Fear And Anxiety Grips Air Travellers In The Aftermath of Ahmedabad Crash; Expert On How To Deal With The Fear

Air travel doesn’t feel the same anymore, wrote a user on Instagram. There is an eerie and a strange silence, and it is not just you, wrote another on LinkedIn. Once you board the plane, you realise nothing is in your control, another social media user said on X. After the recent devastating crash of flight AI171 in Ahmedabad in which 274 people lost their lives, air travellers have reported an unprecedented fear of boarding flights.The unfortunate incident not only took hundreds of lives, but has also managed to grip the passengers’ mind, especially those who travel frequently with fear and anxiety. While the investigation of the matter is going on, the videos and pictures of the crash and its aftermath are giving people sleepless nights with questions over their safety while choosing flight as their mode of transportation.

Also Read: Are You A Nervous Flyer? Here's How To Reduce Flight Anxiety

To Fly Or Not To Fly

Many on Social Media are expressing their intentions of not travelling via air for the foreseeable future. They argue, there’s just too much risk involved. “It is really scary to think it could have been you. I often travel the same route, in fact I took the same flight a month or so ago. To think that it could have been you with your wife and daughter gives me chills,” Avi Raj, a businessman who frequently visits the UK, says.

What also doesn't help the paranoia is the constant reports of in flight disturbances coming in since the deadly crash. There were reports of three passengers injuring themselves on American airlines after ‘irregular’ turbulence. More recently, a Srinagar-bound Indigo flight from Delhi with more than 220 people on board encountered sudden hailstorm leading to severe turbulence on Wednesday, prompting the pilot to report the “emergency” to air traffic control at Srinagar.

How To Deal With Aerophobia

Juveriya Syed, a Counseling Psychologist & Psychotherapist, suggests five tips to help you overcome aerophobia. 

Take the trip in your imagination first: If the act of flying in itself is too overwhelming for you, take an imaginary trip first. You can try doing guided visual imagery meditation or you could try simply closing your eyes and imagining reaching the airport smoothly… getting your boarding pass without any trouble… imagine checking in your baggage and it being in the right weight limit… imagine finding your seat easily and luckily its your favorite seat… imagine taking off and realizing the you're not having any trouble in your ears… imagine watching a nice pre-downloaded movie on your phone or listening to your favorite songs while looking out and admiring the cloud or doing your skincare, whatever you like… then imagine hearing the announcement for landing and having a safe peaceful journey back down on the land… and so on. Doing this regularly, at least once everyday for a week before you take your flight would significantly help you alleviate your fear. Remember, the first time you try imagining, it might be overwhelming but over time it will get easier as you stay persistent. 

Pack  an arsenal helpful tools: When a soldier goes out for a mission, he takes an Arsenal of weapons with him to conquer his enemy. Similarly, before you go out for your next flight, pack an arsenal of helpful anxiety relieving tools with you. Such as, 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, box breathing technique, etc. Make sure to master these tools before you take your flight  just like a soldier makes sure to practice his fighting skills before actually going on a mission.

Have a game plan ready: Plan what you are going to do in case the flight does have turbulence. Have the steps written down, if needed. For example, first I will check my seatbelt to ensure its tight enough. Second, I will pray for my safety to find spiritual support. Third, I will try holding someone's hand to find security in someone's company. Fourth, I will do box breathing to calm my nerves… and so on. 

Remind yourself of the numbers: Did you know that statistically flying in an airplane is safer than driving a car? Because there are more people who die in a car accident than those who die in a flight accident. Remind yourself that realistically you are safer in an airplane than in a car. This will help you feel more sure about your choice of travelling by flight. 

Face your fear ASAP: If you notice yourself suddenly feeling fearful of something that you always did, avoiding it will only make it worse. Our mind has this way of making us feel more and more fearful about something if we keep avoiding it. It's like our mind says if we are avoiding it so much, it must be something scary. Then we avoid it even more, and the cycle continues leading to development of a full fledged phobia.

Stay Calm: You have to remember there are things within your control and there are things beyond that. When we ask someone to remain calm, it is not to change the ‘outcome’ or the ‘result’, it is for you to remain in the best possible position to make a decision. Even in such a tragedy, there was one survivor, and this example may be extreme but the fact remains, had he not been calm, he would not have survived either. 

Breathe: When we are under stress we often forget to breathe. However, it is important to remind ourselves time and again under stress. Take deep breaths. Develop and rhythm. And focus on your breathing, when you do, it shuts the outside noise. 

The Game of Five: Use the senses to regulate with the "5-4-3-2-1" technique: Identify five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste. This will take your mind off the negative thoughts. 

Touch: It is alright to take a companion and hold their hands or ask them to apply gentle pressure. You can take a toy bunny or something like that to hold. Some people use weighted blankets.

Meditation: You could try meditation. They could be of different forms. Some prefer scientific methods, some prefer music and some prefer religious meditations. Whatever works for you. There is no one right way as long as you are mindful and focussed.