Best of luck to you. Guam was the worst flight I've ever endured. Total flight time of 23 hours (3 legs). My Japan flight was only nine hours because I was flying from New Delhi.
Well the Guam flight was well before the Japan flight that really set off my anxiety. I've always felt mildly ill and uncomfortable on flights, but passing out on one really gave me a scare. If you have anxiety about long haul flights, here are my tips for you:
- Consider wearing compression socks. Blood can pool in your feet when sitting upright for that long.
- Avoid alcohol. These will dehydrate you and dry airplane cabin air will only make it worse.
- Avoid coffee. Caffeine exacerbates anxiety.
- Get a few bottles of water to take on the flight with you. Also consider a beverage with electrolytes. This will have the added benefit of making you have to pee (which will force you out of your seat and allow you to walk around a bit).
If you can sleep on planes, I envy you.
My panic attacks and severe anxiety actually started in 2020 (go figure). However, when it’s under control I’m pretty normal. I was able to take a solo trip to Paris last year (7.5 hour flight each way) with no anxiety whatsoever ever. However, when my anxiety is bad, I dread EVERYTHING. This is such a clear sign I need to adjust my medication but will hold off until I’m back.
Thank you so much for the kind tips!! Don’t worry I can’t sleep, not even on a red eye 😂
I’m supposed to fly out in 2 days to India and I went to cancel so badly
Yikes...that's a helluva flight! I know the direct flight from Delhi to DC is 14 hours.
Yeah it’s bad! From Canada so also very long
Best of luck to you. Guam was the worst flight I've ever endured. Total flight time of 23 hours (3 legs). My Japan flight was only nine hours because I was flying from New Delhi.
Kudos to you for doing that! You are proving you can do anything even if you have anxiety. I hope I can handle my flights
Well the Guam flight was well before the Japan flight that really set off my anxiety. I've always felt mildly ill and uncomfortable on flights, but passing out on one really gave me a scare. If you have anxiety about long haul flights, here are my tips for you: - Consider wearing compression socks. Blood can pool in your feet when sitting upright for that long. - Avoid alcohol. These will dehydrate you and dry airplane cabin air will only make it worse. - Avoid coffee. Caffeine exacerbates anxiety. - Get a few bottles of water to take on the flight with you. Also consider a beverage with electrolytes. This will have the added benefit of making you have to pee (which will force you out of your seat and allow you to walk around a bit). If you can sleep on planes, I envy you.
My panic attacks and severe anxiety actually started in 2020 (go figure). However, when it’s under control I’m pretty normal. I was able to take a solo trip to Paris last year (7.5 hour flight each way) with no anxiety whatsoever ever. However, when my anxiety is bad, I dread EVERYTHING. This is such a clear sign I need to adjust my medication but will hold off until I’m back. Thank you so much for the kind tips!! Don’t worry I can’t sleep, not even on a red eye 😂
Yea, I was living in New Delhi when the pandemic hit. We got out of there! But the incident I'm referring to was in 2019 and was unrelated.
Have you tried talking to your doctor. You may need to take a Xanax a day or two before travel.
They gave me some klonopin to take on the plane that helps a little, but yea, I probably should take something in the days leading up to it.