In the year 2000, over 1 Billion people flew on commercial airplanes. Over 18 Million flights resulted in only 20 fatal accidents. In the same year, there were over 41,000 traffic accidents. Clearly, it is logical to say that travel by plane is much safer than by car.

Nevertheless, rational human beings who have no problem racing all over town in their car every day break into a cold sweat and experience other physical and mental symptoms any time they are faced with the thought of flying on a plane.

Probably the most important thing to keep in mind is that, while it may seem that the risk of flying is the cause of the fear, that is probably not the case at all. As with all phobias, the underlying cause is anxiety, which can be triggered by many different factors.

There is very little that an airline passenger can control in his surroundings. The climate cannot be adjusted if it is too hot or too cold. If the surroundings are cramped, it is difficult to make space and you can’t open a window to get fresh air. When turbulence rocks the plane, we have no brake or other controls to manage the situation. We can’t even see and probably don’t know the pilot. Contrast this to an automobile, which we either control by driving ourselves, or know and trust the driver personally.

With minimal control over the situation, things that would otherwise be just annoying take on gargantuan proportions on a plane. A delay on the runway results in our minds racing with all the horrible possibilities why the plane hasn’t taken off yet. The snug surroundings become more and more constricting until it feels like the plane has closed in on us. And our anxious minds turn a little turbulence into an out of control tailspin crash.

While many are able to identify and conquer these anxieties before their conscious mind even experiences them, there are many more who encounter some form of panic when flying, which may vary in degree from tolerable, to uncomfortable, right up the scale to full out panic attack.

The good news is that there are ways to conquer your fears without drugs or expensive therapy. As with all anxieties, the first step is to understand the cause of the fear, and then it can be faced.

Tags: aerophobia, afraid to fly, fear of flying, flying phobia, Health and Well Being, health and wellness, self improvement