However, of all the means of transport, the car is the most dangerous, and there are simple ways to control your fear of flying.
A dark series of plane crashes, the terrifying images of September 11, the Rio-Paris, the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines plane… We can understand why so many people are terrified.
It is not because we can understand it that we should not fight against this false idea of the dangerousness of this means of transport. Or stay cloistered in his room. And even then, a sedentary lifestyle must certainly be even more dangerous…
We can rely on solid figures: the risk of dying in a car accident is 90 times higher than in a plane. Of the two billion passengers each year, there are around forty accidents and a thousand deaths. On the strength of these figures, the aeronautical world continues to communicate on its obsession with safety… However, reading or listening to the media, one would tend to believe that plane crashes are particularly frequent compared to other types of accidents. . It’s wrong ! In fact, plane crashes are 150 to 200 times more likely to end up in media coverage than other types of crashes. As a result, people who were already afraid develop an even worse perception of the plane.
We are afraid of what we do not know or, in this specific case, of what we do not understand. Thus more than 10% of people who have never flown have given up this mode of transport solely for fear of an accident, and one in three passengers is anxious at the idea of taking the plane. You should no longer deprive yourself of the great pleasure of going far by respecting a few tips: on the day of departure, it is preferable, after a good night’s sleep, not to remain on an empty stomach by choosing a light diet, without coffee, tea or alcohol. Do not hesitate to take a light sedative 2 hours before take-off. However, it is a drug that must be prescribed by a doctor.
Once installed, if possible at the front because there is less turbulence, relax by breathing deeply. From this moment and until the end of the takeoff, discuss with your neighbor or read, in short, try to think of something else. During the flight, to relax, do not drown your anxieties in alcohol. Listen to music instead, or go for a walk in the hallways.
By the way, don’t forget that the main risk of flying is the clot in the veins due to pressurization, dehydration and prolonged sitting. And the clot, it’s called in the lesser version, a phlebitis, and in the gravity, a pulmonary embolism. So even if you are young and pretty, buy yourself compression stockings or socks. You can find it in all good pharmacies. I assure you that the models available are nothing out of the ordinary. And above all, walk several times during the flight.
When you are up, if you are lucky, the visit to the cockpit and the serenity that should theoretically reign there will complete your reassurance.
If, despite all this advice, fear does not let go of you, know that there are one-day courses at the Air France aeronautical anti-stress center, the purpose of which is to identify and act on the origin of this fear of flying. Concretely, the course takes place over one day: 7h30 to master your fear of flying. Psychologists, pilots and flight crew members supervise the various workshops aimed at getting to know the plane. The success rate is estimated at 85%.
