Overcoming Turbulence

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There is probably nothing else about traveling that can stress you out quicker than feeling like you are going to die on the plane. When it starts bumping and jumping and swaying and dropping everyone’s stress level goes up.

 

Here are some quick tips on dealing with getting through the turbulence and those apprehensions about traveling.

What it is: The first thing you need to do is learn what turbulence really is. Turbulence happens when the plane goes through a change in air stream. Think about when you are on a boat and another boat crosses in your path. That change in direction the boat causes in the waves, causes your boat to go up and down. In the sky, that happens just from a natural change of air flow, but it's the same affect. It will also happen when landing in extremely hot areas. We have this quite often here in Las Vegas during the summer due to the extreme heat. When the plane hits that layer of heat it can feel like you just hit a wall.

 

Know the Fact: These aren't pockets that the plane can fall into, they are more like waves in the sky. These planes are designed to withstand so much more than they will ever encounter. Remind yourself of this when you start feeling the bumps. Knowing that it isn’t going to cause the plane to go into a nose dive and that it is really no different than hitting a pot hole in a road, can often times be enough to calm your nerves.

 

If your fear is that the wings are going to snap off, take a look at this video. You will never see a plane put in a situation up in the air where the wrings would bend this far. It's a cool video though.

 

Boeing 777 Wing Test

 

• Think twice before you have that drink to calm your nerves. If you are just a little uneasy about flying, having a drink probably won’t hurt anything. If you are more than a just a little afraid of flying or your fears border on phobic, having more than one drink can do more harm than good. Drinking intensifies whatever you happen to be feeling. If you are already afraid, then drinking is only going to make you more afraid. Drinking too much can turn a small concern over flying into an irrational fear.
• Try as well to stay away from coffee. Coffee will give you that temporary rush and make you jittery and anxious. With nowhere to go and limited possibilities on things to do, the last thing you need is a burst of energy.
• Take an over the counter sleep aid as soon as you get on the plane if your flight is long enough. Even if you don’t sleep the whole way, it should calm you down a bit. Make sure you are getting the medications that you don't cause you to wake up drowsy from.
• Try to sit as close to the front of the plane as possible. The front of the plane will feel the least amount of turbulence.
• Bring a lot of things to do to take your mind off the turbulence. The last thing you need is hours of boredom with only one thing to think about. See my blog post on things to do on the plane for more ideas.
• Listen for the pilot updates before and during your flight. They usually know in advance that it’s coming, and if they tell you that, it could help. With me, I feel better if they warn me because, my thinking is, that if they know about it in advance they are probably prepared for it. It also reassures me that it’s just turbulence and not something wrong with the plane.
• Don’t let your mind go crazy with possibilities. This is probably my biggest problem when I fly is that I will think into it. The pilot will often speed up, slow down, move up or move down, to try and get out of or minimize the turbulence. What I will immediately think is “the engines are failing”, or “is there a mechanical problem with the plane”, or in those very hyper moments, “did I just see a little monster on the wing of the plane” (flashback from the Twilight Zone). Don’t let your mind go there. Keep reminding yourself that it is just turbulence. That’s it.
• Talk to the person sitting next to you. Keep in mind, that once you start the conversation, you may not be able to stop it, and also keep in mind that the person next to you, may not want to talk, but if you happen to sit next to someone that does, talking about the turbulence or anything else, will keep your mind off of the turbulence itself. It’s also comforting sometimes to just know that someone else is nervous as well.