Bring things to do on the flight

Whether a short or long flight, keeping your mind occupied is always a good idea if you're an anxious flyer. This could be anything from delving into a new book, writing a journal, colouring in, playing a card game or putting on your makeup whilst you fly, ready for arrival. There are plenty of activities to get stuck into on board and ultimately distract the mind. Also, if you are flying long haul, there are always films or TV episodes to watch on the plane and even certain short flight airlines offer this feature. If travelling with someone else, you can play a question game to get you thinking, pamper yourself with a sheet face mask or even make a plan of what to do on arrival. Doing things will keep your mind off the flying fear.

Listen to your favourite sound track on top volume

I often find music is something that can drown out my anxious thoughts over a period of time - and what helps is playing the volume quite loud. Obviously be wary of those around you and don't disturb fellow flyers. However nothing can really be better than flicking on your favourite album and getting in the music zone. Purchasing a pair of noise cancelling headphones can also help with drowning out noise and help you focus only on the music, rather than the sounds around you.

Listen to podcasts 

Podcasts have become a recent favourite of mine and I wish I knew more about them a few years back. Personally when I'm anxious, I need something to focus on so something like a podcast, would be very beneficial. Whichever topic you're interested in, there's hundreds of different podcasts available on the Apple podcast app. I'd recommend downloading a couple for your trip to last you the course of the flight and give you a choice to listen to.

Download calming apps

Keeping calm is key if you're anxious about a flight, otherwise you'll panic more thinking about it. Calming apps are my favourite things to listen to for breathing exercises and unwinding. The few I'd recommend are Calm.com (my absolute favourite), Relax Lite and Headspace. They're all fab for different things and I'd advise downloading a couple of apps to see which works best for you.

Keep hydrated

When you're feeling anxious, you often forget to look after yourself as panic takes over. Buy a bottle of water after you head through security at the airport and pick up some snacks to keep you both hydrated and nourished throughout the flight.

Fly more

There's always that phrase along the lines of 'if you don't try you'll never know', and with anxiety the thought of giving new things a go is terrifying, especially travelling if you're an anxious flyer. However booking more flights, practising calming techniques and eventually getting used to the whole flow of the travelling process, will put your mind at ease when you book the next flight. As I've been flying more over time, I know what to expect that I no longer find a flight the most scary thing ever and genuinely enjoy flying to a new destination.

I hope you enjoyed this post and it has given you a couple of flying tips. What is your best advice for anxious flyers?

Thank you for reading <3