We’ve all been there – sitting comfortably mid-flight and all of a sudden you feel like your plane is being shaken in a tin can. You hang tight onto your drink, look out the window and see…nothing. What you’re experiencing is turbulent air. I’ve been flying a lot so I’ve become much more comfortable when my plane is going through turbulence, but I still have my moments where I become incredibly dramatic and ask myself “what if I die right now?”
Here are four things you can start telling yourself when you’re going through turbulence to calm your nerves:
1. Ask yourself if the flight attendants freaking out. Chances are the answer is ‘no’ and that’s because they fly all the time. They’re the utmost frequent flyers so they know when turbulence feels normal versus when it’s time to take precaution. One of the first things I do when my plane is going through turbulence is look for the flight attendants – if they are going about their normal business then I take that as a sign that the bumps we are experiencing are totally normal.
2. Tell yourself you’re going through a construction zone on the highway. When driving through a construction zone, driving conditions aren’t the most reasonable. Just as your right tires dip into a pothole that makes you think your bumper is going to fall off, you see a sign that says “BUMP” and you’re pretty sure your car just got some serious air. You typically don’t flinch much when going through uneven areas on the road so think about the plane going through the same thing!
3. Remind yourself that planes don’t fall out of the sky because of turbulence…or anything really. Your plane definitely won’t just fall out of the sky. Want proof? For your plane to just free-fall out of the sky means the wings would need to stall meaning they would need to be traveling so slow through the air that they aren’t lifting the plane up any longer.
4. Think about what the pilots are doing. I can almost guarantee they aren’t breaking a sweat, pressing a ton of buttons, and calling for help. If you think about it, they’re basically sitting at their desks in the office so they’re probably talking about the latest basketball game or their plans for the weekend. Thinking about this instantly relaxes me for some reason.