My first flight was back in year 2007 when I was traveling with my team mates for an overseas shooting competition in Australia. Being really young and curious, I did not worry that much while I was on the airplane. However, when the plane was landing, I was quite nervous and I felt a little comfortable as I was experiencing the "stomach sinking" feeling whenever the plane descends. I really hated that feeling because I felt as if I was going to fall and that it made me feel insecure. I was quite thankful to my friend, Abigail, who was the one trying to calm me down and she was the one who allowed me to grab onto her hand and squeeze it whenever I was feeling scared as the plane descended.
I was feeling equally scared when the plane was descending on the subsequent flights. I would shiver and get really nervous. At the time, I thought to myself that I will never ever travel on an airplane again, even though I have always wanted to travel to other beautiful countries. I thought to myself again, there aren't any alternatives except to travel by an airplane.
In April 2012, I decided to face my fear once again, after these few years. I had to do so because I wanted to travel with my family and relatives, and at the same time, I can take it as a graduation trip.
During the takeoff, I experienced some sort of giddiness perhaps due to the pressure difference. I was feeling a little uncomfortable and scared so I grabbed onto my younger sister's arm and had only let go of her arm when the "seat-belt" sign was turned off.
As I looked through the window, all I could see was small little fluffy white clouds with a baby-blue coloured background. It was kind of a mixed feeling. I was happy to see the little fluffy clouds, but seeing such tiny clouds would mean that I was high up in the sky, in an airplane.
Then, I wondered:
"Would turbulence hit the plane?"
"Would the plane crash?"
"Would I feel scared when the plane descends later?"
"What should I do if I was feeling scared?"
... (and never-ending silly thoughts)
My mum and relatives were actually laughing upon seeing the "feeling scared" expression on my face and they tried to comfort me by telling me that it is very safe to travel on airplanes and there's nothing to be afraid of. I tried to listen and absorb what they were telling me, but I still felt nervous throughout the flight. Our plane was hit by a slight turbulence and I freaked out, grabbed my sister's arm once again and my heart was beating really fast. I tried to close my eyes and take a nap so that I wouldn't feel so scared, but I didn't manage to do so. Thus, I tried other stuff which could divert my attention and eventually distract me from noticing the little movements of the airplane. I listened to my favourite music and catchy songs from from Big Bang and other great singers. It really helped to ease my nervousness! Taking pictures and chit-chatting with my sister had helped too!
Finally, our plane was descending as it was reaching our destination, Taipei. To avoid experiencing that "stomach sinking" feeling that I have always hated, I slouched a little and grabbed my leg to sort of put a little pressure on my tummy. It did help as I didn't experience that "stomach sinking" feeling that much.
When the plane landed, it sounds stupid but I really feel proud of myself because I managed to face my fear. I had even come up with ways to reduce my fear of flying, instead of avoiding it which would mean that I wouldn't have the chance to travel to Taipei with my family. I would have regretted if I did not board the airplane because the fun-filled trip was too memorable and I really enjoyed it. Moreover, many others are able to travel on airplanes with no fear at all, so I can definitely do it too!
Snapshots of the places we went:
For me, I have not totally eliminated my fear of flying, yet. However, I will try really hard to do so, because only by doing so, I would be able to travel around the world with my loved ones and to even make my dreams come true.
It is not a shame to have a phobia, but it is a shame if you don't even try to make an effort to reduce the level of fear that you are experiencing.
No comments:
Post a Comment