Your friend has talked you into a lovely holiday. You’ve booked everything, you’ve researched the destination, what to wear, what to pack, what health measures you need to attend to. So everything’s good, yes? All except for one thing – your fear of flying…
For some a fear of flying can completely upset their holiday. They worry before they book, they worry in the lead up, on the day of travel and then spend half their time away worrying about the return journey. It doesn’t have to be like that! You can deal with your phobia in the same way as everything else: don’t leave it till the last moment – sort it out in advance so that you no longer have to worry about it and can enjoy that pre-holiday excitement for once.
There are many different reasons for a fear of flying. It may have been triggered by something that happened when you flew before, or perhaps you’ve read or seen something that has put you off. It may even be an avoidance tactic, for example you don’t want to go abroad because you don’t like it and the fear is a good excuse to avoid going. You may not even consciously know the reasons for your fear.
Whatever your reason, known or otherwise, hypnotherapy can help you release your fear so that you can look forward to the holiday that you deserve. It doesn’t just deal with the symptoms of anxiety or panic, it deals with the underlying causes so that you feel completely comfortable and no longer have a need to react in a certain way. All hypnosis is basically self-hypnosis, so you can learn to cope with your fear so that at long last you can sit back and enjoy the experience!
In the meantime, practise these self-help techniques:
- Breathe deeply. When we’re anxious we forget to breathe, or we take very short, shallow breaths. Take a slow, deep breath in, hold it, then slowly breathe out, making sure that you are breathing deeply so that your stomach rises rather than your chest. Imagine breathing in a calming colour and breathing out tension. As you do, think of a time you felt confident and say a good positive word or phrase to yourself.
- Get organised before you go and leave yourself plenty of time to get to the airport – don’t arrive late and add to your anxiety.
- Practise visualising the place you’re going to be visiting, imagining all the positive things you are looking forward to there and make it a bright, bold, positive image so that you really look forward to it. On the day think positively about your journey, focusing on your destination, visualising the place you’re going to and how good it will be, imagining the scenery, smell and tastes. On the way back, visualise how nice it will be to be back in your own place again, doing the things you’ve missed while away.
- Keep yourself occupied during the trip. Getting engrossed in a good book, or watching a favourite comedy film on your laptop, or listening to your favourite music can all help.
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Guest post written by Clinical Hypnotherapist Linda Flanigan. Contact Linda for further information and to find out if hypnotherapy can help make your holiday truly memorable for all the right reasons!
Tel: +44 (0) 7866 360359
Web: www.lfhypnotherapy-oxfordshire.co.uk
Email: linda@lfhypnotherapy-oxfordshire.co.uk
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