Fear of Flying

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Severus

FTSM!
15+ Year Member
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Anyone with me on this one????


I know the statistics. Intellectually, I know I'm being a *****, but the prospect of flying to a couple of interviews is making me freak-out (majorly... PANIC ATTACK!!!!!
2.gif
). I know, I know... I shouldn't have applied there in the first place if I didn't want to fly, right? It was a bad decision in hindsight. I suppose I never thought I'd get interviews there in the first place...


I need to either decline or grow a pair... and quick.:rolleyes:

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Actually, a more careful analysis of the statistics would show that for every hour you fly you have about the same chance of getting injured as each hour you drive.

It's just far less likely because we fly like 2 times a year, while we're driving every day.

Haha, hope I made you even more frightened :laugh:

Nah, seriously though, just have a drink before you get on the flight or something...don't drink too much on the flight because higher altitudes make people get drunk really really easily. Well, I guess if you got really drunk you would hardly care lol.

Bring some music (like an ipod or something) and try to just focus on that or watch TV on the plane or something. Or bring a video game or something if you have a portable video game system-it might not be super mature but you're a lot less likely to freak out if you're trying to beat some level of super mario brothers.
 
... r u kidding ... this should be turned into a what do you fear thread, hmmm i fear light, no i am a vampire.

but seriously, don't worry, i mean people have been flying for ... how long ..., so yea just get like drug yourself to sleep, so you never realize your flying. i realize this is a stupid suggestion in some cases, but i don't know personal feel requires a personal solution.

props to Cirrus83 haha for having the same idea
 
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Anyone with me on this one????


I know the statistics. Intellectually, I know I'm being a *****, but the prospect of flying to a couple of interviews is making me freak-out (majorly... PANIC ATTACK!!!!!
2.gif
). I know, I know... I shouldn't have applied there in the first place if I didn't want to fly, right? It was a bad decision in hindsight. I suppose I never thought I'd get interviews there in the first place...


I need to either decline or grow a pair... and quick.:rolleyes:

I have a brief moment of "Hmm, is this safe?" when I contemplate a trip whether that be via air or in a car. It's just that traveling other than by foot or bus is not something I'm used to nowadays. However, I let my love for traveling to new places (China, Europe, Central America, twenty miles out of PA et cetera) and desire to see family/friends in other cities trump my fears. I think it should be the same thing for your interviews. It's okay to be afraid, but at the end of the day, your desire to go to x medical school supercedes your desire to play it completely and absolutely safe in life (Otherwise why bother leaving your house, turning on the stove, or doing anything at all other than lounge in front of the tv eating doritos (which of course has its own hazards) day after day?) Congrats on the interviews - you're having quite the successful invite season...
 
Actually, a more careful analysis of the statistics would show that for every hour you fly you have about the same chance of getting injured as each hour you drive.

It's just far less likely because we fly like 2 times a year, while we're driving every day.

Haha, hope I made you even more frightened :laugh:


Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. :(


See this is also why I did not get my driver's liscense until I was 21.


Maybe I just need some pre-flight valium?
 
Talk to a doctor and see if you can get some sedatives if it freaks you out that much. Explain your situation and I'm sure he/she will be sympathetic. Talk about irrational fears - I'm deathly afraid of moths and butterflies. So don't feel too bad. =)
 
WOW im so glad I am not alone. I have considered only applying in-state because of this. I mean, of course I won't only apply in state in reality, but the thought of flying to interviews (assuming I even get interviews) makes me want to cry and vomit at the same time...lol so, basically, i COMPLETELY understand.:barf: :barf: :scared: :scared:
 
Anyone with me on this one????


I know the statistics. Intellectually, I know I'm being a *****, but the prospect of flying to a couple of interviews is making me freak-out (majorly... PANIC ATTACK!!!!!
2.gif
). I know, I know... I shouldn't have applied there in the first place if I didn't want to fly, right? It was a bad decision in hindsight. I suppose I never thought I'd get interviews there in the first place...


I need to either decline or grow a pair... and quick.:rolleyes:

They serve bottles of red wine on the flights. They help quite a bit.
 
Anyone with me on this one????


I know the statistics. Intellectually, I know I'm being a *****, but the prospect of flying to a couple of interviews is making me freak-out (majorly... PANIC ATTACK!!!!!
2.gif
). I know, I know... I shouldn't have applied there in the first place if I didn't want to fly, right? It was a bad decision in hindsight. I suppose I never thought I'd get interviews there in the first place...


I need to either decline or grow a pair... and quick.:rolleyes:

Get a bottle of rum and get crunked, rum fixes /everything/, lol. :D
 
Talk to a doctor and see if you can get some sedatives if it freaks you out that much. Explain your situation and I'm sure he/she will be sympathetic. Talk about irrational fears - I'm deathly afraid of moths and butterflies. So don't feel too bad. =)

I wish I had scary statistics about moths and butterflies, but sadly I can only mention that my great-uncle was killed by a swarm of killer buttermoths while on his way to an in-state medical school interview.

P.S. I rock for being the first person to suggest abusing chemicals to calm your fears. Haha.
 
Anyone with me on this one????
Severus- I used to be, but I'm much better with flying now. A few comments about points made above:

1. Alcohol- Not a great solution. Increases the fear in some folks. Altitude change can increase the effects of alcohol/dry air increases chances for hangover. Not idea of choice before an interview.

2. Drugs- Better, but not best. There's lots of prescription stuff docs can prescribe you, like Altivan or Xanax. If you're very up front with your PCP about why you need it, they're usually willing to write you a VERY small prescription. Try one out not flying though, to see what the aftereffects are like. Some people get a "hangover" from anti-anxiety medication. Not ideal before an interview.

3. Training- Best. Most cities have a fear-of-flying clinics, some of which have 90% success rates (these are the longer ones). Probably too late for your upcoming interview but worth keeping in mind.
 
Severus:

A good short term solution, by the way, is meditation. You realize that your fear of flying is purely psychological, so you're just experiencing increased anxiety.

try to get on the aircraft as early as possible and get situated. Once you're settled in, try meditation. Sit and get comfortable (as comfortable as you can on coach) and close your eyes. Take a slow intake of breath for about a five count, hold it for a three count, exhale for a five count.

While you're doing this, do positive visualizations. Picture something calm and relaxing. Many folks focus on their breathing, picturing the air coming in and spreading throughout the lungs, then exhaling out a stream of colored air.

Try this technique the next time you feel anxious. If you doubt that it works, take a pulse while you're in a fearful mood, try the above for five minutes, then take your pulse again. It works. Yoga/meditation techniques/positive visualization have been used for phobias and performance improvement in almost all fields with great success.
 
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Sev,

If you want to keep yourself occupied...I recommend reading up on the schools your interviewing at...look over your app...and just review stuff...it helps to keep you focused (and you'll surprisingly retain a few details :D

glck and congrats on your success to date :laugh:
 
Severus:

A good short term solution, by the way, is meditation. You realize that your fear of flying is purely psychological, so you're just experiencing increased anxiety.

try to get on the aircraft as early as possible and get situated. Once you're settled in, try meditation. Sit and get comfortable (as comfortable as you can on coach) and close your eyes. Take a slow intake of breath for about a five count, hold it for a three count, exhale for a five count.

While you're doing this, do positive visualizations. Picture something calm and relaxing. Many folks focus on their breathing, picturing the air coming in and spreading throughout the lungs, then exhaling out a stream of colored air.

Try this technique the next time you feel anxious. If you doubt that it works, take a pulse while you're in a fearful mood, try the above for five minutes, then take your pulse again. It works. Yoga/meditation techniques/positive visualization have been used for phobias and performance improvement in almost all fields with great success.


Thanks notdeadyet. :thumbup:


I'll certainly have to try it.
 
Sev,

If you want to keep yourself occupied...I recommend reading up on the schools your interviewing at...look over your app...and just review stuff...it helps to keep you focused (and you'll surprisingly retain a few details :D

glck and congrats on your success to date :laugh:

:laugh: Meditation... AMCAS review... prescription drugs.... more AMCAS review... meditation (passing out)


I think I've got a game plan! :idea:

G'luck to you too! You're tearing up the interview trail.
 
I drove 16 hours to Tennesse because I don't fly. No amount of alcohol, valium, or meditation would EVER get me on a plane. :laugh: Good luck with the flying thing and with the interview!:luck:
 
I drove 16 hours to Tennesse because I don't fly. No amount of alcohol, valium, or meditation would EVER get me on a plane. :laugh: Good luck with the flying thing and with the interview!:luck:

:laugh: :laugh: YES! That is EXACTLY the sort of thing I'd do.


At the moment, I'm contemplating getting there via train (hellish) which is going to take me about 2 days. The only possible difficulty is getting from Winona, MN to Rochester at 8 pm. The taxi is going to cost all the money I might have saved from choosing train over plane, and I don't think there is a shuttle or bus which would go between that late at night. Yargh. Money and fear. :thumbdown:

<---------------- :rolleyes:
 
"You're the best single serving friend I've met." Something like that. Anyway, I've flown in some pretty crappy planes before including the army's C-130 and some crappy ass inter-island planes. I've never really worried about it much. I spend all my time wondering how the guy in front of me can't feel my knees through the seat because he's got the seat back all the way. I'm 6'4" BTW
 
:laugh: :laugh: YES! That is EXACTLY the sort of thing I'd do.


At the moment, I'm contemplating getting there via train (hellish) which is going to take me about 2 days. The only possible difficulty is getting from Winona, MN to Rochester at 8 pm. The taxi is going to cost all the money I might have saved from choosing train over plane, and I don't think there is a shuttle or bus which would go between that late at night. Yargh. Money and fear. :thumbdown:

<---------------- :rolleyes:

lol when you get to rochester, call me and i will take you to dinner.
 
"You're the best single serving friend I've met." Something like that. Anyway, I've flown in some pretty crappy planes before including the army's C-130 and some crappy ass inter-island planes. I've never really worried about it much. I spend all my time wondering how the guy in front of me can't feel my knees through the seat because he's got the seat back all the way. I'm 6'4" BTW
6'5", glad I'm not alone in thinking that there is no human way to sit comfortably in coach in anything smaller than a 777.
 
:laugh: :laugh: YES! That is EXACTLY the sort of thing I'd do.


At the moment, I'm contemplating getting there via train (hellish) which is going to take me about 2 days. The only possible difficulty is getting from Winona, MN to Rochester at 8 pm. The taxi is going to cost all the money I might have saved from choosing train over plane, and I don't think there is a shuttle or bus which would go between that late at night. Yargh. Money and fear. :thumbdown:

<---------------- :rolleyes:

lol...from what trains I've taken in this country, they make plane schedules seem like clockwork...I've never ridden a train without some ridiculous delay.
 
lol when you get to rochester, call me and i will take you to dinner.

I think he's talking about getting to Rochester, MN from his town.
Of course he could be flying to Rochester, NY also, which would be kinda neat.

FLY SEVERUS, FLY!
 
Eh... it may be all for nothing anyway. I've been looking at my stash o' money, my current acceptances, and the distance between UT-SW and Mayo, and my family. I've thought about these things before, but it wasn't very serious...

At any rate, I applied broadly and to too many schools. After the first time around, I wanted to get in somewhere, and if that meant moving to Sticks, Middle-of-Nowhere, well then, I'd have done it gladly. But I've got more East Coast options than I thought I'd ever have (or could potentially ever have) and despite the fact that I LOVE Mayo and UT-SW's programs -- and am extremely honored to have been invited -- after being very honest with myself, I just don't think I'd go there. I've got four (maybe more if I do mudphud) years which will be busy, but not so busy that I couldn't visit my family on a quasi-reasonably consistent basis. They're getting older and I want to spend the time with them while I can. I just don't think I'd be able to visit as often if I were so far away.

I'm going to ponder it more, but given that decision and the cost, I wouldn't be surprised if I withdrew.


Thanks everyone for the support though. I've learned a lot of quality tips!
 
WOW im so glad I am not alone. I have considered only applying in-state because of this. I mean, of course I won't only apply in state in reality, but the thought of flying to interviews (assuming I even get interviews) makes me want to cry and vomit at the same time...lol so, basically, i COMPLETELY understand.:barf: :barf: :scared: :scared:

13 hour international non-stop flight with lots of turbulance... yeah it sucks. I'm terrified of flying too, but I love to travel :mad:
 
Anyone with me on this one????


I know the statistics. Intellectually, I know I'm being a *****, but the prospect of flying to a couple of interviews is making me freak-out (majorly... PANIC ATTACK!!!!!
2.gif
). I know, I know... I shouldn't have applied there in the first place if I didn't want to fly, right? It was a bad decision in hindsight. I suppose I never thought I'd get interviews there in the first place...


I need to either decline or grow a pair... and quick.:rolleyes:

Go ahead and fly, statistically I can promise you that you will be fine. You are not the first to fly around the country for interviews and you won't be the last.
 
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