Struggling with flight or travel anxiety? You’re not alone! 30% of adults experience it.
The fear of flying, seasickness, unfamiliar surroundings and long journeys can cause stress before we’ve even arrived.
The key is to prepare our senses and nervous system before we leave, regulate and stay grounded during the journey and recreate familiarity and safety once we arrive.
Here’s what our experts say about calming flight anxiety.
Before you leave
1. Pack home comforts in your carry-on
Bring headphones, a sleep mask, downloaded comfort shows or playlists and lavender and peppermint essential oil.
2. Use the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method
When your thoughts begin racing, identify five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell and one you can taste. This draws your focus away from overthinking and back into the present moment.
3. Write a ‘must-pack’ list
It’s easy to forget essentials! Have you got your medication, passport, chargers, toothbrush and travel documents? Pack a portable aroma diffuser too. Aromatherapy can help to reduce anxiety and lower stress levels.
Discover our portable diffusers:
Eva Face Mister
Peri Waterless Diffuser
Nomad Portable Diffuser
During the journey
4. The physiological sigh
Practice the physiological sigh. Take one breath in through your nose, followed by a second, smaller sip of air. Then exhale slowly through your mouth until your lungs feel comfortably empty. This reduces breathing rate naturally and supports a calm nervous system.
5. Cool down
Hold a cold drink or a wrapped cooling pack against your forehead or chest. The cold sensation resets the vagus nerve and grounds you in feelings of safety.
6. Use essential oils
Feeling nauseous?
Peppermint is instantly refreshing and cooling when travel leaves you nauseous or claustrophobic.
Feeling anxious?
Use Lavender to reduce feelings of anxiety and induce feelings of calm.
Note: in a car, hotel room or on a boat, use your portable diffuser. On a plane, place 3 drops of oil onto a handkerchief for personal, non-disruptive use.
When you arrive
7. Practise self-compassion
Travel can be tiring and unpredictable. Give yourself permission to pause and take a breath. A quiet evening in still counts as part of the holiday!
8. Hydrate and rest
Flying, disrupted sleep and long journeys can leave you depleted. Drink water, eat something nourishing and take time to recover. Alcohol can also intensify anxiety or disturb sleep; if possible, avoid it on the first and last day of travelling.
9. Make the space feel familiar
Diffuse calming lavender essential oil when you arrive, before bed or while preparing for your journey home. Using the same familiar scent before and during your trip can create a reassuring thread between home and an unfamiliar place.
Learning how to calm flight anxiety is a personal journey.
You don’t have to push it all down because you think you need to be 100% excited! Be patient with yourself; we believe in you.
