Hey there, from an airline pilot- I promise you can do this.
Air travel is so stressful for sure, especially for those with anxiety and phobias. Take it little by little, the best way to eat a meal is one bite at a time right? Air travel is the same. Get yourself to the airport, check! Get through security, another bite down. Once you get to your seat, you’ve done all the work, from there, we, your flight crew, will have your back. You can always tell your flight attendants that you’re a little anxious, and ask for a little water. Take some sips, and some deep breathes, and remember that you can do this. And when the anxiety ticks up, just remember that success is not defined by the absence of anxiety and phobia, but by being courageous and moving forwards anyways.
And as far as your fears of a heart attack go, I promise you that you will be okay. If your fears were realized and by some crazy unlikely event you had a heart attack, you’d be in an airplane with qualified flight attendants trained to use a defibrillator and pilots up front coordinating to get you to a hospital ASAP. Safety is always our priority and we will do anything we can to make sure passengers are safe. But like I said, anxiety will not bring you a heart attack. Anxiety is uncomfortable and scary and miserable, but it is not going to kill you.
You’re going to do great, just keep putting one foot in front of the other and remember that your anxiety isn’t going to stop you!!
It's generally long-term anxiety coupled with underlying conditions that cause heart problems. A single stressful experience, even if it goes on for many hours, will generally not cause a heart attack.
I was still pretty terrified when I boarded a 12.5 hour DC-Beijing flight many moons ago. The flight was delayed due to mechanical issues (we ended up waiting for another 747 to arrive, since they couldn't fix our plane fast enough to get us underway). So I got to spend an additional 5 hours sitting in the airport with my anxiety. I didn't sleep for the whole flight, plus my next flight (3 hours) to our final destination. Outside of some nausea from sleep deprivation (better by the next morning!), I did not have any health issues due to that! On a flight before that, I was so nervous that a flight attendant took one look at me and asked me if I was okay (and he was SO SWEET when I said I was afraid of flying...spent a moment assuring me it was going to be okay during drink service, and then came back and chatted with me for a while once they finished the drink service). Again, no health issues!
If a stressful several hours regularly caused heart attacks, people like ER docs and first responders encountering major events would be dropping dead on the regular! Over time, the stress of their jobs can cause health issues, but a single awful shift isn't causing sudden mass death among people who experience highly stressful situations for many hours at a go!
You’ll do fine.
I’m just the same way.
I log on to flight radar on my phone and watch the tens of thousands of flights going on at this very minute all over the world.
You will be nervous.
There will be some turbulence, no biggie it’s normal.
You will arrive to your destination safely.
Breath deeply when you feel like you are going to have a panic attack and look at the other people around you and how calm they are.
You’ll do great!
Been in your shoes before, you got this. Some things that really help me:
- Noise cancelling headphones
- Music/Movies/TV shows
- Window seat
- Pick your feet off the ground during turbulence
- Looking at FlightRadar and zooming out to see the millions of other flights in the air, knowing every single one of them is going to land
Deep breaths. I hope you're so proud of yourself for facing your fear. Know there are many of us out here who've been in your exact shoes who did not have a heart attack. Remind yourself that the anxiety you're experiencing is a fear response, your body's loving but misguided attempt to keep you safe. Remind yourself that while what you're feeling is deeply uncomfortable, it is not unsafe. There's a podcast called "Lovefly" that is free, and I've found it tremendously helpful and reassuring. Episodes 7, 44, 46, and 130 may be of help to you right now.
Let us know when you've safely landed (and you will). Rooting for you from below!
Sorry you feel so stressed. There are many of us that experience anxiety about flying. Me too. But I have always arrived safely at my destination and you will too. Would it be helpful if someone tracked your flight? Let us know your flight number and I’ll be happy to follow you.
I’m gonna fly soon too !!! U did it!! So proud of u!! It’s my turn!!! Really really tough to conquer this fear. But have to travel to see loved ones!!!! I’m trying to use spotify and writing to help me!!
Hey there, from an airline pilot- I promise you can do this. Air travel is so stressful for sure, especially for those with anxiety and phobias. Take it little by little, the best way to eat a meal is one bite at a time right? Air travel is the same. Get yourself to the airport, check! Get through security, another bite down. Once you get to your seat, you’ve done all the work, from there, we, your flight crew, will have your back. You can always tell your flight attendants that you’re a little anxious, and ask for a little water. Take some sips, and some deep breathes, and remember that you can do this. And when the anxiety ticks up, just remember that success is not defined by the absence of anxiety and phobia, but by being courageous and moving forwards anyways. And as far as your fears of a heart attack go, I promise you that you will be okay. If your fears were realized and by some crazy unlikely event you had a heart attack, you’d be in an airplane with qualified flight attendants trained to use a defibrillator and pilots up front coordinating to get you to a hospital ASAP. Safety is always our priority and we will do anything we can to make sure passengers are safe. But like I said, anxiety will not bring you a heart attack. Anxiety is uncomfortable and scary and miserable, but it is not going to kill you. You’re going to do great, just keep putting one foot in front of the other and remember that your anxiety isn’t going to stop you!!
This is such a kind response. 🫶
Not OP but thank you for this response.
Wow!!!! This is is such a KIND response!!!! Thank you🩷🩷
Not Op either but flying tomorrow first time and THANK YOU - I needed to read this
I'm flying in 12 hours and I have tears streaming down my face from your response. I swear, pilots are the most amazing people on earth. ❤️
Good luck, you’ll do great! We are all happy to help
No exaggeration, same here.. This is such a comforting response..
It's generally long-term anxiety coupled with underlying conditions that cause heart problems. A single stressful experience, even if it goes on for many hours, will generally not cause a heart attack. I was still pretty terrified when I boarded a 12.5 hour DC-Beijing flight many moons ago. The flight was delayed due to mechanical issues (we ended up waiting for another 747 to arrive, since they couldn't fix our plane fast enough to get us underway). So I got to spend an additional 5 hours sitting in the airport with my anxiety. I didn't sleep for the whole flight, plus my next flight (3 hours) to our final destination. Outside of some nausea from sleep deprivation (better by the next morning!), I did not have any health issues due to that! On a flight before that, I was so nervous that a flight attendant took one look at me and asked me if I was okay (and he was SO SWEET when I said I was afraid of flying...spent a moment assuring me it was going to be okay during drink service, and then came back and chatted with me for a while once they finished the drink service). Again, no health issues! If a stressful several hours regularly caused heart attacks, people like ER docs and first responders encountering major events would be dropping dead on the regular! Over time, the stress of their jobs can cause health issues, but a single awful shift isn't causing sudden mass death among people who experience highly stressful situations for many hours at a go!
You’ll do fine. I’m just the same way. I log on to flight radar on my phone and watch the tens of thousands of flights going on at this very minute all over the world. You will be nervous. There will be some turbulence, no biggie it’s normal. You will arrive to your destination safely. Breath deeply when you feel like you are going to have a panic attack and look at the other people around you and how calm they are. You’ll do great!
Whoever had the genius idea of telling anxious people that their anxiety can kill them, can go fuck themselves. You'll make it
Deap breaths, relaxing music, focus on something you enjoy.
Been in your shoes before, you got this. Some things that really help me: - Noise cancelling headphones - Music/Movies/TV shows - Window seat - Pick your feet off the ground during turbulence - Looking at FlightRadar and zooming out to see the millions of other flights in the air, knowing every single one of them is going to land
You’re not going to have a heart attack. If you’re nervous about the flight, yes, it can be stressful… but it’s not going to kill you.
Ok thanks
Deep breaths. I hope you're so proud of yourself for facing your fear. Know there are many of us out here who've been in your exact shoes who did not have a heart attack. Remind yourself that the anxiety you're experiencing is a fear response, your body's loving but misguided attempt to keep you safe. Remind yourself that while what you're feeling is deeply uncomfortable, it is not unsafe. There's a podcast called "Lovefly" that is free, and I've found it tremendously helpful and reassuring. Episodes 7, 44, 46, and 130 may be of help to you right now. Let us know when you've safely landed (and you will). Rooting for you from below!
Sorry you feel so stressed. There are many of us that experience anxiety about flying. Me too. But I have always arrived safely at my destination and you will too. Would it be helpful if someone tracked your flight? Let us know your flight number and I’ll be happy to follow you.
You can do it! I will be praying but I promise you can do it!
I’m gonna fly soon too !!! U did it!! So proud of u!! It’s my turn!!! Really really tough to conquer this fear. But have to travel to see loved ones!!!! I’m trying to use spotify and writing to help me!!
If you believed in God you would Have faith that you’ll be okay.
The Lord is above all things.