Managing the Stress of Airplane Turbulence

Air Turbulence Can Be Scary

Have you ever been in a plane that suddenly dropped? Have you ever been in an airplane that suddenly began to bounce up and down?   Many times there is warning provided by the pilot or the “fasten seat belt” sign, but other times the plane may hit turbulent (irregular) air with little warning.  When this happens to me, I experience a “fight or flight reaction.” In a fight or flight reaction, your body has a physical reaction to a life threatening situation.  In my case, I can feel my heart beat faster and I start to breathe faster.  My stomach drops and I am afraid.

Although I am not a frequent flyer, I do fly from time to time, mostly for work.  During virtually every trip, I have experienced some degree of turbulence. I have had some frightening experiences with air turbulence that typically involved flying through thunderstorms where the plane bounced up and down for what seemed like hours.  During a couple of flights, the ride was so rough that the flight attendants never moved from their seats.

By far my worst plane turbulence experience was when I was in a plane  descending to land in the middle of a terrible thunderstorm.  After circling for a while, the plane banked to make a turn, with the wing on one side pointed down and the wing on the other side pointed up.  It was in this tilted position that the plane dropped significantly.  Many people screamed.  Others were praying out loud.  When the plane landed, many passengers refused to get back on another plane for their connections and just drove to their final destination.

I have become better at managing my worries about turbulence during air travel, both before I get on the plane and in flight.  There are a few things that I have found helpful to reduce my worries before I get on a plane:

1. I avoid news about plane crashes.   I am way too sensitive to these images and stories, especially those on television or in other videos.  So, while I do not avoid the news entirely, I try to stay away from vivid plane crash images and stories.

2. I try to fly in larger planes.  I prefer to fly in larger planes because it seems like the ride is smoother than in small planes. If you want to fly in a larger plane, be sure to research the size of the plane before you make your reservation.  Sometimes it is worth changing your flight time or carrier to fly on a larger plane.

3. I remember the statistics.  I try to rely on my rational mind before I fly and during the flight.  Flying in an airplane is much safer statistically than driving in a car.  I drive a car nearly every day of my life, but for some reason I feel much more in control of the situation than I do while riding in a plane.  However, statistically speaking I am much more likely to be harmed in a car than in a plane.

4. I fly again.  After my worst plane turbulence experience, I got back on another plane three days later.  One of the worst things that you can do when you have experienced or anticipate a fearful situation is to avoid it.  By flying over and over, my occasional bad experiences seem to be a very small proportion of my overall flying experiences, which makes me feel safer.  I feel more confident about flying and better able to handle scary flying situations just because I have flown a lot.

When I am in the airplane, there are other techniques that I use to manage stress related to turbulence or possible turbulence.

1. I control what I can.  As far as I can tell, the best way to protect yourself from sudden movements during turbulence is to sit in your seat and wear your seat belt.  So, I try to do this at all times, unless I need a stretch or I need to go to the bathroom.  During a long international flight, I will even sleep wearing my seat belt.  This gives me at least some control over the turbulence situation.

2.  I distract myself.  I always try to have enough work for several days, books to read, or movies to watch on the plane.  Sometimes I bring a snack to eat.  This seems to take my mind off of monitoring every tiny change that the plane makes.  I can tune out the noises and small bumps if my mind is engrossed in another activity.  When I am flying with a friend or colleague, I feel even better because I can talk to them.  I have also met and talked to complete strangers on planes to distract myself.

3.  I practice stress management.  When the plane does enter the turbulent air and I am afraid, I try to use the stress management techniques that I can do in my seat.  I do deep breathing and try to visualize a place that is calming for me.  This often helps the physical symptoms that I feel when scared, like the rapid heart beat or breathing.

4.  I try not to have too much caffeine.  Although I am a fan of tea and Diet Coke, having too much caffeine can make me feel more jittery or fearful than I really am.  If I have already had enough for the day, I will drink juice on the plane instead.

What do you do to cope with worries about flying and rough flights?