How can I be less stressed at the airport?

“Being well-prepared can help reduce anxiety,” Rinaldi says. “For example, ensure you have all necessary travel documents, pack your bags early, and double-check your flight details. Make sure to arrive early, and give yourself plenty of time at the airport to avoid rushing and feeling overwhelmed.”



People Also Ask

Some people may experience travel anxiety because of negative past travel experiences or because they have an anxiety disorder. Travel anxiety may relate to specific activities, such as driving or flying. It can also involve a general fear of crowds, being unable to leave a space, or the unknown.

MORE DETAILS

Airport anxiety comes in many different forms. The single thing that worries 63% of travelers the most is simply getting to the airport – with traffic and public transport significant factors. At 57%, three in five people actively worry about losing their passport or missing the plane altogether.

MORE DETAILS

Change into comfortable athleisure clothes, unless you're already wearing them, and use a warm scarf or jacket as a blanket. (Airports are notorious for being freezing cold.) If you brought a neck pillow for the flight, put that on top of your bag with valuables for a more comfortable headrest.

MORE DETAILS

Try Deep Breathing Rinaldi advises deep breathing if you need a calming technique to use in the moment. “While waiting in line or sitting at the gate, take slow, deep breaths in through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth. This can help calm your nervous system and reduce anxiety.”

MORE DETAILS

“Being well-prepared can help reduce anxiety,” Rinaldi says. “For example, ensure you have all necessary travel documents, pack your bags early, and double-check your flight details. Make sure to arrive early, and give yourself plenty of time at the airport to avoid rushing and feeling overwhelmed.”

MORE DETAILS

However, it is never able to do this perfectly, because frightening experiences, whether real or imagined, automatically trigger the flight or fight response. An anxiety disorder results when the flight or fight response becomes triggered too easily and too frequently.

MORE DETAILS

Seeking a prescription to sedative medication and having them available in-flight can help you relax, even if you don't end up taking it. You should not try to cope alone with a panic disorder and related fear of flying. Even a couple sessions with a therapist can give you tools to make flying more comfortable.

MORE DETAILS

Security queues can be very long, so prep for your screening to be as quick as possible:
  1. Remove jackets, belts and all metal items.
  2. Empty your pockets.
  3. Make sure your drinking water bottle is empty or it may be confiscated.
  4. Put everything, including documents, into your bag.
  5. Place your LAG* bag and laptop in a separate tray.


MORE DETAILS

These expert-backed tips for coping with travel anxiety may help:
  1. identify your triggers.
  2. research and plan.
  3. prepare as much as possible.
  4. try grounding techniques.
  5. distract yourself.
  6. practice self-care.
  7. talk with loved ones or a therapist.


MORE DETAILS

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT focuses on helping you change the way you think about flying. It might include learning about how planes work, or reviewing safety statistics for air travel versus other forms of travel. Your therapist can also teach you techniques to manage certain triggers.

MORE DETAILS

Some people may experience travel anxiety because of negative past travel experiences or because they have an anxiety disorder. Travel anxiety may relate to specific activities, such as driving or flying. It can also involve a general fear of crowds, being unable to leave a space, or the unknown.

MORE DETAILS

What Are the Best—And Safest—Sleeping Pills for Flights?
  • Ambien. Ambien—the most powerful option on this list and the only one that requires a prescription—works as a sedative-hypnotic medication that slows your brain activity to make you feel very sleepy. ...
  • Tylenol PM. ...
  • Melatonin.


MORE DETAILS

This traps us in our fight of flight response. This can explain the different symptoms of anxiety from why we overthink (we are trying to anticipate danger) to the tension in our muscles (our body is getting ready to respond to danger).

MORE DETAILS

While Xanax may be useful for flying on an airplane, it will not help you with your anxiety. It may help in the moment but you will not tackle your fear of flying if you are asleep the whole flight. If you ran out of your medication or left it at home, the anxiety will still exist if you go on an airplane again.

MORE DETAILS

The key symptoms of travel phobia are excessive fear and avoidance of travel situations. These symptoms overlap with those of PTSD. In particular, persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and fear and other negative emotions in response to trauma reminders are common PTSD symptoms.

MORE DETAILS