Come Fly With Me

Summer is fast approaching and for many of us it’s a time to get outside and enjoy the weather (ok, sometimes) and feel relaxed as we prepare for our holidays. I know that a lot of people choose to holiday in the UK these days with the cost of some Holidays overseas this makes sense.

Lots of people who want to go abroad have one thing stopping them the Aeroplane, A recent survey showed that nearly 40 % of people have some sort of anxiety about flying.
The fear of flying is commonly known as Aviophobia; this can cause high levels of anxiety, sweating, panic attacks, muscle catalepsy,
dizziness and so much more. This fear can literary make you feel like this is your last moment on earth as you board a plane.

But why should this fear ruin your chance to be able to see the world or travel to a beautiful destination to have a break from the stresses that life can give us on a daily occurrence.
There are lots of reasons why people have a fear of flying and below is a list of some of the causes.

• Fear of heights
• Fear of being over water or having the aircraft land in water
• Fear of the dark (flying at night)
• Fear of the unknown
• Concerns about airline accidents or from hijackings, bombings, and other deliberate attacks
• Being in an enclosed or crowded space
• Being idle for long periods of time
• Loss of personal freedom
• The security screening process
• Concerns about turbulence and other weather conditions
• Not understanding the sights, sounds, and sensations of a normal flight
• Loss of control, or being dependent on technology or people
• Issues from past psychological or physical trauma

I’m sure that most of us can look at the list and relate to one of the items that may have caused some sort of anxiety in ourselves. I can give you an example that left me fearing for passengers and my own security, in 2003 I flew to New York and as we we’re approaching to land three guys got up and started to walk around the plane after the seat belt light had gone on, the air stewardess told them to sit down but they wanted to get something out of a bag above the seat. They spoke very poor English and she didn’t know what they wanted, anyway after getting them seated she subsequently found out that they were after some boiled sweets due to the their ears popping, and one guy had them in his bag. You could feel the panic and fear running straight through that aircraft as everyone thought the same thing. It was two years after 9/11 and we were landing in New York; it was a human nature reaction. We all knew what had happened on 9/11 we were flying to the destination of where it happened and all of a sudden three men start to get up as we approach to land. The fear from in the plane was bought on by the peoples own experience of what they had seen on 9/11 on TV.

These sorts of Fears and Phobias can stay with you for life, you go through an emotional feeling that incurs fight or flight your subconscious immediately picks up on this and stores it as a memory for you to react upon in the future, it creates a fear of the emotion or environment.

I’m going to help you overcome your fear of flying, you have to put in the work before you fly, but it’s worth it and can make your flying experience seem like a whole new adventure.

First of all read through this a few times, find somewhere quiet for half an hour, play some soft music and unplug your phone.

I want you to take in three big deep breaths and feel yourself relaxing let go of any muscle tenseness or anxiety.
I want you to imagine, sense or feel that you have a holiday brochure to a part of the world that you wish to visit looking through the brochure you feel a sense of excitement it may be a tingle or like butterflies in your tummy this is perfectly normal everyone has this feeling this is the excitement of booking your far away holiday you have now decided where you want to go, the hotel, the resort and when you want to go.

I now want you to imagine sense or feel that you are in the travel agents booking your wonderful holiday and again there is the feeling of excitement as you sign the booking form but now the reality sets in you have never flown before the excitement is turning to nerves. Stop take three long deep breaths and as you do this you feel a sense of wellbeing and calm beginning to take over just like a wave, a wave washing over you a wave of relaxation helping you to feel calm and relaxed.

Now imagine yourself going to the shops to buy your holiday clothes again the excitement is there choosing your swim wear, sarongs,
sandals, t-shirts, shorts and all your families clothes. Now take three long deep breaths. The wave of relaxation is again washing over
you making you feel calm and relaxed

Still feeling calm and relaxed I now want you to imagine sense or feel that you are starting to pack your case you have made a list of all
 the things that you want to pack, lay out all your close on the bed and using your list, start your packing placing each item off the list
into your case, your case is now filling up and again the wave is washing over you, you may not have noticed but without being told
you have taken the three long deep breaths to help the wave wash over you.

Feeling calm and relaxed now on your drive to the airport you almost forget that you used to have fears, notice now how we use the
words used to because as of now you no longer have a fear of flying, as of now you no longer fear flying there is nothing to harm you,
nothing to hurt you, and nothing to bother you
 
As you check in your luggage take three long deep breaths and again the wave is there washing away any last little fears that there may be as you watch your luggage go away to be placed on the plane and as you walk into the lounge of the airport you see all the people who will be travelling today all the hustle and bustle of the airport, people going on holiday, people who work in the airport, going about there daily work.

You buy your duty free and then before you know it you are called to the departure lounge and as this happens the wave is with you again what a wonderful feeling so relaxed so calm, so relaxed and so calm in the knowledge that you know that the ground staff have done there checks, just like you did before you left home to make sure that everything is safe, safe for you to fly because you know that if it was not they would not let you get on the plane they would not have called you to the departure lounge,

As you now go to the gate to board the plane you feel so calm and so relaxed walking down to the plane again the wave is with you taking over now as you board the plane feeling so calm and so relaxed being shown to your seat and stowing your hand luggage in the compartment above or under the seat and making your self comfortable in your seat the wave is with you again as you settle in your seat what a wonderful feeling of relaxation and calmness, everyone in there place now safe and sound with the knowledge that everything is safe, safe for you to fly, to fly to your wonderful well deserved holiday a holiday that you deserve so much.
 
As the plane now taxis down the run way the relaxation has now taken over you feel every muscle in your body so calm and so relaxed you sit back and enjoy the take off as you go up, up and away on your journey to a wonderful and well deserved holiday and now as the plane levels off the pilot welcomes you to the plane tells you all the details of the flight and as he does this the wave is there with you again this time take your three long deep breaths and relax and enjoy the rest of your flight reading a book or doing puzzles what ever you want but so relaxed and so calm and before you know where you are you are preparing for the landing the pilot is telling you the local time and what the weather is like in your holiday destination and as the plane comes in to land you feel so good so relaxed and so calm looking forward to the rest of your holiday.

You must do this exercise regularly to get the full benefit from it, I have helped lots of people overcome this fear and it has changed their life for the better enabling them to go and enjoy their holiday. You can also look around and find some great audio cd’s and books on fear of flying, try them you may unlock the door to a new adventure.