<p>Has anyone who hates airplane turbulence found a good solution to cope? I am currently considering asking my dr for anxiety medication but I doubt, that will take away the rollercoaster feeling, which is the worst part for me.</p>
<p>I am not afraid of flying. I actually enjoy traveling and have to do so for work. However, I find that recent flights have caused me much anxiety that I have become a nervous wreck. I would hate to give up flying but I am really finding it more and more difficult to cope. I have two upcoming flights. I usually pick a seat near the wing and clench my stomach but this is not comfortable and I am sure I make the people around me nervous. These flights are so packed and the planes have gotten smaller and smaller, you don’t even have space to privately freak out.</p>
<p>I have taken bonine (carsick drug) before. It didn’t help a lot and made me so sleepy I had to take a nap when I got to my hotel - but you could ask your doctor for something for carsickness if that is what you mean by clenching your stomach. And actually the drowsy feeling would help with anxiety but don’t try to drive when you get to your destination.</p>
<p>My daughter takes Bonine. She tried an anti-anxiety drug, prescribed by her physician, but believes Bonine works better. She was half-asleep throughout the flight. I’d try both to see which works better.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>When the plane hits some turbulent air think back to the other turbulent flights you’ve had and how some of them were much worse than this one. This one? It’s nothing compared to those others and those ended up okay. This one is nothing to get worked up over. I’m trying to address a psychological component here - the fight or flight response to the lack of control you have in the plane.</p></li>
<li><p>Distract yourself. Have a good book and start reading it before the turbulence. If you feel anxiety then focus more in the story to distract your mind. You might also want to listen to some type of music, watch a movie, or anything else that distracts your mind which is the real culprit in this.</p></li>
<li><p>You can try thinking logically about how planes are designed for this, how planes, pilots, etc. go through turbulence every day with no problem, but that may or may not help.</p></li>
<li><p>Bring a baggie with a wet paper towel in it - have it readily accessible. When you start to feel anxiety due to the flight turbulence (or anything else), take out the cold wet towel and place it on the back of your neck and maybe the sides of your face if needed. This is very portable and can be done discreetly. This seems to interfere with some of the physiological aspects associated with the anxiety. btw - this is a trick I’ve come up with on my own and it makes logical sense to me but you’ll need to see if it works for you.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Barrons, I have been on a flight where the flight attendants looked worried and then the plane took a nose dive into a storm. I have also been on a plane that aborted landing because the pilot could not see the runway due to fog and heavy rain. Believe it or not, those situations scared me but what did me in was the turbulence (dropping) associated with it. </p>
<p>The worse thing is the physical feeling of free falling. It really does a number on me. I do not go on any amusement park rides for that reason.</p>
<p>I used to be really scared of airplane turbulence, too. As I began to fly more often I came up with some tricks that ease my worry. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>I don’t sit by the wing. I found that watching the wings bounce during the turbulence only made me more scared. </p></li>
<li><p>I find a business man/ women who looks like they fly a lot and if they look worried, then I would worry. This one seems silly but it has helped me. </p></li>
<li><p>I also watch the flight attendants. </p></li>
<li><p>I second having a distraction (movie, music, book, etc.) </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Good luck with your next flight! Don’t worry (:</p>
<p>I rode for the first time and I just went with it. Personally I love the fright so I don’t think I could help with coping. I just deal with it by enjoying the fear.</p>
<p>On my recent flight I closed my eyes and just assumed I was going to die. Then I was pleasantly surprised every time the turbulence stopped!</p>
<p>Really, reading a book helped me not to think about it as much. I don’t like the stomach dropping feeling, either, but I’ve only experienced turbulence bad enough for that to happen a couple of times and it’s never lasted long. You have had some bad experiences!</p>
<p>I was on a plane that dropped so fast after hitting some sort of air pocket that I saw someone’s cup shoot up and hit the bottom of the overhead compartment. Goos thing I like roller coasters!</p>
<p>I fly more than 50,000 miles every year, and have never gotten over my fear of flying. I second GladGradDad’s points, which are really helpful. </p>
<p>The one that helped me most was finding a way to keep all my senses involved in something other than noticing turbulence. Reading a book is not sufficient. I bring my iPad with headphones, and watch a really exciting movie. That involves the mind, and the senses of both hearing and sight. </p>
<p>Two other tactices can also be helpful: First, if you fly over the continental shelf (leaving North Am to fly to Europe, for instance), recognize that when you cross the shelf, you will feel a lot of turbulence. It happens every time, every flight to every aircraft. If you know it, expect and account for it, you put yourself back in charge and don’t feel so out of control. The same thing will happen when you fly over mountains and any large body of water.</p>
<p>Lastly, as GladGradDad points out, planes are built for turbulence. I try to remember what it feels like to be on a boat - the boat moves up and down with the waves, sometimes skipping into the air because landing with a thud back on the water. The plane is a boat also, only it rides the air waves instead of the water waves. The principle is the same, though, and the feeling is the same - and has the same result in that the boat and the plane are both designed to deal with the currents.</p>
<p>I have been a pilot for about 30 years, and I promise you, as unsettling as it is, turbulence is rarely dangerous. Turbulence does not bring airplanes down. I know it can be uncomfortable, but the airplanes are stressed for this, and it is no big deal. The only people at risk during turbulence are those who are walking around and get their head bonked on the ceiling. So only get up if you really need to, and only if it’s not turbulent, strap in at all times and you will be fine. Really.</p>
<p>I have flown with my sister a few times, who is petrified of turbulence. She settles down quite nicely after a few glasses of wine to take the edge off, and me constantly telling her that it really isn’t dangerous. </p>
<p>Another thing, the pilot not seeing the runway because of fog and having to execute a go-around is no big deal either. It happens, as the weather changes often. But there are rules about how far you can descend if you don’t see the runway, and at a set point, you go around. Not that uncommon, people practice for it, and sometimes you even expect it. Mother Nature doesn’t always accommodate us.</p>
<p>The only time I was nervous was when it was so windy at O’Hare that the pilot had to keep circling and circling, then he announced that we would be the first plane allowed to land. But Richard Gephardt was on the flight, so I figured the pilot would be careful! (LOL, I had to change my toddler’s diaper in the tiny bathroom, and when I came out, Gephardt was waiting to go in. I hadn’t seen him yet, so I was surprised!)</p>
<p>I, too, used to keep my eyes on the flight attendant and didn’t worry unless they looked worried. </p>
<p>I needed something more distracting than a book or movie. I found that doing a crossword or sudoku puzzle which requires me to think and write was helpful, except when it’s too turbulent to write in the boxes. Some people do well with knitting or crocheting. </p>
<p>I also found it helpful to watch a couple of shows about the planes that fly into the eye of a hurricane. I tell myself, if those planes can make it in and out on a regular basis, this little pocket of turbulence is nothing.</p>
<p>I won’t connect through Denver. Also watch the attendants.
At ascent, I take off my glasses and count to 60, by which time I figure this is dumb. No problem on the leg home.
My fear really started on a turbulent flight over awful storms, coming north from Atlanta, when the two pilots behind me started talking about all the things this pilot was doing wrong. Yikes.</p>
<p>Busdriver, can you just keep reassuring us?</p>
<p>I can always reassure you about turbulence, lookingforward. Don’t waste your time being afraid of that. I understand avoiding Denver, though, if you hate turbulence. I swear, I have never had a smooth flight into Denver, those dang mountains and always weather. I have to admit, there are things that make me concerned, but not a couple of bumps, even severe turbulence is not going to be a hazard unless you’re unbuckled. Trust me, a few glasses of wine will definitely help the fear go away (you stop caring so much), and getting upgraded to first class helps a lot!</p>
<p>I am with you! I hate the rollercoaster feeling and I hate turbulence. The worst is going on small airplanes! When people try to get me on a roller coaster they always say how safe it is. I’m not worried for my safety, I just hate that feeling of falling. Convincing me how safe the plane is doesn’t help.</p>
<p>Definitely I take an anti-anxiety med (which is not something I would do otherwise). If I don’t have that I might take a Benadryl or an Advil PM to let me sleep through the trip, or I will drink a beer or two.</p>
<p>Ugh! Thanks for the warning about Denver. I haven’t been there in years, but just found myself booking three trips through there in the next 6 months.</p>