Geedee, real common what you have. More to do with anxiety than fear of flying. I consider fear an accurate consideration of something that will hurt or kill you (guy with gun, tree falling on you, car coming at you at speed, ect). It is usually pretty fast and intense. Anxiety is more a growing feeling that rests in the pit of your stomach. You know why you feel it but the specifics are tough to pin down (I am in an airplane, the airplane is flying and I don't feel good about it even though I know everything is ok). Nothing more than a technical point.
I think others pegged it as the loss of control as a good chunk of it. Another point may be your anxiety about heights. Almost everyone has it (except, for some very odd reason, Mowhawk Indians. It's odd but they have no fear of heights). I have heard it said that it is not the fear of heights that you have, but a fear of edges inclusive of heights. Don't worry about that part, we are hardwired to fear heights (at least I think that is it, Heights and abandonment, those are the two fears we are born with if I remember my college Psych classes correctly).
It isn't vertigo. Vertigo isn't scary. It's just plain wrong. I've had it. Thought I was flying along, wings level and...I wasn't. Sliding off to the right. Amazed me. I thought everything was ok. WTF is the thought you get when you realize you're being affected by vertigo. Not fear, amazement.
Not much you can do with what you have. Some people get a few beers in them (Knew about a guy who flew B24s during the war and he would never get on a commercial bird sober. Just couldn't do it, drank like a fish and tried to pass out- bad memories I guess. He never told anybody why). Others take pills. Not recommended but it does work. Perosonally, I sometimes get that shot of anxiety when the airplane takes off. And I'm a pilot (but not the airplane I'm flying, too busy)! But only when I'm a passenger in a commercial bird and only for a second or two. Probably loss of control/roller coaster affect. But, I also instantly tell myself to not worry about it and start wondering when the stewardess is gonna start serving drinks
Failing any other option, keep your mind busy during the flight. I-pod, video games, watch a movie, read a book, drink a beer, but don't just sit there looking out the window. Then, anxiety will start to build.
I think others pegged it as the loss of control as a good chunk of it. Another point may be your anxiety about heights. Almost everyone has it (except, for some very odd reason, Mowhawk Indians. It's odd but they have no fear of heights). I have heard it said that it is not the fear of heights that you have, but a fear of edges inclusive of heights. Don't worry about that part, we are hardwired to fear heights (at least I think that is it, Heights and abandonment, those are the two fears we are born with if I remember my college Psych classes correctly).
It isn't vertigo. Vertigo isn't scary. It's just plain wrong. I've had it. Thought I was flying along, wings level and...I wasn't. Sliding off to the right. Amazed me. I thought everything was ok. WTF is the thought you get when you realize you're being affected by vertigo. Not fear, amazement.
Not much you can do with what you have. Some people get a few beers in them (Knew about a guy who flew B24s during the war and he would never get on a commercial bird sober. Just couldn't do it, drank like a fish and tried to pass out- bad memories I guess. He never told anybody why). Others take pills. Not recommended but it does work. Perosonally, I sometimes get that shot of anxiety when the airplane takes off. And I'm a pilot (but not the airplane I'm flying, too busy)! But only when I'm a passenger in a commercial bird and only for a second or two. Probably loss of control/roller coaster affect. But, I also instantly tell myself to not worry about it and start wondering when the stewardess is gonna start serving drinks
Failing any other option, keep your mind busy during the flight. I-pod, video games, watch a movie, read a book, drink a beer, but don't just sit there looking out the window. Then, anxiety will start to build.
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