The Flight Coach

If you were flying within the United States yesterday, you may have faced a delay due to the FAA Outage which grounded planes for several hours. Travel delays, while a common part of air travel, make the fear of flying worse for many. People's fears stem from a lack of understanding and a lack of control, and situations like a delay may put people over the edge. If you find yourself at the airport today, you might be faced with longer wait times, increased periods of stress and a disruption to your travel plans. So what can you do to stay calm? ➡️

Cheers to a new year and to fresh beginnings. 2023 brings with it the chance to set new goals and challenge our old way of thinking. This year we encourage you to set 3 goals towards your fear of flying. Not sure where to start? Let us help:

#1 - Read more: Knowledge is the foundation for success. Self-help books are not only motivating and inspiring, but they give us power through information. Try books on overcoming fear, how the brain works, aviation, meditation, positive thinking, etc. While light reading is essential to refresh your mind, reading non-fiction is important to grow your mind. Keep reading!

#2 - Challenge negative thinking: Thoughts are just thoughts and they can't hurt you. It is important to make time this year to challenge your negative thinking. Whenever you have a unfavorable thought, stop and evaluate whether it is accurate. Think about how you would respond if a friend spoke about themselves that way. You would probably offer a good rebuttal to his or her negative view. Apply the same logic to your own thoughts. Take it a step further and look for books on "Challenging Negative Thoughts". 

#3 - Book that flight: Procrastination -- putting things off as long as we can -- is nothing more than the fear of taking action. And we fear taking action because of a fear of failure. It is easy to find excuses or delay travel when fear is holding us back. Whenever you decide to take committed, intentional action in the face of your fears, you actually begin to break the power they have over you. And the more you continue to take action, the more power you take back from the fear. Until, eventually, the fear no longer has power over you at all. So let's make 2023 all about booking flights!

What are your goals for 2023? ⬇️

I’ll go first! I put on my noise cancelling headphones and blast my favorite song! 🎶 (If you want a positive, upbeat album, we suggest anything Jason Mraz) What helps you during takeoff?? ⬇️

If your feeling stressed or having a bad day, I know the last thing you want to think about is naming something positive. 🙄 But here's the thing, if we want to overcome things like the fear of flying, we need start by making small steps in our daily life. This begins by reframing the way we think!
​
​It's easy to find yourself being negative, complaining or sulking throughout the day. In fact, you've probably wired your brain to react negatively and find that it is actually harder to react positively on a daily basis. 
​
​Our thoughts shape how we think, they shape how we behave and they shape how we react to the world around us. By taking time each day to reflect on the positive things in your life, you can rewire your brain to be happier. It takes practice, but as a result, you will be better prepared mentally to take on things like overcoming your fear of flying.
​
​Share one good thing about today below! ⬇️💖

Anyone else? 🙋🏽‍♀️ If you’ve canceled vacations, avoided going places or put your life on hold because the thought of stepping foot on an airplane is just too overwhelming, then you are not alone!

Dealing with flight anxiety can be so frustrating! Many of us think we will never learn to enjoy flying and some of you think you will never fly again!

The truth is, you have conditioned your brain to think negatively about air travel and have set yourself up for failure even before booking that flight.

Pre-flight anxiety is scary, it’s uncomfortable and most of us would rather avoid it altogether. Those feelings can cause horrible physical symptoms and they can leave us doubting our abilities to move forward in life.

But here’s the thing, avoidance only strengthens our fears. We need to learn how to change our negative thinking and stop allowing those horrible thoughts from getting in the way of our dreams.

Quick tip: If you find yourself thinking negatively, challenge that thought. Don’t let it spiral out of control. Rather then “What if” try telling yourself “Who cares!”

“What if the flight is bumpy? Who cares..It might make me a little nervous, but I will get to my destination safely”

Leave a supportive message in the comments for all ⬇️❤️

If you could ask an airline pilot anything, what would it be!? Well now is your chance!! Captain Osborne is answering all of your questions, so drop a comment below or send us a DM. ⬇️ 👨‍✈️✈️

Feeling anxious about an upcoming flight? Let our Flight Coach team help! We are available 7 days a week to lend support and help prepare you for your trip! Speak to our anxiety coach or commercial aviation pilot directly through email, and discuss some tips/techniques for flying confidently. Send us an email at [email protected] for more information! 💌

Have a question?? Share below or send us a DM! We will answer everyone. ✈️😊⬇️

If fear wasn't standing in your way (or covid 😜), where would you fly to and why!? Share below! ⬇️

Have you ever heard of a diet plan that helps someone loose 10lbs in just one day??
​
No? ​Didn't think so! 🤷‍♀️
​
​Then you shouldn't expect a fear of flying program to cure your anxiety in just 1 day either!
​
​Here is the truth; overcoming fear takes time! It takes small, consistent actions to reach your goals. It takes effort on your part, but it also takes support and knowing how to get started...so let us show you! 
​
​Drop a comment below and let us know what you want challenges you want to overcome when it comes to your fear of flying! ⬇️

What am I afraid of?

​Do you ever stop to ask yourself that question? 🤔

​Perhaps you're afraid of ​turbulence, take-off, landings, terrorism, crashes, social anxieties, or being too far from home. Some people fear fire, illness spread through the air system, using the toilets, or violence on a plane. Others have a “bad feeling” about their flight, afraid that their anxieties will somehow predict a catastrophe.
​
​Regardless of what frightens you, the solution to overcoming your phobia will be to take action and expose yourself to your triggers. This means..NO MORE canceling flights! By avoiding what your afraid of, you only strengthen and keep your phobia alive.

Education is key!
​
​Over the coming months, we will show you how to control your anticipatory anxiety, teach you about how an airplanes fly, share facts about turbulence, and explore the the various sounds and bumps you might experience during a normal flight.
​
​The more your learn, the more confident you will feel during your next flight. SO...please make sure to turn on your notifications for  ⬆️ so that you don't miss anything and follow along as we walk you through the steps to overcoming your ! ✈️

Fear cripples us. It keeps us stuck and paralyzed from moving forward. And it causes so many people to give up on whatever they’re pursuing. 
​
​Solution? Take action! 
​
​But wait, running away from the fear is an action right? Wrong! Avoiding what scares us only strengthens our fears. 🙅‍♀️  
​
​Whenever you decide to take committed, intentional action in the face of your fears, you actually begin to break the power they have over you and start reshaping the way you think. Until, eventually, the fear no longer has power over you at all.
​
​So how do you do this? Start by educating yourself. Learn how your brain works and how fear develops. Teach yourself about aviation, weather, and ask questions. Give yourself the knowledge needed to book that flight and get on that plane. No more canceling travel plans!
​
​Good news is, if you're here and your still reading this, then you've already taken action and are heading in the right direction. 👍