state of fear.
I know it’s irrational. I know it’s silly. But I can’t stop my body’s physical response! Trust me, I wish I could.
People say, “Planes are safer than cars. You are more likely to die in a car accident than a plane crash.” Ok, fine. Tell my nervous system that.
It was so bad the other day that I was actually mumbling to myself—out loud—“It’s fine. This is normal.” Over and over and over…just to try to calm myself down. What a terrible feeling.
I’ve thought about this a lot. Why on earth am I suddenly reacting so poorly? I think it comes down to control. When I’m on a plane, I have absolutely no control over my destiny. My body is hurtling above the earth and I have no control over my life. I also feel trapped.
In a car, I can see what’s coming at me. If there is a big pothole, I can brace myself for the bump. No so on a plane. And that is terrifying.
On Reddit, people were talking about their fear of flying and it was reassuring to see I wasn’t the only one who felt this way.
“Everybody with a fear of flying knows how unlikely it is to be involved in an accident. But it was unlikely for the victims of every aviation accident, and it still happened. It’s not the level of risk that’s frightening; it’s how utterly terrifying it must be when you are one of the unlucky ones. And some people are.”
“Statistics have no real meaning in small samples. Whether you are on a plane, a boat, or a car, you can always be ‘the one percent.’ Someone is that statistic.”
“I’ll always be nervous when I fly. It’s because I’m not in control of the situation at all. A car accident is far more likely, but at least I know–for the most part–I am able to control that situation more. If my car engine dies or a wheel falls off, there’s not a good chance I’m going to die.”
“I hate flying over water. It’s not even a fear of crashing and dying, it’s a fear of crashing and LIVING. I can’t think of a more terrifying situation than being on a sinking plane in the middle of the ocean.”
Yeah, so…..these quotes probably didn’t make you feel any better about flying, but maybe they helped you realize you aren’t alone in your fear.
Here are some new things that are making me freak out even more when there’s turbulence:
- When I look forward, and I can sort of see the rest of the plane moving and flexing. Or, when I look outside and see the wings flexing.
- When all you can see outside the windows is whiteness from being in the clouds.
- When I look around the plane and it’s reinforced in my brain that we are all trapped in this structure, miles up in the sky.
- When I think about the fact that I’m over an ocean. For some reason, flying over oceans makes me even more scared.
On a recent flight, we had some bad turbulence. I grabbed tightly onto Jim’s arm, got right in his face and said urgently, “TALK TO ME. HURRY. TALK TO ME AND DISTRACT ME.”
For anyone who has not felt this type of fear before—it’s hard to imagine. I feel like my entire body is enveloped; it’s tense and stressed for the entire flight. And the worst part is my stupid brain. During that recent rough turbulence, my brain had already imagined our death. I pictured everyone on the plane starting to scream and panic as the shaking gets worse and worse. The flight attendants are starting to look scared and you can hear glasses and things falling over in the kitchen areas. I imagine myself grabbing onto Jim’s arm, crying and hyperventilating, telling him I love him–and I even imagine how he would probably minimize his fear to try to help me get through it (what a dear.) But the worst part? The thing that sent my terror into overdrive? Wondering how freaking long it would take for the plane to finally crash. Would it be full minutes? If I’m going to die, I want it to just be over. Thinking about falling to my death for minutes puts me into a panic. (Again, I wrote this before the Malaysia Airlines crash.)
Right now you might be thinking: “Holy crap, lady. Get a grip.”
Well, my point is that my mind just goes down that dark, morbid rabbit hole and I can’t stop it.
After that trip, I went online and read lot of stories of how people deal with their fear of turbulence. And—surprise! I’m typing this on a plane right now—and I’m excited to report that it’s the first flight in a long time where I haven’t been super scared when there’s turbulence. Honestly, I’m amazed. I keep waiting for the panic to set in.
It seems what helps me the most is tricking and distracting myself. To wit:
- If you close your eyes when you are riding in a car, you will notice small bumps all the time. So, on the plane, just imagine that turbulence is like going over bumps in a road. Like bumps in a road, turbulence is not really dangerous (as far as crashing goes). At first, I thought this tactic was stupid, but I can’t believe it actually helped me on my flight today.
- I closed the shade and didn’t look out the window hardly at all. It helps me forget I’m zooming through the air.
- I watched a movie on my iPad. I don’t like watching TV or movies on planes, because I get a little motion sickness, but once I was engrossed, it took my mind off the bumps.
- Some might suggest having a few drinks to relax, but alcohol exacerbates my motion sickness. You can try muscle relaxers, anxiety medicine (like Xanax) or, for me–Dramamine. That puts me to sleep.
- Look at the flight attendants. They will be completely calm and simply going about their duties. There’s nothing to worry about if they are calm, right?
I am as shocked as anyone that these tricks helped me on my flight today. I kept waiting to feel the fear, and it didn’t come… and it was a huge relief.
Helpful commenter Susanna has her pilot’s license and gave even better suggestions: “Learn more about what happens on airplanes. Basic physics will keep you in the air even in turbulent weather. And if you know why the plane just reduced its engine power or made that ominous clunking sound, you’ll have one thing less to worry about. Books about commercial flying (like this one) can help you learn more about everything that happens.”
“Consider taking an introductory flight at the local flight school. They’re cheap, the instructors are friendly and there are no dumb questions. They’ll even let you take the wheel (with them at the same time, of course) so you can get a feeling for how the plane moves through the air and responds to your actions.”
A small, 3-seat-across plane I took in the Cook Islands about 10 years ago. I fought off a panic attack the whole time.
It wasn’t until I experienced this irrational fear of turbulence that I realized what a burden fear is, and it reminded me of the post I wrote about relating to people who have mental illness. I couldn’t stop the fear from paralyzing me, and it was awful. So awful.
Do you fear turbulence or flying? If so, what tactics do you use to get through it?
I sincerely commend you on tackling this fear; I do not experience the fear Of flight, but your strategies to regain thought control are excellent. When i’ve been grounded on a runway, the closeness of a packed plane can start getting to me, and I have to use distraction and calm my breathing.
You are living the adage: “feel the fear and do it anyway.”
I take prescription drugs, sleeping pills, and Diazepam. I have to take the anxiety drugs for a week before hand as I get panic attacks just thinking about flying. But I do it anyway because I love to go to new places.
Thank you so much for writing this article! I have experienced exactly the same things as you described, thinking that the tiniest bit of turbulence is going to crash the plane and getting this overwhelming fear and panic. One thing I also do is continue to look at the cabin crew (and other passengers) and when I see them acting normal I relax a bit.
As a child I was never scared at all only in the past year or so. I even remember seeing lightening near by once and I wasn’t bothered at all. I suffer from anxiety and I worry about everything so this is just something that stems from that I suppose..
Anyway, I have a flight on Tuesday so I am trying to think of things to take my mind off the small 2 hour flight! (I have never been on a plane for more than 4 hours…) But reading your article reassures me that I’m not the only one who thinks these things so thank you!
Hi Denise! Glad this post could make you feel a little less alone in your fear!! I hope you are able to get through it ok…just remind yourself of all the things I listed here! good luck. 🙂
I got my pilot’s license. 🙂 I didn’t do it because I feared turbulence – it was just something I wanted to do – but I find that knowing more about how planes work does help me when I’m in bad weather. Small planes are very different from large ones (I don’t like jumbo jets. They’re just not natural!) but the concepts are the same.
Here’s what I recommend:
– Learn more about what happens on airplanes. Knowledge is power! If you know that basic physics will keep you in the air even in turbulent weather, that can go a long way. And if you know why the plane just reduced its engine power or made that ominous clunking sound, you’ll have one thing less to worry about. Books about commercial flying (a quick search yielded http://www.askthepilot.com/cockpitconfidential/) can help you learn more about everything that happens.
– Consider taking an introductory flight at the local flight school. They’re cheap, the instructors are friendly and there are no dumb questions. They’ll even let you take the wheel (with them at the same time, of course) so you can get a feeling for how the plane moves through the air and responds to your actions.
I think doing these things will help in ways that mantras and logic really can’t. You have to go deeper into the subject and really think about it – or experience it – which is something your whole body has to do, not just the rational side of your brain. Your suggestions of visualizing turbulence, watching the flight attendants, closing the shade and distracting yourself are EXCELLENT, especially for an HSP!
This is awesome! Thanks for the tips–I am going to add these!
Kelly and Suzanna. I thank you for your insights. I have done all the tricks that you suggest in this article (it’s something actually amazing to see them suggested here, the ‘bumpy road’ and all) and I have tried to learn about airplanes. My brother-in-law is a pilot, gave me lots of info. And I know how illogical it is for me to be scared in an airplane, and not in a car. However, I am a very very sensitive person. I am one of those people for which knowledge and psychological tricks won’t work. In long flights, I have tried all the tricks and even sleep medication (which don’t work well with me). They work for a while… and then every turbulence undermines my resistance. Last trip, an almost 14 hour flight from the US to Japan, for the second half of the flight, I had a horror experience. The terror was brutal. I come from a tough neighborhood in Brazil, and even though I am very sensitive, there is no other situation where I have experienced such fear. So, I have traveled a lot, and I don’t let the fear impair me. But, I think that this time, for the trip back, I will find a doctor that will prescribe me something to knock me out. It is a necessity in my case. Peace to all.
Hi Nila, thanks for sharing. Even though I’ve tried to “trick” my brain using some of these tactics, it still knows it’s on an airplane. It doesn’t always work. I completely relate to your comments about turbulence. With every jerk of the plane, my brain starts thinking about terrible crash scenarios. I have a trip coming up in 2 months and I am scared about how I will react on the flight. Just thinking about it makes me feel panicked. I will also get some happy pills, but in the past they have not made a difference. Fingers crossed that we can both get through this. 🙂
I haven’t travelled in over a year and that’s quite a long time. But my last travel, I had a mini-panic attack when we landed and I was sleeping at the time. The land was bumpy as the plane vigorously jumped up and down. I woke up from my sleep shouting “OH MY GOD” until my mom calmed me down. I thought we were crashing! That started my fear of flying. One and a half year later, I travelled to Tokyo and we had to have a stopover at Hiroshima before heading to Tokyo. Great. More flights. All flights seemed to be smooth with slight turbulence. I would get nervous and hold on to the arms of my seat. I sat in the window side. It definitely was not like me to get scared. Going home, I thought of strategies to avoid me getting scared on air. I listened to music as soon as I could turn on my device – it distracted me from the noise of clanking from the luggages moving to dishes hitting each other. Thankfully it was night time and I was sitting by the aisle so I didn’t have a look outside the window. And lastly, I made myself comfortable and tried to sleep as much as I could.
I also noticed that standing up and moving didn’t scare me as much as sitting. But that, we can’t do all the time. So yeah. I have another trip in a week and hopefully, all is well!
Hi Rola, thanks for sharing! It sounds like we definitely have some flying fears in common!!
Speaking of turbulence (especially how bumpy it is), do you fear bumpy landings too? I feel you – sometimes turbulence is very scary unfortunately. When I was on the Air Canada flight from Seoul’s Incheon airport to Vancouver in May 2011, there was a lot of turbulence and we hit an air pocket after takeoff. Then, when we landed, it was very bumpy and everyone started OHing and OUCHing. (Maybe a high school group was on that flight.) but yeah, it was a very bumpy flight and landing. I definitely thought that was a rather “fun” flight with a “funny” reaction from the passengers on landing!
Bumpy landings aren’t fun, but they don’t scare me quite as much. Because at least I know I’m on the ground. 🙂 I know most air accidents happen upon landing or right after takeoff, but for some reason, knowing that we are on the ground helps. And, morbidly, I figure if we’re going to crash upon landing, at least it will happen quick. My biggest fear is being in a plane that is falling out of the sky, and basically being aware of my impending death for several seconds/minutes.
Those types of landings do cause a lot of discomfort though for me. Like you said, they ain’t fun. It makes me feel like the plane is traveling on giant potholes bit by bit or hitting violent turbulence when those wheels touch the ground! What I am worried about though is when overhead compartments open the second after we land. This happens if the landing is too rough. I just wonder sometimes if the luggage would fall. Inside I was gasping for my life… Do you still fear turbulence?
Yikes! I guess I haven’t feared the overheard compartments coming open.
Yes, I still fear turbulence, but mainly only major turbulence. I have gotten a lot better. When I feel turbulence, I think of a car driving over bumps in the road–which is totally normal. Bumps are normal! I also remind myself that the turbulence we feel is actually only the plane moving a tiny, tiny amount–it just feels like it it is moving a lot. These are all things I learned from the book I mentioned in the post. 🙂
I have flown all over the world and detest air turbulence. I flew Sunday from DFW to ABQ and it was the longest 2 hours of my life. You know you are in trouble when the crew has to remain seated. Just a small defect in the fuselage could fail under this extreme stress and the everyone aboard is dead. I personally feel they should cancel flights rather than subject paying customers to this torture. It has been 2 days and my body still feels like it was on a ship – moving. I put headphones on with music and put my head down on the tray table but it is a horrid experience.
I recently got back from New Delhi, India, and I now have a terrible fear of flying. On the flight from Newark to Delhi (15 1/2 hours straight) we hadn’t encountered any turbulence until the last few hours. When we got around Delhi, I looked outside and saw lightning strike right next to the plane and I saw the clouds booming. The plane began to violently shake and you cold hear the thunder. I was slamming into the window next to me and near the edge of having a panic attack. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, the plane dropped for probably 7 seconds. And 7 seconds doesn’t seem like a long time but when your palmist ting through the air at 40,000 feet, it was a very long time. Anyway, after the drop, the Pilot came on the PA sounding very serious, and told the flit attendants to sit down. I even remember one passenger stood up for a brief second and the flight attendant screamed at him from the back of the plane. After about 2 hours of going in circles around Delhi, we finally landed. Now I can say that I am extremely terrified of even the slightest little bump in the air. I want to go back to India many times but I am so scared of the turbulence. My body and mind feel like they have no control whatsoever over themselves and that is why I panicked. But hopefully these tips will help me in the future!
Sarah, thanks for sharing your experience! Just reading it made me feel nervous. I fear if I had a similar experience I’d have to stay in India forever because I wouldn’t want to board another plane, ha!
Forgot to add on, but yet it seems like smoother landings are becoming less and less common (at least for me). When we took off from Incheon, the plane suddenly dropped down because of an air pocket while we were over water. I was like “WHOA!” as we dropped violently. We also hit a lot of turbulence meaning that it was pretty much bumpy for most of the 10 hour flight back to Vancouver. But the landing was worse – the plane was shaking when we were descending and then we just landed with this really big thump that made me feel like the wheels were bouncing on and off the runway. When was the last time you had turbulence? Most of my flights include turbulence and a bumpy landing. Especially when I landed in Minneapolis from Winnipeg!
“I’ve thought about this a lot. Why on earth am I suddenly reacting so poorly? I think it comes down to control. When I’m on a plane, I have absolutely no control over my destiny. My body is hurtling above the earth and I have no control over my life. I also feel trapped.”
Exactly the same, i have to get utterly wasted on alcohol to fly, Even if its a early flight.
Takeoffs are the worst for me. Also that up and down zero-g feeling. I usually take the aisle seat,and don’t look out the window. I try to imagine the plane suddenly dropping and accepting my death. That helps surprisingly!
Haha, sorry to laugh, but in some creepy way I understand “accepting death”. I figure, if the death can happen fast, then it’s not so bad, right? You don’t want to die, of course, but if it’s gonna happen……I want it fast. Unfortunately, drinking on a plane makes me feel sick so I usually turn to anti-anxiety meds.
I wish they could re assure people that turbulence is not dangerous. Now even commonly bird strikes, did u know Canadian geese can fly just as high as jumbo jets. So what happens if u get a strike up there hey???? Your outta luck massively. Flying to Falklands. I am dreading it
Sometimes though, the bumps on the tarmac can be very penetrating too. It might not be very noticeable, other times you’ll really feel it. It just depends on what aircraft you’re in. Trust me, sometimes I’ll hang on to something if I’m really nervous or anxious about something, e.g. Landing. Or maybe I hang on to the seat ahead of me to hold myself in during a bumpy ride. I generally don’t like turbulence either but I have to accept it…
Wow, I just read this post and I don’t think anything has ever described my feelings about flying so accurately! When I was a child there was nothing I loved more than a bumpy flight; people around me (including my parents) were amused/annoyed at how much I enjoyed turbulence. But in the last 10 years or so, I’ve started to really detest it, to the point where I feel insanely terrified every time the plane jolts or shakes (especially during takeoff). Thank you for writing this, I’m a very sensitive person and I have social anxiety disorder (tempted to seek treatment but don’t know where to start) so it was really nice to come across this and see that other people feel this way about flying even if they don’t have anxiety otherwise. This really helped! 🙂
Hi Seema! I’m glad this helped. I actually was on a flight today and was impressed by how much calmer I felt during turbulence. Only one time when it was really bad did I get nervous again. 🙂 Thinking about the tips I mentioned in this article have really helped me. I hope they help you too 🙂
Thanks Kelly, I’ll definitely have to give them a try the next time I get on a flight!
When I read this, I felt as if I wrote this myself. I am only 25 this year, but somehow my fear of flying has gotten over worse over the past year or so. When I was 8 and flew from Beijing to Hong Kong with my family, I remember the turbulence was so bad, that when the plane landed, everybody clapped. Me? I did not feel one bit of fear, instead, it felt like a roller-coaster to me. Throughout the years I had travelled to many places, barely hitting turbulence along the way, and I always loved flying and thought it was so “cool”. Something happened this year, I was on a flight from Orlando to Toronto and the turbulence was bad during landing, that our plane tilted a little bit, it then dropped several feet, and I suddenly felt this type of fear that I never felt in my whole 25 years of living. I looked outside the window, and the wings were going crazy, I thought, this is it, I won’t make it. When the plane landed, I vowed never to fly again…until a few days later, when I had to take a trip from Toronto to Shanghai, that flight wasn’t so bad, but I was definitely scared. During a domestic flight I took in China while I was there, the taking off was so rough, that the plane dropped a few times during the entire 5 minutes of take off. I screamed, sweated, while everybody else was watching movies. The entire domestic flight was a little over an hour, and it felt like the longest hour in my life. I almost cried (I know, this is so extreme) and I had to call assistance because I got so scared. I think watching too many plane crash investigation documentaries definitely contributed to my EXTREME fear of turbulence. Ugh, I want to overcome it because I love travelling, it’s now holding me back and I was flying to New York, but decided to take the bus there instead, this is getting a bit out of control and I don’t know how to help myself…drinking does not help, by the way.
Hi Tina, thank you for your comment. I can totally relate, of course!! I am glad to report that my fear of turbulence has gotten quite a bit better since I wrote this post. I recommend reading the book I mentioned in the post. When the pilot explains turbulence and that feeling like the plane is dropping–you realize that the plane is actually only moving a few inches. I think about being in a car, and how it is bumpy almost all the time in a car. I still get very nervous about severe turbulence, and I still can’t sleep on planes (even in flat beds in business class and overnight). Anti-anxiety meds help. And don’t watch any more documentaries or shows about plane crashes!!!
This is an old article so I hope the author will still read this. While reading this article, I thought you were writing my own story. Every thing you wrote rang true. I, too, was never scared of flying growing up. I took a 3-hour flight (6 hours round trip) at least once a year growing up, and, other than a little anxiety at first, I never feared it. However, I’m now in my mid-30’s and everytime I fly, I get very freaked out at the slightest turbulence. My most recent flight was pretty turbulent the whole time and the girl next to me was obviously concerned about me… I was visibly tensing up everytime there was a little bump… and even worse so when the bumps were big. A female flight attendant even came over to me to talk to me and calm me down. Pretty embarrassing for a grown man.
But it’s not just flying. In my late teens and 20’s, I loved most roller coasters. Now I can’t ride most of them. I used to be able to go up to the sky deck of tall skyscrapers. Then, last year, I went to the top of the new World Trade Center, and my legs were shaking so bad I had to sit down. Just last week, my husband convinced me to climb to the top of Pilgrim Monument, a 252-foot tower in Provincetown, MA… I had to clutch the wall the whole way up the stairs. Even in cars… if I am not in the driver’s seat, it doesn’t matter who is… my father, my husband, I am a nervous wreck, grabbing the “Oh Shit Bar” all the time.
I agree with what you think it comes down to… control. I have been petrified of dying for a long time and I think that not being in control brings that fear forward.
Anyways, I just wanted to thank you sincerely for this article. You gave some good tips that I am going to try next time (I have tried watching the flight attendants, but my brain counters their calmness by thinking they’re professionals and can mask it if they’re worried).
Hi Gregg, thanks so much for your comment. I am glad this blog was helpful for you!! 🙂
Great article! But the million dollar question is… when you wrote this post on the plane, was there crazy turbulence?!
I’m 75% considering changing my flight to another day just to avoid flying during a thunderstorm because I’m terrified of flying. But another part of me wants to tackle this fear of mine, because as you state, having a fear is such a huge burden, I mean how much time do we waste thinking about the worst!? This is why I want to tackle my fear of turbulence/flying!
Thanks!
Lisa
http://www.theeverydayelevated.com
Hi Lisa! Thanks for your comment. There was not terrible turbulence when I wrote that post. 🙂 I highly recommend reading the book I mentioned–the one written by the pilot. It helped me SO much to realize that when you feel turbulence, most of the time the plane is only moving a few inches, even though it feels like feet! I always remind myself of that.
Wow!! What a story!! But there’s just one other question… Does a rough landing bother you much??? It for sure bothers me and the bumpiness at times can be too much for me!
Hi Kelly, I know this entry is 3 years old so I hope you’re still reading this. Thank you for sharing this because I can absolute resonate with everything you’ve written here. Reading your post and all these comments comforts me because I’m glad I’m not the only person who kinda freaks out every time a flight gets extra bumpy.
Turbulence didn’t scare me as a kid but one bad long haul flight from Hong Kong to Chicago (crazy turbulence that lasted for hours) ruined it for me. Ever since then, I sorta freak out whenever a flight gets slightly bumpier than what I’m comfortable with. It’s the dreaded feeling of not being in control and the plane dropping in altitude that makes me extremely uncomfortable.
People think I’m being silly, especially since my brother is a pilot. But believe me, no matter how many times I’ve spoken to him about it and tried understanding the theory of turbulences, I still panic when I’m experiencing it. Because knowing and experiencing it are two different things to me.
But what I find sometimes helps (apart from grabbing my husband’s hand tightly too) is to look around the plane at other passengers who look like frequent flyers and see how they react to the turbulence. If they remain calm and continue with what they’re doing, then it’s likely just a common turbulence. And most of the time, they are calm and relaxed. I still feel extremely uncomfortable and panic a little, but I try to convince myself that everything is normal and it’s going to be okay.
Thanks for your comforting post and tips! I’ll be sure to remember them the next time I fly (which is in a couple of weeks’ time.)
Thanks for sharing!! Good luck 🙂
Same here , turbulence makes me nervous and take off gives me panic attack. the solution for me is anxiety pill called “diazepam”. its relaxes my nerves and calm and sleep. i only use it on flight . never take it without doctor’s permission and never take more than 2 tablets . otherwise it can make you addicted of it. i have used it only before take off and effect lasts over 8 hours. and don’t drink alcohol in flight if you took this .this was life saver for me coz i almost quit flying. also you should check if this happens to you during amusement ride such as roller coaster.or overspeeding car.i was scared of amusement ride i am a complete chicken. i was nervous on cruise ship too. another solution is expensive but should work.no one has tried it it is just me. fly 4 times a month and you mightbe used to of it if you are the one who feels better on returning flight then this might work for you. i am scared when i fly after long time.Conclusion: sedative(anxiety pill) helped me a lot. deep breathing,maditation,noise cancelling headphone with motivational music on etc. are also some helpful tasks.
Hi Nav, diazepam is also known as Valium. I haven’t tried that but I have used Xanax for flying. You are right that these drugs should be taken with care and under a doctor’s recommendation. They can be very helpful for anxious situations! Sometimes just knowing I have the pill available makes me feel better. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Kelly,
I just wanted to thank you for writing this article as it does truly make me feel not alone about my fear of turbulence. I have a similar experience as I flew several times as a kid and I feel like up until 2 years ago is when I started to get more and more anxious. My brain just can’t shut it off and I start thinking about a flight even if it’s a week away. I don’t mind landings so much or even a little bumpiness but it’s when the plane suddenly drops that really scares me thus why I do not ride roller coasters! It is completely about control as you said in a car yes it can be bumpy but you have control and can stop or pull over if needed. On a plane there’s no where to go and you just have to pray that everything is going to be okay. I’m flying tomorrow very short less then 2 hour flight and I even check the weather forecast to see if any bad weather is in the path. I’m hoping I can get over this fear as my husband wants to travel to many places and I’m going to use your tips tomorrow!
Hi April! I’m sorry you also have issues with turbulence. Honestly these tips (and the book I recommended) helped me a LOT. I always tell myself to think of going over bumps in a car—those are harmless, and so are the bumps in the air. Good luck!!
I have been a pilot of small aircraft for 20 years. Last year I was flying and got into some very turbulent air. I could barely control the plane and even setup to make an emergency landing. Luckily as I descended it smoothed out. Unfortunately not long after this flight I was injured and unable to fly for 6 months. Now this summer while flying (working) when I hit even the smallest bulbs all the thoughts you said I have bit I am alone. I yell at myself that its fine and this is normal but I just can’t shake that dealing of doom.
I have given up alcohol and caffeine in hopes this will help and even seen a doctor but I am sure these will all take. I am on the verge of ending my career.
I’m so happy and beyond relieved to have found this article. I have a terrible fear of flying, which only came about within the last couple of years or so. I’ve been having difficultly understanding why all of a sudden I have this paralyzing fear of being on a plane given that I have been flying my entire life. A friend of mine is a pilot for AA and I’ve been able to gain a lot of insight through him, which has helped ease my anxiety a bit. I also practice deep breathing exercises to help me through moments of tough turbulence. I love to travel and I’m about to embark on a 6 month world tour and I’m determined to embrace flying again. Thank you again for your wonderful article.
Thanks Colleen! glad it was helpful! 🙂
I’m probably worse than you, I also did horrible on a cruise. Motion sickness has caused me to be limited to my travels.
I believe I’ve got my nail prints in some planes. Today, unless it’s a must I don’t fly or take cruises. Sometimes it’s even hard to ride in the backseat of a car.
Glad to know, I’m not alone. Thanks for sharing
One poster made a revealing comment about how often they fly. If you haven’t flown in a long time, it can be more nerve-racking to experience turbulence than if you’re a frequent flier. Still, I fly often and still get nervous during turbulence, although less than when I was an infrequent flier. I agree with posters that cite lack of control, and anxiety about what’s ahead, that contributes. You can’t see turbulence coming, and small bumps can often be the pre-cursor of bigger ones to come. I try to play games with myself, thinking that the turbulent air is behind me. It also helps if the flight is nearing its end, since I’ll be on the ground soon!
Thanks a lot for putting my fear into words. I will try these tactics on the next flight. Thanks a lot for help
Thank you all for sharing your fears on this topic. It has been some time since this was published, but just in case anyone is still reading it, I thought I would add my 2 cents. I have flown a about 500,000 thousand miles in my life and have become increasingly more afraid of turbulence. My brain knows what it is and knows it will not cause us to “fall from the sky” and crash, but when it happens, I immediately tense and my heart starts to race. I have learned a few things that help me feel more in control, and maybe they will help you too. The first is that I always sit on the wings, since this is the center of gravity of a plane and the least likely to fluctuate. The tail seats are the worst for when turbulence hits. Most planes have wifi now, and as soon as we can use devices, I open turbulenceforecast.com which shows pilot reports of where turbulence is, and I track my flight on flightaware.com. You can see the route the plane is taking and the radar. I find that I am less likely to react when I know where the rough air is vs. being surprised by it. Granted you can always have clean air turbulence but if I know we are flying by a stormy area, my brain relaxes knowing why the plane is bumping a bit. While I prefer aisle seats, I like being able to see out of the window. It does help to know we are really not really changing altitude and if I can see the clouds, it helps my brain process the rough air. Finally, and this may sound silly, one tip I read was that if you bounce up and down in your seat harder than the turbulence is moving you, it won’t bother you as much or at all. You may look ridiculous to your seat mates, but if it helps you relax, who cares? Good luck to all and safe travels!
I’m also looking to resolve the fear I have when flying. I’ve never enjoyed flying right from a young age. In my older years I’ve used drugs to try and control my anxiety and sleeping pills called Stilnox for long overseas jaunts. I have stopped taking anything on domestic flights and try to tolerate what comes which often leaves me worn out from trying to manage it. I actually have no fear that the plane is about to crash or drop out of the sky, my mind is quite fine there, but my body reacts so poorly during the mildest of turbulence it’s just miserable. It’s got worse more recently and take off with any bumps or drops sends my body into a panic. Descending funnily enough doesn’t bother me unless it’s especially turbulent. I’ve tried music, breathing, looking around at everyone else, TV, etc etc and the only thing that works as someone suggested here is wriggling around in my seat to counteract the motion. And you’re right, you get a few looks. I’m actually going as far now to see which part of my brain is kicking off this reaction to my body and finding out if there’s something I can take so when I fly I can actually do it without the dread that currently exists.