CRUSH YOUR FEAR OF FLYING WITH THESE FIVE TIPS

I love exploring new places and meeting new people but over the last few years a creeping fear of flying has kept me grounded in my wanderlust ways. After lots of attempts to shake my nerves I finally got my wings again at the end of 2014 on a press trip to Dublin and now the worlds my oyster!

For those who suffer from aerophobia – a fear of flying – my heart goes out to you as I know how debilitating it can be. So many times we have gone to book holidays abroad only for me to cancel last minute due to feeling anxious and physically sick.

If there's one thing I love about blogging it's sharing stories in the hopes it can help, inspire or relate to something someone else might be going through. So how did I get from a shaking leaf to my first solo flight within a few months? Here are my top five tips of how to crush your fear of flying and explore the world.

1. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.

So although this sounds rather simple and for those who have a crippling fear and think this quite ridiculous, stick with me. Planning to overcome a fear by taking the plunge doesn't always work but planning a flight and booking a date in the future as a goal to work towards is a bit different. Committing to overcoming your fear and giving you the motivation to work towards changing your view on flying is always going to help. Give yourself a few months to play with.

2. Get Help.

No one said overcoming a phobia was easy and you shouldn't have to do it alone. During my months before take off I booked three hypnotherapy sessions and also some acupuncture to ground myself. Hypnotherapy works by rewiring your thought processes attached to flying and helps alleviate the triggers. I was quite skeptical that this would work but went along anyway, my trigger was the sensation of take off and turbulence, which would make me think we would fall out of the sky.  Once it came to the flight the anxiety surrounding take off melted away and the panic sensations that I would normally feel didn't surface.

3. Use Relaxation Techniques.

Using deep relaxation techniques can calm your mind and your body to help alleviate anxiety. While at home listen to Yoga Nidra, a sleep like state used when meditating. You can find various versions on You Tube and you can also download it to your phone to listen to before take off.

4. Choose Your Seat.

There's lots of talk about where the safest seat on a plane is, but when booking your flight it always helps to book your seat. What would make you feel better? Claustrophobic? Sit near an emergency exit. Turbulence? Sit in front of the wing. Fear of heights? Sit in an aisle seat or find a row with no window. Planning your seat take allows you to feel in control of your flight, which in turn can ease anxiety.

5. Medication.

Not everyones cup of tea, but if all else fails using a prescribed drug such as Diazepam can help suppress your anxiety by acting as a nerve calming agent. If you use this for your first flight you can ease yourself into flying, lowering the dose until you have mastered your fear.

So that's it in a nutshell, I used all of these techniques to help me get my wings and I can't wait to start planning trip for 2015. How do you feel when flying?

A GOOD BOOK // A First Book of Nature

This fantastic introduction to nature should be on every child's shelf. Page after page of vibrant illustrations captures the snippets of stories, poems and facts of the simple and beautiful world around us. Divided into the four seasons, A First Book of Nature takes you through a year discovering the delights of each – from croaking frogs to summer bird song, transforming caterpillars to changing leaves, rainbows to the first frost – it evokes the childhood memories of discovery and the playground on our doorstep.

F loves to pour over the pages describing the delicate balance of nature, the importance of the humble earthworm and the blanket of stars above our heads. It's a book I will cherish as he grows.

GET YOUR CRAFT ON // DIY SENSORY BOX

When stuck at home with a sick toddler you have to get creative on the entertainment front. So after way too much TV I decided to make a rice sensory box for F. After hearing from friends how great they are at helping concentration levels and swallowing hours of the day, I set to work in the hopes that it might do both. I found this DIY tutorial online and decided to adapt it, creating a box centred around F's current interest: nature, more specifically bugs. 

To make our 'Hunt the Bug' game follow the below step by step instructions and have fun!

TO MAKE YOUR GRASS

The size of your box will dictate how much rice you'll need to make. I used this 16L storage box, based on this you'll need 3kg of plain white rice to make your grass.

Once you've got everything you need, you're ready to get creative.

1. Split your rice between two large sealable plastic bags (1.5kg per bag).

2. Add 3 tbsp of white wine vinegar into each plastic bag.

3. Next add 1tsp of green food colouring to one bag and 2tsp of green food colouring to the other. 

4. Seal the bags and shake each bag so the colour is evenly distributed throughout the rice. 

5. Ideally you want your rice to consist of two different shades of green. 

6. If the bags need more food colouring add another tsp to each and repeat step 4 until you reach the desired result. 

7. Once the rice is green, open the bags and leave overnight to air.

 

In the morning take the bags of green rice and empty them into your container so the two different shades sit side by side. You will probably be able to smell the subtle scent of vinegar adding an extra dimension to your sensory box. 

NOW FOR THE FUN

Submerge your bugs into the rice so their heads are poking out, waiting to be found and introduce the game to your kiddo. F was delighted when I handed him the brightly coloured measuring cups and told him we were searching for bugs in the grass. He immediately sunk his hands into the rice and said 'it smells warm'. I find it amazing and funny how they process different sensations. 

 

 

F spent a solid 55 minutes finding bugs, digging holes, making dinosaur footprints, creating waterfalls and generally messing around. He has NEVER spent this long concentrating on one activity. When you've finished simply pop the lid on an store for another day.

What games to you play on sick days?  

A Good Book // Under the Ocean

 

 

Have you ever wondered what lies beneath the shimmering blue sea or wanted to explore the dark depths of the ocean? Well wonder no more with this stunning pop-up book Under the Ocean from Tate Publishing. As soon as I heard this book was being published I was eager to get my hands on it; the spectacular paper engineering, beautiful illustration and design ticked all my boxes. I was a little less eager for F to get his mitts on it and I envisaged the book lasting two seconds in the hands of a toddler. I wondered whether it would be foolish to buy it at all.

Putting my doubts to one side, I explained to F that this was a special book to share with mummy and be very gentle with. I cautiously opened the first page and a whispered wow escaped his lips. And how could it not, the wharf came to life with various boats and colours leaping off the page. His nimble fingers gently investigated the boats before we held our breath and sunk below the surface to explore the hidden depths. A school of fish and forgotten bicycles littered the ocean floor.

The Giant icebergs and blue whales introduce perspective to small children and adults alike, while the delectable words dance off the tongue.

It is a majestic whale,

accompanied by her calf!

Little fish gather around them in a swirl,

while a jellyfish deploys its transparent veil.

Printed using environmentally friendly soy ink onto paper sourced from sustainable forests, this book has many reasons to make you feel happy. Just don't leave it unsupervised with a kiddo that likes the sound of ripping paper.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I have always been keen to educate F on the delights of food and was spurred on even more when I read French Children Don't Throw Food. I discovered the curious toddlers across the channel were sampling fine cheeses such as Camenbert and Bleu d'Auvergne and *NEWS FLASH* not only surviving the experience, but enjoying it. 

I went through the whole weening stage pureeing every thing in sight to try and cultivate a seasoned palate in my small friend; I wasn't quite brave enough to try baby led weaning after a small choking incident. The outcome is a kid that will pretty much try anything but certainly has an opinion about what he won't eat. For example avocados are a big no in our house at the moment, even the smallest amount can be detected in its trojan dish and there's only so many times I can pretend that F is a giant and the broccoli on his plate is in fact a tiny tree.

Are the hours I spend letting F help prepare dinner and making food fun worth it, or will he run for the first fast food joint as soon as he hits 15? To continue this exploration of food and much to the annoyance of our local grocers, I spend time letting F touch and smell the fruit or vegetables when we are shopping, asking him questions about the colour and texture, basically pawing it for the next person to buy (sorry). If this is a way to lead him to have a healthy relationship with food when older, and by healthy I mean happy, then I'll readily take that scornful look from the lady reaching in for a peach after us.