conquering my fear

i just wanted to share. im TERRIFIED to fly. never flown. never known anyone to have a bad experience on a plane. i hate heights and loss of control. fear of the unknown is what makes up most of this fear i think. but i have SERIOUS anxiety about it.

i have a vivid imagination and with seeing things on movies and in the news i just seem to think of the worst case scenario all the time- and when you have anxiety (i have G.A.D) you build up this ficticious scenario in your head and its almost like its happening (or at least you feel that way)

anyways i have booked a flight august 14. we are going to see a friend in ottawa. its only 1 hour flight. just to go through the motions and actually get on a plane. i have talked to my dr about this- and its normal to be scared but i still have to get on the plane. i dont want to limit my life with this irrational fear. i know all the stats and it IS WAY safer to fly than drive. i just cant seem to shake the fear. i have some ativan to take if i need it.....i hope not.

im dreading august 14 to come, but i have said to myself that im not going to worry or be anxious about it until the week of the flight. otherwise i would never sleep cuz im thinking about it all the time.

once i conquer this fear i will feel so free and alive. i cant wait for that feeling. im a smart woman and this is the only major fear i have so it will be to refreshing to not have it anymore- a weight will be lifted.

:)

Good for you, to fight this!

Riding an airplane can be nerve-wracking, even for those without anxiety.  I can't imagine the tension for those with it.

Just think about all the fears you've ever conquered.  For me, riding an airplane is very similar to rappelling for the first time.  It takes a great amount of willpower to walk off the edge of the cliff and trust that the rope will hold you.  But after you do, it is exhilarating.

Good luck!

Awesome, Chels!  Once you've leaped this hurdle, you'll be able to leap any others.

I personally think that the actual flight part is the easiest part - the hard part is the annoying process of getting checked in, going through security and dealing with the airline BS, but that's just me.  I know you'll do just fine and have a fun time in Ottawa to boot.

PS I would be absolutely terrified to rappel, haha.

You'll be fine, I'm sure! And I hope you like Ottawa (we've had terrible weather last 3 weeks . I haven't watered my lawn and flower beds since we moved in almost 3 weeks ago. It's been raining 6 days a week!!!)

Thanks for all your support! I know I will be fine, will just be a very emotional and mentally challenging day for me. My great hubby will be there to support me :)

PS- Maha your new pic is amazing. your beautiful- so exotic looking. are you eastern european? (if you dont mind me asking- i am polish!)

Thanks!  No one ever called me exotic before ;)  You guessed it right, I'm Russian.

Maha - yes, very nice new pic!  You have awesome legs!

Chels - I hate to fly too.  I used to fly all the time as a child and then later had a bad experience flying.  Nothing too terrible, just a very bumpy flight, but it felt like the plane was going down at the time.  I didn't fly for 5 years after that. 

But then, like you, I didn't want to be stuck travelling only to places I could drive.  So, I made myself book a trip.  1st one was to Cancun, so it was a location I wanted to go to.  Doc gave me some valium and it worked like a charm!  We were taking 2 trips a year until I got laid off after that, even a long one to Rome.  So yeah - way worth getting over the fear.

Thanks Yoga.

I am going to take my Ativan and i should be fine. I've taken an online course so I understand what the sounds are and what turbulence is (its actually not at all harmful to the plane) and knowing makes me feel better. Once we take this trip to Ottawa and I'm fine....then I will probably book a trip early next year to somewhere HOT (since i've never really been out of Canada) but it will only be like 3hours MAX.

Question: as you flew a couple times a year did you need to take the valium each time? is valium the same type of drug as Ativan(aka Lorazepan)?