Ngl yall im getting an extreme fear of flying again with everything going on with crashes and all, and being a new father.
Any tips to manage this anxiety? ๐ #asknostr
Discussion
Focus on the day to day and only on things you can control.
You can control whether you get on an unsafe aircraft operated by bloodthirsty corporation people
I was just talking about this with someone I met a few days ago. How I never had a fear of flying before but somehow, this admin, has been able to create one in me. And I know itโs one of the lesser issues we should be talking about but itโs also insane we arenโt all talking about it.
I hate Trump but if he gave you a fear of flying, that's a good thing
Wanting to board unsafe aircraft is a major monke brain flaw in our species and there aren't many safe aircraft anymore as a result
The planes werenโt the issue (except some Boeing ones). Itโs the air traffic controllers being let go! Most of the accidents going on right now have nothing to do with the safety of the aircraft but the airline traffic in airspace, particularly around airports, or the traffic of the runways.
An Airbus is about 100x safer than a Boeing in my view, but an Airbus still stalls at over 100mph because people's monke brains prefer speed and cheapness over safety
Accidents aren't as deadly in safer aircraft. A really well built private jet crashed into a tiny little single engine SR22 on the way to land in Denver Colorado about 4 years ago and both still landed with no reported injuries. But the SR22 has still had over 100 people die in crashes, even with its built in parachute
Xanax.
I was having anxiety about flying for a little bit and then I realized I have no control here. Whatever happens happens. Now I enjoy flying precisely because I have no control over the experience
Look back at your life and count how many times 1. the thing you were worried about actually happened (very few) and 2. something you weren't worried about did happen, and everything was ok.
pranayama helps
so does music with a good beat, makes the turbulence feel like dancing
Some alcohol during the flight
Don't fly.
It's not worth it unless it's to deliver a vital organ for a transplant or something.
There's enough shit to see within driving distance of you, and there's enough time to get everywhere with trains and boats if your life is dedicated to seeing more than what's in driving distance.
Planes cause some of the worst pollution. A climate scientist was also fired in the past couple years for refusing to take a plane on a business trip.
Airlines are some of the most evil corporate monsters at war with the planet.
I know it's cold comfort to know that it's still the safest way to travel, so I won't lean in to that. I guess what took me into my early 30s to truly learn is that worrying and anxiety won't prevent the future from happening, it only prevents you from enjoying the present. Having said that, it's human to worry but it's a problem when it takes over your life. One strategy I've used is allowing myself to worrying for a set period of time, breathing, focusing on what's important, forgiving myself for it, allowing it to pass, and then moving on. As a father of a teenager and a preteen, I also try to be aware that anxieties and fears get passed down from parent to child. My mom struggled with anxiety issues and I really try my best to break that cycle with my kids.
To add, it's important to reflect on the anxiety and worry.
It's not the safest way to travel
People say that based on shit like comparing deaths per mile to cars without comparing deaths per hour or other metrics where the plane loses
Fundamentally it's definitely not as safe as a train or a bus
Correction: might be deaths per interstate hour or something where cars best planes
But again, buses and trains are definitely safer than planes in the US
Interesting. Perhaps the reason they use deaths per mile prevalent is to normalize the data? I could see one problem with a deaths per hour metric being that travel by bus or car would take roughly 7 times as long to get to a given destination. I dunno, I suppose it's more nuanced so thanks for the info. Personally I wish there were more rail lines in North America.
Deaths per mile is the metric to use if you have to travel a certain number of miles per year
But if you have a certain amount of vacation time each year, deaths per hour might be more relevant
Glad you agree we need more rail lines ๐๐ thank you friend
I wish Amtrak was run well. Doesnโt cover going overseas though.
Need more sailboats selling tickets to go overseas
Pop a 100mg edible before you go in the airport.
Inspect the cockpit before the the aircraft door closes.
your anxiety is rooted in the inability to deal with situations you can't control. this is going to apply to a lot of things other than flying, especially in parenting.
I'd recommend figuring out how to be okay being in situations that aren't totally under your control. might be time to talk to someone about it and work through whatever internal conflicts you have.
Go to flight radar site and see the thousands of planes that take off and land around the world without incident. Then think of the people who work in a plane every day and how they fly with no issues. Hopefully this will bring calm that the odds are in your favor. Flying on mass is a good decision but at times can be unlucky.
The more an airline values their reputation, the better they will be about maintenance and safety. Don't ever fly private, they are much more lax about these things.
I get crazy anxiety when I fly as well, I listen to old Allen Watts lectures, they calm me for some reason. Also I try not to use it as a crutch but 2 whiskeys before takeoff always helps
If you drive, imagine you're the pilot "driving really fast" to help feel more in control.
This is what I do as a passenger in a car, but it works in a plane too.
I hate flying, but not for safety/anxiety reasons. Just because I hate the whole logistics of it.
For reducing anxiety, I would point to the statistics. Driving is more dangerous. Every plane that goes down is a tragedy but even with this latest uptick, the probability of it happening to you is tiny.
Two shots of Jack and a 10mg Valium?
Don't fly
Pray that God have mercy on you and deliver you safely to your destination.
Once the plane takes off, thereโs nothing you can do about it. Stressing about it will accomplish nothing.