Flying (Frequently) with Anxiety: My Routine
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have witnessed my (ahem...neurotic) pre-travel routine when I visited Los Angeles last week. If you missed it and need a good laugh, it’s in the highlight section. Here’s the thing: I like to travel for fun. It’s mid-January in Chicago and the peak of get the F out of dodge season (literally snow in the forecast for the next 10 days). I don’t let my anxiety deter me from seeking shelter in warmer climates. That being said, I do not like to fly.
I’ve said it once, and I will say it again, my panic attacks are triggered by a sense of feeling trapped. Being on a plane is quite literally the epitome of being trapped. Although I’m convinced the flight crew would make an emergency landing for me if I needed them to, my therapist tells me better luck next time. Any pilots out there want to support my cause?
While I don’t jump for joy during turbulence, I’m actually not afraid of the plane going down. What I’m really afraid of is having a panic attack and not being able to move myself to a safe (or what my brain considers safe) location. I have absolutely no control while we’re in the air. So having a panic attack mid-flight is quite literally my worst nightmare. I’ve heard that flight attendants are trained to help during panic attacks though, which makes me feel a lot better. Thankfully, I haven’t gone there (yet), but I am committed to a routine that helps me conquer flying with anxiety.
How to Fly with Anxiety
The Night Before Traveling
I personally think the night before traveling is just as important as the day of. If I wake up as a ball of anxiety the day of my flight, it’s not an ideal way to start the day. I literally don’t know how people go to Vegas and party through the night and get on a plane. If someone wants to torture me, that’s the way to do it. I try to get a full eight hours of sleep the night before, even if I have an early flight and need to go to bed at 8pm. I will drink some Natural Calm and listen to a hypnosis or meditation before I go to sleep so my mind doesn’t wander into worry. And I do not leave any packing for the morning of.
For example, before I left for LA I couldn’t get my suitcase to close, even with my Marie Kondo-esq folding. It was time to leave, and I slightly freaked out that I’d have to remove items or dreadfully repack, because having to check a bag is the most annoying thing to me. I do not recommend this kind of freak out prior to going to the airport.
Airport Transportation
Reliability is key. I have my man Muhammad drive me to the airport every time I travel. He does cost around $15 more than an Uber or Lyft, but he’s a good driver (remember when I got hit by a car - yeah, it was a rideshare situation). To me, $15 extra well worth it. He’s always on time, knows how to navigate traffic, and keeps water and Mamba’s candy (shoutout to the 90’s!) in his car. Also, as an added bonus, he will take me through the drive-thru if I’m hungry. Honestly, I should probably pay him more.
Airport
We out here. I’ve had good night of sleep and a chill ride with Muhammad, and I’ve gotten to the airport 1.5 hours before my flight. Feeling pretty good so far. Once again, I don’t check a bag if I don’t have to, and I have TSA Pre-Check (game changer). I walk straight to the security line with my boarding pass on my phone. It saves a giant chunk of time at the airport, and leaves me plenty of time to get through security and chill at the gate before boarding. I take anti-anxiety medication to fly and I will take it 1 hour before I board so I’m feeling relaxed. But not like a total zombie (kind of a problemo when the flight is delayed, though). Medication isn’t for everyone, but for me personally, natural remedies aren’t enough for flying, but I understand everyone is different.
Once I’m through security, I will grab a big bottle of Smartwater (I like it because of the electrolytes for the extra hydration) and will head on over to the gate. 100% of the time I break the rules and board earlier than the group number on my ticket. I do it to ensure that I have overhead bin space and can get all my things in order on the plane. Yep, I’m that person that stands in line early to board. Don’t @ me.
The Effing Plane
Here we go, people, the moment of truth. Once I board, I take a Lysol wipe (or any wipe that has bleach in it—not messing around) and wipe the hell out of the seat. This really doesn’t have anything to do with anxiety, but basic sanitation. I won’t even tell you what the wipe looks like after. Anyway, back to anxiety. I always pick a seat in the aisle in the front of the plane. A good seat significantly helps my flying anxiety. My last flight I changed last minute so I had to have a middle seat, so I chose the exit row so I didn’t feel too claustrophobic. However, I had an aisle front on the way back and I was much calmer. Once I get settled, I put on my noise cancelling headphones to zone out and put on either a calming meditation/hypnosis, or Mumford and Sons.
Mumford and Sons have gotten me through so many flights, that now my brain is trained to feel calm when they play. I honestly think this is a thing, but I’m not a doctor so I could be making it up. Regardless, it’s my go-to when traveling. It’s also important that I have plenty of entertainment to keep my brain busy, especially during turbulence. I always keep my iPad full of books and Netflix downloads. Oh, my sister also got me a travel air purifier. Nothing to do with anxiety, but it’s the bomb. I do kind of hide it though because it has a bright blue light and I don’t want to freak out the people next to me.
Once I’ve Survived
Landed - hell yes! I will pop a Liquid I.V. into a water to rehydrate post flight (also good for a hangover, just saying). Dehydration is typically a trigger for anxiety. Once I’ve rehydrated, well, I dehydrate. I treat myself to a coffee to wake myself up...and then a celebratory glass of wine once I reach my destination. Perhaps not the best practice, but hey, it’s vacay time. The effects are a future me problem. And trust me, future me definitely has to deal a couple days after.
Contrary to what you may think, I swear I’m not a nightmare to travel with. My sister may tell you otherwise, but she was also annoyed that I slept the entire flight back from Europe, and she didn’t. What can ya do. As long as I keep my flight routine in check to the best of my abilities, it’s pretty smooth sailing. Up next, Phoenix!