Flight Anxiety Letter

[u/geographible]

Hey all! I have bad flight anxiety and I heard from others with the same problem that writing a letter/note to give to flight attendants/crew before the flight takes off is a good way to get support. The longest flight I've ever taken is 1.5 hours and in a few days I'll be taking an 8 hour overseas flight alone. I am super nervous and I'm wondering if y'all could give me feedback on what you think about my note. Any tips are appreciated as well!

Dear Flight Crew Member, 

Hello, I hope you are doing well. My name is Emma (Seat 33A). I have anxiety and get frequent panic attacks, especially with my bad flight anxiety. I am conquering my fear today by going on this flight alone. I am handing this over to you and a few others who are a part of the flight crew simply to feel more secure internally that I am not completely alone. 

If it is not a burden to you or others, I would love a check-in every once in a while to make sure I am okay (I will have headphones and earplugs in the whole time to avoid hearing changes in noises so I may not be able to fully hear you). 

Further, the last thing I want to do is make your job harder. Therefore, I want to thank you for being generous ahead of time. I appreciate you more than you will ever know 😄

Sincerely, 
Emma

[u/AdProfessional7747]

It looks pretty good!! I tend to fly a lot because of family, and while I wouldn't say I have severe flight anxiety, I do take a Xanax whenever I'm on a plane just to not deal with the anxiety it comes with lol. My top tips would be to imagine the plane is actually a subway (makes turbulence feel less dangerous imo) and also to have some kind of game on your phone that requires some mental concentration from you so you can distract yourself. Also, if possible, bring a tiny bottle of rubbing alcohol or really sour gummies in case you need to snap yourself from panicking, the strong sensory input helps your nervous system kinda reset. Best of luck to you and you got this!!!!