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?

FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY?

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So way back in January you might remember that I coined 2014 as the year of 'DO'. No more hesitation, no more crap, no more holding myself back. The plan was to be more spontaneous, more adventurous and more fun. Well the fun is going to plan and as you know there was that trip to Paris right? Except that's where it falters, all those jet setter plans seemed to have been grounded due to a sudden huge helping of fear. As it turns out, despite the thousands of air miles I've clocked up in my life, I'm suddenly quite petrified of flying.

There were some red flags raised along the way, hell they were waving and screaming, what with the unprovoked freak out on the Roue de Paris and complete break down on the Fleet Air Field Museum flight simulator. You can see where this is going right? You've guessed it, all those exciting adventures are now being put off or pushed back due my fear of flying, so much so that I'm carrying round prescribed diazepam just on the off chance I am kidnapped and taken on board a flying metal machine.

So knowing this is all totally ridiculous and the chances of being killed in an airline disastor is 11 million to 1 – yes I googled it – I'm hoping that my mind is the type that responds well to the power of persuasion, hypnotherapy, acupuncture or any of the other numerous things I'm willing to try to gain my wings soon.

So with a holiday coming up in a few weeks, do I wait until I have a better grasp of this or do I feel the fear and do it anyway?

WHEN FACING GETTING OLDER, GO ACT LIKE A KID

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I don't like roller coasters. Actually I don't really like slides, going high on swings or anything that gives you that weird intense feeling in the pit of your stomach. I'm not sure when this happened. As a child I remember swinging my legs faster, higher, squealing in delight as I soared into the air, and I was always first in the queue at a roller coaster or a flume ride. Every now and again in adult life I'll tentatively test it out, nervously giggling only to confirm that it still freaks me out. 

Over the last year I noticed F started shying away from slides, and not particularly high ones. While other kids were flinging themselves head first and barrelling down, F was standing back and watching on with big eyes. I was passing my weirdness onto him, because this is what parents do. It's not always the big loud actions that make an impact but the small little things; like acknowledging them if they call your name, saying hi and smiling at that person selling you a pint of milk or being adventurous enough to try a slide.

So months were spent coaxing him down and the progress was good but slow, then I stumbled upon this:

#748 That feeling in your stomach when you go really high on the swings

Because now you’re finally tall and can look down at the world below you. Gone are those constant views of ankles, coffee table legs, and your family cat’s hollow, piercing eyes. Now you’re zooming up and over gardens, sandlots, and your baby brother’s distant, fading cries.

Stomach gushing, adrenaline rushing, it’s your first taste of the high life.

First taste of the high life. Something struck a chord. I had forgotten what it felt like to be a child, to feel freedom without fear. It wasn't F I had to worry about, it was me. So yesterday when I opened my eyes and turned 33, I decided to do something that scared me a little. To make me feel alive, and it was fun. 

If you can't hear the squeals and screams of this vine post then head over to my Vine profile