how can you control a panic attack while flying? im gonna travel in a 4 hour trip and i suffer from anxiety disorder and panic attacks
If you do suffer panic attack on board the airplane, the solution is rather simple. Remember, you usually exhale more carbon dioxide than there is available in the air. So, by simply rebreathing your own exhaled breath, you can overcome panic attack within a minute or so. How to do it? Make use of the airsick bag in the rear seat pocket in front of you. Place the airsick bag over the mouth and nose and breathe normally. You should recover from your panic attacks within a short period!
A method of controlling anxiety is to displace your thoughts. Breathing, as Amelia suggests is a great first step, and I was going to tell you to do that, myself. However, if you can find something to take your mind off the fact that you are in the air, then you need to do that.
Listening to music, reading a book, or starting up a conversation with the person sitting beside you will take your mind off the idea that you are flying and will help to pass the time. The quicker your mind believes you are getting to your destination, the less likely you will be to feel anxiety.
Escapism is a type of coping mechanism that one might use. Also, if you travel often you should also become more accustomed to flying with each additional trip.
One method of dealing with anxiety in general is mindfulness; being aware of what is happening around you and only that. Take two minutes to concentrate on things around you – describe what you see; what is the person next to you wearing? What colours, materials? What can you hear? Is it hot, cold? Concentrate only on the details and nothing else. If it helps say it to yourself ‘I’m noticing…’.
Another method is distraction; take any word or number puzzles with you to take your mind off it. Listen to music, read, or draw. Any method that distracts you from your fear. You can try counting backwards – for example starting with 100 and subtracting 9 each time. Or you could spell all the names in your family backwards.
Breathing is very important. A major part of panic attacks is hyperventilation, and once you start it’s very difficult to regain control. Concentrate, breathe in and hold it for 3 seconds before releasing it for 3 seconds. Maybe try a muscle exercise where you tense and relax all the muscles in your body one at a time.
Try visualization where you imagine you are in a forest, or on the beach, close your eyes and think of what you’d be feeling and seeing, use all your different senses.
Specifically if your anxiety is flight-related and you are worried about their being an accident, before you go on the trip, research plane statistics. Work out how many planes fly all over the world each year, out of that number, how many accidents are there really? The percentage is actually really small, or we wouldn’t all go on planes for our holidays every year would we? If planes were that dangerous, nobody would risk it. Have a list of these real statistics in front of you, and remember what the chance is of anything actually happening.
There are two options you can choose in order to hand this situation. You can either get a prescription from your doctor or utilize a method that does not consist of medication. For the latter I recommend breathing exercises. It works within minutes although it is not nearly as effective as medication is.
You should practice this technique before the date of your scheduled flight. First, inhale through your nose for about 4 seconds. This initial step will be longer than the exhale. After about 4 seconds you need to hold it in for a second. Then, exhale for approximately 7 seconds with your mouth. It is important to ensure you are breathing with your abdominal muscles and not your chest. You can check by place one hand on your chest and the other over your stomach. If your hand moves with your chest then you are doing it wrong. This method should not take too long to master, and it is proven effective.
