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Out of the plane
How stressful is it for you when you're sitting in heavy traffic and you can't move your car or taking a plane and you have a fear of flying? Is it stressful when you know you're going to take a plane ride?
I had an opportunity recently to talk to a young woman who was anticipating a plane trip for a holiday and, if I said she wasn't looking forward to it, that would be putting it mildly. It brought back the memory of a psychology experiment I recalled and an expression I often use, as a result.
The experiment was on anticipatory anxiety and it involved a group of volunteers who were going to go sky diving for the first time. They measured the anxiety levels of all the people prior to the day of the jump, while getting into the plane and when they were sitting waiting for the jump and while they were in the jump. Know what they found? Their anxiety actually went down as they prepared for their jump because they felt there was nothing they could do now except jump and they were resigned to it.
So, whenever I've had something that might be anxiety-provoking for myself, I've said to myself, "Out of the plane," meaning it's in the works and I can't do much about it, so why get anxious.
When you're sitting in the car, worrying about the fact that you might be late, or getting upset because you can't even get off the freeway, or in a plane, let yourself relax and put your mind to something creative. The time can be spent in something other than getting upset or anxious. Take along an MP3 player for music or a book on tape (not tape anymore, but small MP3-like players) or muse about things you'd like to do. It's a great way to help yourself through something that could have been a drain on your energy and a stress on your mind and body.
Related Topics: Got a Phobia? Hormone May Help, The Fear Factor: Phobias
Technorati Tags: travel, fearofflying, anxiety
I had an opportunity recently to talk to a young woman who was anticipating a plane trip for a holiday and, if I said she wasn't looking forward to it, that would be putting it mildly. It brought back the memory of a psychology experiment I recalled and an expression I often use, as a result.
The experiment was on anticipatory anxiety and it involved a group of volunteers who were going to go sky diving for the first time. They measured the anxiety levels of all the people prior to the day of the jump, while getting into the plane and when they were sitting waiting for the jump and while they were in the jump. Know what they found? Their anxiety actually went down as they prepared for their jump because they felt there was nothing they could do now except jump and they were resigned to it.
So, whenever I've had something that might be anxiety-provoking for myself, I've said to myself, "Out of the plane," meaning it's in the works and I can't do much about it, so why get anxious.
When you're sitting in the car, worrying about the fact that you might be late, or getting upset because you can't even get off the freeway, or in a plane, let yourself relax and put your mind to something creative. The time can be spent in something other than getting upset or anxious. Take along an MP3 player for music or a book on tape (not tape anymore, but small MP3-like players) or muse about things you'd like to do. It's a great way to help yourself through something that could have been a drain on your energy and a stress on your mind and body.
Related Topics: Got a Phobia? Hormone May Help, The Fear Factor: Phobias
Technorati Tags: travel, fearofflying, anxiety
