I'm an extremely nervous flyer too, I can still hardly cope with flying but I have learnt a few tips which help me calm and prevents my panic attacks.
Firstly, keep headphones on with very loud music/podcasts at all times. I panic with any change in noise as well and that helps as I don't notice any changes. It sounds weird but i also try and keep my feet slightly off the floor or reduce the pressure as I'm less sensitive to the vibrations/bumps etc.
Try and limit how much you look around and just concentrate on your phone/screen/any activities you have. I combine music/podcasts with more active activities like writing and phone games etc to keep me as distracted as possible. I used to get paranoid looking around the plane and convinced myself I noticed "the wings don't look right" "the engine's broken". In my most recent flight I didn't let myself do this and just kept my eyes closed or on my phone. It definitely helped me relax and limit those irrational panicky moments.
Similary, try not to look around any at other passengers. I used to constantly watch other people to see if they looked worried as well. Once I convinced myself that two/three other passengers had noticed something was wrong as they had confused faces and within 30 seconds I was having a full on panic attack.
If you need something to look at or if you feel particularly anxious I 100% recommend watching the flight attendants. They are so so used to doing this sometimes multiple times a day. It's genuinely reassuring to see them hardly bat an eyelid and continue serving drinks/food etc during mild turbulence. Sounds weird but just watching them so calm in their routines really helps me. Especially during turbulence. I think about how many times they've done this and that it's so normal for them and they're not scared so I shouldn't be.
I prefer to sit on the aisle seat so I have a better view of the flight attendants and it stops me looking at wings/engine convinced something "doesn't look right". Also might help with heights.
Time the flight on your phone/watch as you take off and break it into intervals. I always think things lile "ok I've done 20 minutes so I only have to do that three more times" "half an hour done, once I do that again It will be halfway" etc.
Similar my first couple of tips but I keep my headphones on and try and pay as little attention as I can around the airport. Otherwise I start getting panicky and think things look suspicious (when they don't!!)
I regularly look at the website flightradar24, especially in the days coming up to the flight. It shows you all the flights that sre in the air at that moment and you can track their movements. It really reinforces to me just how many flights there are in the world and how 'normal' flying is. Sometimes it's just interesting/fun looking at the different plane routes as well. I look at it right until we have to turn off our phones before take off and think there are 1000s of flights up there, nothing will happen to mine.
I try and remember how trained and knowledgeable pilots are. What also helps me is I think about how pilots are normal humans with family and friends who want to go home to their loved ones. So they will do everything possible to keep themselves as well as us safe. If that makes sense. It helps me get over the lack of control/reliance on others.
(Sorry for the overload! Hope it makes sense, I'm tired but can't sleep!)
Firstly, keep headphones on with very loud music/podcasts at all times. I panic with any change in noise as well and that helps as I don't notice any changes. It sounds weird but i also try and keep my feet slightly off the floor or reduce the pressure as I'm less sensitive to the vibrations/bumps etc.
Try and limit how much you look around and just concentrate on your phone/screen/any activities you have. I combine music/podcasts with more active activities like writing and phone games etc to keep me as distracted as possible. I used to get paranoid looking around the plane and convinced myself I noticed "the wings don't look right" "the engine's broken". In my most recent flight I didn't let myself do this and just kept my eyes closed or on my phone. It definitely helped me relax and limit those irrational panicky moments.
Similary, try not to look around any at other passengers. I used to constantly watch other people to see if they looked worried as well. Once I convinced myself that two/three other passengers had noticed something was wrong as they had confused faces and within 30 seconds I was having a full on panic attack.
If you need something to look at or if you feel particularly anxious I 100% recommend watching the flight attendants. They are so so used to doing this sometimes multiple times a day. It's genuinely reassuring to see them hardly bat an eyelid and continue serving drinks/food etc during mild turbulence. Sounds weird but just watching them so calm in their routines really helps me. Especially during turbulence. I think about how many times they've done this and that it's so normal for them and they're not scared so I shouldn't be.
I prefer to sit on the aisle seat so I have a better view of the flight attendants and it stops me looking at wings/engine convinced something "doesn't look right". Also might help with heights.
Time the flight on your phone/watch as you take off and break it into intervals. I always think things lile "ok I've done 20 minutes so I only have to do that three more times" "half an hour done, once I do that again It will be halfway" etc.
Similar my first couple of tips but I keep my headphones on and try and pay as little attention as I can around the airport. Otherwise I start getting panicky and think things look suspicious (when they don't!!)
I regularly look at the website flightradar24, especially in the days coming up to the flight. It shows you all the flights that sre in the air at that moment and you can track their movements. It really reinforces to me just how many flights there are in the world and how 'normal' flying is. Sometimes it's just interesting/fun looking at the different plane routes as well. I look at it right until we have to turn off our phones before take off and think there are 1000s of flights up there, nothing will happen to mine.
I try and remember how trained and knowledgeable pilots are. What also helps me is I think about how pilots are normal humans with family and friends who want to go home to their loved ones. So they will do everything possible to keep themselves as well as us safe. If that makes sense. It helps me get over the lack of control/reliance on others.
(Sorry for the overload! Hope it makes sense, I'm tired but can't sleep!)