Your health and well being - Fear of flying help from Flying ...

Good health and a realistic outlook is vital to overcome your fear of flying

Looking after your health will help you to be more relaxed when you fly. It seems too obvious a thing to say that people who enjoy good health are fit for most things. Anyone who has suffered poor health knows how debilitating and energy sapping it is. You must try to be as 'fit' as you can, and when you go flying you should:

Look after your emotional well being.
Look after your psychological well being.
Look after your physical well being.
Look after your physiological well being.

Good quality sleep is important before a flight, aim to be fit in mind and body because it will help you relax. Take things on your flight that will help you to relax, like music, magazines or a book to distract you from your worries, then rest well after you have flown. Look after yourself generally and learn to sleep properly. 8 hours sleep will give you 16 hours of efficient wakefulness.

Not only does good health bring about positive and realistic thinking, poor health inevitably moves us towards less positive thinking. This is not being weak, it's a medical fact. There is a clear and obvious link between a healthy body and a healthy mind - and a healthy mind is one that is more able to deal with the problems of life. Of course, none of us can determine or change what comes our way but there are things to do to make certain that we're as healthy as possible.

Before flight

It is important to develop and practice good sleeping habits.
The body requires eight hours sleep for 16 hours activity and that proportion is true throughout our lives until we get into old age when we need less sleep. You must remind yourself frequently about quality sleep. Learning to sleep properly is important if you are going to have the energy to deal with your fear.
Popular in these modern times is an attention to diet and nowhere is that more important than when flying. The best foods are salads and high water content foods. We suggest that you plan your diet carefully before flying.

In flight

The effects on our bodies of flying in a modern airliner have to be recognised to combat them. Despite what you may hear, the conditions inside an aircraft cabin are perfectly healthy and provide sufficient air for our needs. However the humidity in an aircraft cabin tends to be low and therefore it is important to hydrate adequately and the modern fad for carrying water bottles as a fashion accessory has been beneficial for air travellers. Airlines now give a lot of health care advice on their sites. We recommend that you take notice of this advice as it is based on sound medical facts.

Exposure to the physical and mental constraints on us when we fly will causes irritability and an inability to concentrate so it's very likely that the minds of anxious passengers will drift to negative thoughts. Therefore it's vital to entertain yourself with easy-to-read books and magazines or utilise our downloadable help which will keep your attention and help you relax. Certainly don't try to get to grips with Tolstoy's ‘War and Peace' or Einstein's ‘Theory of Relativity'. An excellent tip is to start a book and get to a point where you want to know what's going to happen next ... and shut it. Re-open it when you're airborne.
Lifestyle magazines, car magazines, puzzle books or easy romantic and adventure novels are perfect. Anything that entertains and engages you. If you're a puzzle person ... stock up with more than you need.

After flight

Most importantly. Remember to relax after your flight, because you will be tired from coping with the stresses of flying. You need to spend time recovering from the emotional demands that flying will have put on you. Try to get some good quality sleep on the night you arrive at your destination. Get on to ' local time' as quickly as you can ... some people set their watch to destination time as soon as they board their flight to make it easier to do that. It's worth reading airline advice on jet lag.

Make sure that you have strategies to deal with any gremlins while you are away and trying to relax on the beach!