Being afraid of flying is very common so you are not alone. However, while most of your fears are in your head, it doesn’t make flying any easier.

To help keep you calm on your next flight, try these little tips to see if you feel any better:

Listen to the safety advice
Many people feel listening to the advice will make them think about crashing; however, knowing what to do in the rare case of an emergency will actually help to calm you down.

Bring plenty of entertainment
Pack a bag full of magazines, books, pens, music and crosswords and try to focus your attention on the in-flight movies. Keeping your mind occupied will help you not think about the fact that you are in the air.

Talk to the person beside you
If you are flying with friends, ask them to keep you distracted during take-off, turbulence and landing. If you are flying alone, engage the person next to you in conversation. Talk about anything other than the fact that you are on a plane.

Look out the window
Unless your fear is down to you not liking heights, look out the window. This will help you understand a lot of the motions of the plane e.g. if it is turning, going up or going down.