Topic Title: No longer a nervous flier!
| |  "No longer a nervous flier!"
, Wed 5 Feb 17:35
I often get nervous when I have to fly. It's not exactly a classic fear of flying because I don't worry about all the bad things that might happen to the plane or anything like that. I get the same thing on boats and sometimes even in trains and cars, and I think it has to do with the loss of control. I know that I can't make the plane/boat stop and I can't get off in the middle of the journey. When I was a kid I always used to think that on boat journeys. It might also be a fear of getting travel sick, though I hardly ever do. During the take-off and landing and when there's turbulence the unpleasant physical sensations can set off the nervousness. It seems to be worse when my depression is worse. Just before I started SJW I had to go on a short-haul flight and I had a panic attack (which are rare for me) waiting at the airport. In the spring, when I was feeling OK (I have SAD) I went to the US so I had to fly a lot, and hardly ever got nervous (except during a particularly bumpy landing, and some especially bad turbulence).
Anyway, I went away for the weekend, and was not looking forward to the short flight I had to take. But I was so much better this time. Even during the bumpy landing on the return journey, I was able to stay fairly calm. I suppose it might be too early to tell, but I wonder if this is partly due to SJW. Like I said, my nervousness when flying seems to be linked to my depression, and gets worse in the winter, when I have SAD to deal with. And SJW seems to be able to reduce anxiety over the long term, so it would not be surprising if the SJW had helped to lessen my anxiety about flying.
Just thought I'd share that with everyone. Anyone out there with similar experiences?
Dan
Posts: 68 | | Registered: Sat 14 Dec 2002 17:8 |
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| |  "same thing happened to me"
, Thu 6 Feb 19:57
I have been claustraphobic for about 30 years. I function fine but do get panic attacks on planes or if I get stuck on elevators, etc. Since I began taking SJW for very mild depression, I noticed that my panic anxieties have stopped. I am not really depresed anymore but still take a reduced amount of SJW just as a calming effect. It really helps.
From what you are describing, it sounds like you also are claustraphobic...I define it as not liking (or fear) of being trapped. A place where there is no exit...like a plane, a boat, a crowded theater. Yes, it certainly seems to help me.
Posts: 43 | | Registered: Wed 27 Feb 2002 16:59 |
| | | "Re(1):same thing happened to me" , Fri 7 Feb 17:00
Now that you mention it, I've had similar experiences in cinemas and theatres, and when I was at university I would often have this problem in morning lectures and seminars (and no, it wasn't because I was hungover!) I would be fighting against panic and the feeling that I was going to be sick. I would spend the whole time wanting to leave but forcing myself to stay because I didn't want to miss the lecture and also to avoid the embarassment of walking out halfway through.
I guess I must have some form of mild claustrophobia. It comes and goes, and it's interesting how closely related it is to my depression. When I was at university I didn't know why I was having these problems. The thought that I might be suffering from depression and claustrophobia didn't really cross my mind (or else I was in denial about it) but looking back on it now, it all makes a lot more sense.
Dan
Posts: 71 | | Registered: Sat 14 Dec 2002 17:8 |
| | | "Re(1):same thing happened to me" , Fri 7 Feb 01:29
Hi,
I have the same feeling with regards planes etc...it's not a fear of crashing or anything, it's the total lack of control, just how you described, knowing that you can't just get off whenever you want to.
I have less fear of a short flight, as I feel I could put up with it for an hour or two, but the thought of a long haul terrifies me. My best friend now lives in Australia (I'm UK) and begs me to visit, but it's the thought of how I'll feel when the doors close and it starts to take off, knowing that I'm in there for a whole DAY whether I like it or not.
The other thing that has affected how I feel about flying is my dreams, strangely enough. I have really vivid dreams, especially on SJW, and often dream that I'm about to fly or that I'm somewhere really far away (like Aus) and feeling terrified knowing that I'll have to fly home. I know that dreams are meant to be just a reflection of our subconscious thoughts/fears, but I'm sure that it's almost the opposite, that the fear I feel in the dreams has made me more nervous in real life.
Unfortunately, taking SJW hasn't really affected this issue at all for me, but it's great that it does work for some of you.
All the best,
juju
Posts: 158 | | Registered: Fri 3 May 2002 3:4 |
| | | "Re(2):same thing happened to me" , Fri 7 Feb 18:07
It's a shame that you feel you can't see your friend because of your anxiety about flying such a long distance. When I flew to the US in the spring, it was my first long haul flight (the longest leg of it was 10 hours) and I was not looking forward to it at all after all my experiences on short haul flights. As it happened, I was fine almost all the time, except during some bad turbulence near my destination. I think part of the reason was that I was not very depressed at that time (I was very excited about the trip, as well as being anxious), and there's definitely a link between my depression and my anxieties. The other thing that I think helped was knowing that I was well prepared. This led to me obsessively checking and re-checking that I had everything I needed (passport, tickets, etc.) with me, but in a way the reassurance I got from this was worth it. I also made sure I'd taken my travel sickness tablets, that I had plenty of boiled sweets (to calm me down, especially during takeoff and landing), that I got some of those flight socks to prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis, and so on. Nowadays, I'd make sure I had some Valerian with me as well, in case I got nervous or had a panic attack and needed something to calm me down. I think being able to tell myself that I'd done everything I could to prepare for the flight and make it comfortable for myself really helped me not to worry so much and even to enjoy parts of it (like the wonderful views of the Rockies and the Southwestern deserts). Common sense really, but still much easier said than done.
Here's another more way-out suggestion: use your dreams to face your fear. You say you have very vivid dreams. Do you also have lucid dreams (where you are conscious that you are dreaming, and so can control the dream if you wish)? I have had these occasionally, when I wake up in the middle of a dream then immediately go back to sleep, but I've never done anything useful with them. I believe you can train yourself to dream lucidly, which is something I'd love to do but never got round to yet. Anyway, the idea is that when you dream about flying, or anything you're afraid of, you can somehow imagine a happy and peaceful outcome to the dream, thus showing yourself that there is nothing to be afraid of. I can't be more specific, because how this works would be different for everyone. I really believe you're right that dreams can be a kind of rehearsal for things that happen in real life. In your dreams you feel nervous about flying, so this increases your anxiety about flying in real life. The trick is to stop being nervous about flying in your dreams first. That way, you can face your fear in a 'safe' environment (you can always wake up) before you tackle the real thing.
Sorry to ramble on like that. I don't know if any of it is any good to you or anyone else (or if my suggestion about dreaming even makes sense  ) but I hope so.
Dan
Posts: 72 | | Registered: Sat 14 Dec 2002 17:8 |
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