In praise of flight anxiety

Don’t me wrong, I absolutely adore travelling.

It gives me profound orgasmic joy to indulge in various cuisines, to stand by surreal awe-inspiring views, and finally, to take a much needed breather away from anything and everything.

However, as I step onboard crowded shaky aircrafts, it never fails to infuse me with great fear and distress. Simply, I never really enjoyed plane rides. I find even the slightest turbulence dreadfully daunting and uneasy.

Now I for one, have done ample research on flight anxiety, or should I say aviophobia. I’ve found reliable stats and highly-qualified studies that leaves no reasons for an individual to ever fear plane rides. With the odds of ever being involved in a plane crash known to be one in 11 million, and professionals declaring that planes are perhaps the safest mode of transportation, I couldn’t help but to still, feel myself panic over airborne journeys.

Being lifted 30000 feet off the ground, surrounded by only puffs and layers of white clouds, it is only those moments, where i think one would feel truly small and vulnerable. It is only those moments where one would realize that perhaps, despite reading prominent articles and reports, it might not be such a great idea after all, to leave their own fate up to the hands of two individuals navigating a tin can in the vast of absolute thin air.

It is only those moments, where I think one would be stupid enough to reflect upon themselves of how they long for contact, how they yearn to step foot on steady ground, how they wish to hold and embrace their loved ones, and ultimately, how they desperately want the chance to live through more time, more moments.

I am not here to discuss ways to soothe yourself from flight anxiety, or deteriorate the idea of traveling the world. Truth is, I believed that maybe, the only ways to ever love flying is to do it so much that your body has adapted to it. Also, to always be equipped with knowledge about aircrafts and flying, understand that turbulence has always been an ordinary occurrence in running airlines. Sure, music helps and reciting a mantra might seem relaxing, but for someone who has been always paranoid and overthinking through things, I find it extremely difficult to ever be calm on planes.

Although it is not advisable to always be on the edge during plane rides, it is important to understand your own instincts to rightfully fear death. As grim as it might sounds, I think everyone tends to take their own lives for granted. If you picture a short trip to a neighbouring state as a near death experience, you’ll begin to realize how much amendments you’d make to be a better individual, you’ll negotiate and discuss terms with the universe to provide you with somewhat of a “second chance”, you’ll literally hate yourself for the times you joked about dying, and the list goes on and on.

Its funny, but

Rather than fighting so hard with yourself on what seemed excruciatingly life threatening (but really isn’t), on what perceived to be overly ambitious, on what sounds like a dangerous reckless experience, on our worries, doubts and darkest fears, it is crucial that we embrace them. The world can be seen as so breathtakingly beautiful when to you, it seems like it’s ending. Like cynical gifts or dark humor, it is always refreshing and oddly comforting to give yourself a reminder of how insignificant of a living organism you are, and how significant surviving and living really is.

And when you’ve come to that, well you’ll probably find yourself, already landing on a designated safe ground.