Flying Anxiety

I love to travel. I have, however, always been a little anxious about flying. It’s been about six-and-a-half years since I last flew. Not because I didn’t want to it was more a matter of time. But today while taking my son to Washington DC that anxiety was gone. I believe this is due to my training in Equine Gestalt Coaching™ through Touched By A Horse™ and Melisa Pearce.

My first flight was when I was eight-years- old. We were going to LA see my Aunt, to go to Disneyland and Universal Studios. The flight was rough, one of those where my mom’s drink bounced right out of her glass. I don’t remember it bothering me then but I have always been a little uneasy about flying.

There was always a queasy feeling in my stomach, especially during turbulence. It got worse after I had children and was flying fairly regularly for our small travel business and my horse business. I would worry what would happen to my children if the plane went down. Or if they were with me and their dad was not all of us leaving him alone.

My dad flew a private plane and that was better but still a bit uneasy. In my early 20s, I took private pilot’s lessons as well and though I don’t remember all the physics I know that planes don’t just fall out of the sky.

Flying into the old Stapleton airport was always rough because it came in over the mountains. I remember one time when our oldest son was less than two-years-old it was a particularly rough arrival in Denver. We had eaten a big breakfast and our lap baby threw up all over his dad making the last 20 minutes of the flight almost unbearable.

Today I’m taking the last of our sons on a trip to Washington DC before he takes American History his Junior year in high school. We boarded an early flight from Kansas City to Orlando with a connection to DC. We were up in the air after takeoff and I realized I didn’t have all those feelings from previous flights. I had more anxiety leaving my husband at home for a week because he wasn’t healing well and was in a lot of pain from a surgery he’d had just over two weeks before.

Then we hit turbulence and I realized that I didn’t have those thoughts of something happening. Like a bumpy road, it makes things uncomfortable but usually is just an inconvenience.

Why do I believe being less anxious is due to my training? Because in this training as I’m learning to do with others we deal with our fears, anxieties, and emotions so we can be less anxious and fearful.

Learn more about my Equine Gestalt Coaching practice here or about Melisa Pearce and her program at www.TouchedByAHorse.com