Anxiety on plane

[Angiecis22]

So I'm going on holiday this Friday and will be on the plane for 2 hours max and this will be my first time on a plane since suffering with anxiety.

I'm really excited to go coz not only will I get nice 2 weeks off from work I will also see my grandparents which I haven't seen for a year and just a lot of other people I know including friends so I'm really excited as always and I don't mind the plane either I love flying but what worries me is having an anxiety attack on the plane. I'm worried I'll start getting breathless and feel dizzy ect. And I'm trying not to think about it as I know thinking about stuff like that can trigger attacks so yeah. Has anyone here be on a plane with anxiety yet? And if so what do you do to stay calm?

[Macs123]

Never been on a plane with my anxiety but just wanted to say a few things that could help

First of all do you have a method to calm yourself down eg, breathing into a bag, listening to music or anything that can take your mind of it

Another thing I did when feeling anxious in these situations like when I was in a long road trip I used to tell myself that there wasn't long left until I am out the car (or in your perspective the plane)

Hope you have a good holiday you deserve a break and I hope any of these points can help you in anyway

[Angiecis22 in reply to Macs123]

I usually calm myself down by trying to distract myself in whatever way but at the same time keep telling myself "it's all anxiety you've had this for 8 months every time you survived it there's nothing wrong" ect and eventually I do calm down

[Angiecis22]

That's really good to hear! I won't let fear stop me from going on a holiday no matter how bad I'm gonna feel on that day lets just hope nothing will happen either! I'm glad I've been on a plane before and I enjoy flying as I'm sure I'd be panicking now xD I'm so glad you faced your fears well done for that!

[Hopefulone]

Hi. I have a fear of flying and terrible anxiety, loads of symptoms too. I am in Poland now from the UK and I was totally fine with flight. I took a propranolol. They are a god send. They just totally calm you down and stop symptoms. They block adrenaline, this why they are so good. Also, don't fight your anxiety, worrying is fuelling the fear. Rather, say if I feel tense, THATS OK. I will just breath slow, close my eyes and focus on the happy destination. With every passing minute you are getting closer. I find writing on my ipad is a great distraction and time flies. Write anything, a poem, some jokes, a travel journal, how you feel, even your own best advice about travelling that you are experiencing on the plane to help others. You will distract your brain so much it will not feel fear or anxiety. Hope this helps a little.

[Angiecis22 in reply to Hopefulone]

I'm going to Poland too! Haha what a coincidence. And I'm glad to hear that you're fine on the plane even that you have fear of flights and you're still fine it gives me hope I'll be fine too. I feel like I'm more anxious that something will happen with my heart as obvs pressure goes up and this whole anxiety thing makes me think there's something wrong with my heart so I think deep down somewhere that's what's causing me a worry like "what if it's not anxiety and it's a heart condition and I'll have a heart attack"

[Hopefulone in reply to Angiecis22]

Again, I had this same fear. I demanded that the doctor send me to hospital and get me a 24 hour ECG. He did. And guess what? Results came back fine. Good rhythm, good bpm. All this even though I had strange pains around my chest and palpitations. Tell the doctor your concerns and one by one get the, checked out. This will give you confidence in your body. When you travel, focus on our messages. I fly back this afternoon and there is no reason why it shouldn't be the same as when I arrived.