5 Ways to Stay Calm and Cool When Flying This Summer

Interview: Dr. Colleen Cira, Psy.D.Dr. Colleen Cira is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in Trauma, and has worked with hundreds of people struggling with anxiety and phobias, including aviophobia (fear of flying).

There are several things you can do to combat your nerves around flying:

Prep work

The preparation you do for your flight is more important than what you do when you’re actually on the plane! Don’t dismiss these just because they are not in the moment:

1. Imaginal rehearsal. This is the idea that you would picture in your head EXACTLY how you would want it to go. Picture in your minds eye, leaving for the airport, checking in, going through security, boarding, taking off, etc all in a perfectly calm way. Picture yourself using your tools and skills and having it go amazingly well. This is exactly what professional athletes do before big games: they set their expectations, which primes the brain to comply. Good stuff.

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