As human beings, we all have certain fears and worries that holds us back in life. For some of us, that could be the fear of failure, the fear of losing a loved one, the fear of getting sick, etc. Over the last few years, I have developed a fear of flying, in particular flying when it is super turbulent or the weather is unpredictable.

As my work trip was approaching, I found myself feeling a bit more anxious with each day. I seriously thought about quitting and therefore cancelling the upcoming flight. However, I also knew that this was an experience for personal growth and development so I armed myself with tools and knowledge to make the fearful situation a little less scary. Below are a handful of tools and practices I used while flying to help manage my fears. They helped tremendously and although I won’t be someone who LOVES to fly, I now feel a bit more confident (and less fearful/scared with flying).

Sitting with the feelings/sensations that arises without judgement (in particular, naming the feeling “This feels really scary and uncomfortable” “Oh yes, I am feeling pretty nervous right now”
Coaching myself through the fear - ie look at you, embracing your fears, wow you are doing it, proud of you for tolerating this discomfort, this is temporary, you are growing in this very moment
Asking yourself - what is on the other side of this fear/discomfort? Maybe that is a celebration, a really awesome opportunity, connecting with loved ones, seeing a new place you’ve never been and visualizing that
Visualizing and trying to embody how your HIGHEST self would act in this situation - ie My highest self is someone who chooses to be brave/fearless in spite of their temporary discomfort
Movement and stretching the body to move the energy around
Visualize your safe space, things that you have to look forward to
Visualize or look at images of loved ones or things that bring you joy and feel that joy in your body (I carry photos of my loved ones, as well as a book, or item that brings me joy or comfort like a pretty eye mask or piece of art) - this is also known as resourcing yourself
Move the energy by visualizing it in your body
Breathe through it and look for inner resources to ground you
Tapping exercises
Other things that could help: CBD/a medication like Dramamine, listening to a meditation or podcast, watching a funny show, anything to distract yourself

At the end of the day, I like to remind myself that we can choose to avoid the hard/uncomfortable things or we can choose to live and be alive. The choice is ours in every moment where we feel the fear/anxiety.

I hope this was helpful and if you would like further support or would like to dive deeper on any of these somatic tools and techniques, I am available for 1:1 virtual somatic wellness sessions.

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