Aerophobia, or the fear of flying, can drastically impact someone’s life. It can make it impossible for them to fly on an airplane. Many people do experience some sort of anxiety when flying. However, aerophobia brings about an intense panic and extreme fear that is difficult to control as well as some other uncomfortable symptoms. Here’s more information about aerophobia.
Causes
The fear of flying can be caused by a wide variety of things. It’s not uncommon for it to be inherited. If a child sees that their parents have a fear of flying, they will often develop this same fear as well. Seeing a plane crash either online or on TV can cause someone to develop aerophobia. Those who have a fear of flying also tend to have other phobias such as claustrophobia or acrophobia.
Symptoms
In addition to panic and anxiety about flying, there are other symptoms that occur when someone suffers from aerophobia. They include cold and trembling hands, a rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, uncontrollable shaking and nausea or vomiting. These symptoms can occur before someone evens sets foot on an airplane. The mere act of thinking about flying can send someone who suffers from a fear of flying into a panic.
Treating Fear of Flying
There are some treatments available to help individuals deal with their aerophobia. Both exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy tend to be rather effective. Anti-anxiety medication can be helpful as well. Some individuals will need to try a variety of different treatments in order to figure out which one works best for them.
Now this site is not a substitute for those who could benefit from therapy. This is for those of you who the fear is simply holding you back. Have you always wanted to go to Europe (or fill in the blank here) but you don’t do it because you are afraid to fly? Could you take small steps to get over your fear? What are you waiting for?
Doctors Fear Flying Too
Dr Lina Velikova is a sleep expert who also happens to have a huge fear of flying. Like many people it’s affected both her personal and professional life. This has been a lifelong challenge dating back to childhood. Like most people, she didn’t actually have a traumatic event that triggered her fear. “I just remember being incredibly anxious a couple of days before my flights and it would take me a few more to recover from the trip. My fear grew as I was getting older so I ended up avoiding traveling to faraway places since I couldn’t drive to those”.
Lina’s fear of flying presented challenges for per professionally since many of the conferences she wanted to attend were often held on different continents. It can be a real challenge to deal with your fear of flying and travel to meet your professional needs. “One day I decided I would stop worrying about my fears and expose myself until I stopped being so afraid. Luckily, my medical knowledge helped me understand how the human brain works and what is needed to overcome fear. One month I signed up for 3 conferences and bought my tickets before I could change my mind. That month was incredibly stressful, but by the end of the last flight, I already felt more relaxed than usual. I kept going and visited 14 different countries in one year”.
Like many people who suffer from fear of flying, Lina still get anxious on the plane, but it doesn’t stop her from going places. “My career has benefited a lot from this decision as well as my private life. Most importantly, I have learned that I am the one controlling my emotions and not vice versa. Fear is just one of them and no matter how strong it is, I won’t let it stop me from living my life to the fullest”.
Dr. Lina Velikova, MD
disturbmenot.co
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tsvetelina-velikova-md-phd-18a54625/