I have no advice on how to deal with or overcome your fear of flying, but I can say that I have been afraid of flying for probably 30 years. I don't know exactly when or why it became a problem. For my first few years of flying I had no fear. Then suddenly I was. But luckily, just as suddenly, one day I was no longer afraid. So don't assume that your fear is there forever. Mine has dissolved and maybe yours will too. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayIronically, what helped me was my little brother who took me aboard a small propeller plane. He explained every check he did, I got to listen to him talk to the tower, he explained what the things in the air meant. … I was so much calmer on my next flight just knowing all that stuff. (And I would be riddled with panic attacks the night before long flights. We'll see what happens for my next long flight....) I may be a nervous flyer even at the best of times, but this incident was extreme, even for me. And usually my fears don't manifest themselves until the plane actually takes off from the ground. It was only after I told the story to my husband when I got home that I thought to check out the side effects of famotidine, a drug I had never taken before that day. Some of the rarer side effects are anxiety, nervousness, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, vision changes, etc. Moral of the story: NEVER, EVER try a new medication before a flight. The gap between what people fear (kidnapping by a stranger) and what is actually happening (family turmoil and custody battles) is telling. What has changed since the 1970s is the nature of the American family and the broader sense of community. For a variety of reasons – divorce, more single-parent families, more working mothers – both families and neighborhoods have lost some of their cohesion. Perhaps it is natural that trust in general has eroded and that parents have sought to more closely monitor what they can, especially their children. Drinking is also a good option, I agree. This works even when the earbuds don't cancel out the screaming of kids who sometimes like to put on shows in surround sound. Thanks for sharing this, Matt. It helped me look at my fears while experiencing yours. Great post! One of the best helps to get rid of the fear of flying is to go to a health food store or a pharmacy that deals with complementary therapies. There, find the Bach Flowers shelf and purchase one each of Mimulus and Rescue Remedy. If you can get the Rescue Remedy in spray form, even better. Up to one month before your scheduled flight, start taking Mimulus. If you're flying on short notice, get started now. Place three drops directly on your tongue or into a glass/bottle of water and sip – three times a day. During this time, whenever you feel anxious about flying, three drops or a spray or two of Rescue Remedy as soon as you feel it. It doesn't matter how many times a day this happens. About three days before your flight, take the Rescue Remedy just like you are doing with the Mimulus. On the day of your flight, use Rescue Remedy whenever you feel anxious or nervous. Let's hope it's not much at this point! The brain becomes very confused. And this leads to problems with excessive anger, excessive withdrawal, and things like taking drugs to feel better. These things are almost always the result of a brain predisposed to feeling in danger and being afraid. I love traveling, but the claustrophobic panic attack hits when the plane door closes.