Started By
Message

Anyone develop a fear of flying? Any tips for a flight coming up?

Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:46 am
Posted by StringedInstruments
Member since Oct 2013
21306 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:46 am
I'm flying from Birmingham to Philadelphia in two weeks, and I'm having anxiety about it.

It's weird because I've flown dozens of times in my life and never had issue.

Around three years ago, I developed claustrophobia, something else I had never had an issue with. I was standing in line for a ride at Disney and thought I needed to eat something because I was feeling uncomfortable. I had to leave the line to get some air. A little while later I realized that any confined or overcrowded space made me really uncomfortable.

After that, I started having anxiety issues. I couldn't complete an MRI after multiple attempts (despite having had two MRIs years ago with no issue). I can't ride in the car without driving. Being a passenger sends my anxiety through the roof. Even sometimes when I'm inside my house, I'll feel the need to go outside just to let my body know we're not trapped there.

I've never been an anxiety-riddled person. Ever. Never had claustrophobia. Never feared flying.

But I'm staring at this flight in a few weeks and wondering if I'm going to be the next "that motherfricker is not real!" viral video when I have an inevitable panic attack.
Posted by deeprig9
Unincorporated Ozora
Member since Sep 2012
76978 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:47 am to
Airport bars make more money than any other business in an airport, for a reason.
Posted by KosmoCramer
Member since Dec 2007
81077 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:47 am to
Benzos
Posted by Mingo Was His NameO
Brooklyn
Member since Mar 2016
39037 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:48 am to
Drive?
Posted by StringedInstruments
Member since Oct 2013
21306 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:49 am to
quote:

Drive?


Oh I would love to John Madden it, but I have to work that early morning and be in Philadelphia by 4pm.

It's a 14 hour drive from Birmingham to Philly.
Posted by saderade
America's City
Member since Jul 2005
26579 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:50 am to
Xanax (or another benzo )
Posted by DustyDinkleman
Here
Member since Feb 2012
20987 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:50 am to
quote:

I can't ride in the car without driving.


Ask if you can fly the plane
This post was edited on 11/5/26 at 11:52 am
Posted by NotoriousFSU
Atlanta, GA
Member since Oct 2008
12744 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:50 am to
Masturabte in the airplane bathroom.
Posted by vilma4prez
Lafayette, LA
Member since Jan 2009
6739 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:53 am to
Get an aisle seat. Its way less constricted.
Play a game on your phone that uses some good brain activity.
Take an anxiety pill.

Posted by Thebuzz
Member since Sep 2021
179 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:53 am to
When seated, find the person near you that looks like they fly every week. They are very easy to spot. If they don’t react during takeoff, turbulence or landing, everything is normal.
Posted by Rex Feral
Somewhere near Athens
Member since Jan 2014
17595 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:56 am to
quote:

But I'm staring at this flight in a few weeks and wondering if I'm going to be the next "that motherfricker is not real!" viral video when I have an inevitable panic attack.


Pop a Xanax before you board and watch your anxiety melt away. Just don't drink alcohol when you do.
Posted by ghoast
Member since Jul 2020
2210 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 11:56 am to
THC Gummy?
I hate flying but I take one before hand and I’m good…
Posted by Thib-a-doe Tiger
Member since Nov 2012
36892 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 12:00 pm to
Ever heard of getting drunk?
Posted by labguy
Baton Rouge
Member since Apr 2020
380 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 12:01 pm to
Get your doctor to prescribe a few pills to relax you. I do. It works.
Posted by MasterDigger
Member since Nov 2019
3542 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 12:01 pm to

Maybe your soul is claustrophobic in its own body.

Maybe it sensed the devil that is Disney had you surrounded.

All Souls’ Day should have fixed this purgatory for you.



Posted by deltaland
Member since Mar 2011
105296 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 12:04 pm to
Posted by REG861
Ocelot, Iowa
Member since Oct 2011
38627 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 12:04 pm to
quote:

When seated, find the person near you that looks like they fly every week. They are very easy to spot. If they don’t react during takeoff, turbulence or landing, everything is normal.


This
Posted by i am dan
NC
Member since Aug 2011
33147 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 12:12 pm to
Stop watching plane crash investigation videos on Youtube.

They have caused me to fear flying a bit now. I haven't flown anywhere in 10 years anway.
Posted by GetBackToWork
Member since Dec 2007
6686 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 12:35 pm to
This seems related to other issues that develop with age. It is very similar to the onset of anxiety with driving over tall bridges with steep inclines. I'm no doctor, but I have to think there is something with how your body will process sensations or the visuals of height and speed, and how that changes as you get older.
Posted by LemmyLives
Texas
Member since Mar 2019
18278 posts
Posted on 11/5/26 at 12:44 pm to
To refine Mingo's suggestion to drive... It looks like your flight out of podunk is mostly on regional jets. Drive to Atlanta and get on a non regional jet (A321 or 737), which will feel roomier. There are a *few* Delta options on the Boeing 717 (MD-80/88/95 FTW!) which is similar (edit, out of Birmingham.)

I do not advise getting an aisle for "more room." Then you're just staring at the cockpit door, probably thinking how there's no escape. Sit at the window and stare outside.
This post was edited on 11/5/26 at 12:56 pm
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 4Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

Facebook•X•Instagram