Steps to Overcoming Flight Anxiety As A Christian

Steps to overcoming flight anxiety as a christian

There I was, with my heart beating out of my chest and I had no idea why. It wasn’t like this was my first airplane ride. I could not explain why all of the sudden I had this fear, this nervousness about going to Costa Rica to visit my family. Let me tell you about the steps I took to overcoming flight anxiety as a Christian.

My heart goes out to all those people that suffer from anxiety every single day. I had anxiety before, and it’s something that I don’t wish on anybody.

I started to experience flight anxiety about 1 month before my trip to Costa Rica. I was terrified at the thought of needing medical help and not being able to get it on the plane, that was just one of the worst-case scenarios that would cross my mind.

I had so much anxiety that I was on the verge of canceling my trip to Costa Rica. Every other year, my family and I fly to Costa Rica to visit my parents and the rest of my family there.

Going to see my family makes my heart happy, and I look forward to it. So canceling this trip was heartbreaking for me and my family, but I was feeling so bad that I didn’t know if I could do it.

What is anxiety?

Chances are if you are reading this post is because you have experienced anxiety yourself, so you know very well what anxiety is.

I’m not going to describe what anxiety is medically, but instead, I’m going to simplify it for you. Anxiety is fear.

Fear that robs you of your happiness and your peace and it makes you miserable and depressed. Anxiety is the work of the devil that keeps you bound and focused on the wrong things instead of letting you live the life that God has for you.

Anxiety keeps us from fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives, and this crippling fear is the opposite of trusting God.

I prayed so much for God to take the anxiety away, but it didn’t happen. As the date of my flight drew near, my anxiety continued to grow.

Nothing changed until I talked to my mom and explained to her how I was feeling. She gave me some really easy steps to follow that worked like magic. I believe in my heart that if you follow these simple steps to overcoming flight anxiety, you will be super happy with the results.

Know who you are

What does that have to do with anything you may ask? Everything! This is the first step to overcome fear.

In 1 John 3:2, we can see that WE are children of God.

When my boys come home from school, they go straight to the refrigerator or the pantry to see what they can eat. They don’t have to ask me or my husband if they can open the refrigerator because they know who they are.

Because they are our sons, my boys know that they have some privileges that other kids don’t have.

The same thing happens when we are children of God. Because He is our dad, we are also entitled to some privileges that others don’t have. One of those privileges is knowing what is God’s will for our life.

As our daddy, God wants to see us happy and fulfilled. That is His will for your life. You are His and He will take care of you, just like any dad would.

So, I’m not just Carolina, I’m God’s daughter and I’m sure that He will take care of me just like any dad would take care of their daughter. Because He loves me and because His love is greater than I can Imagine.

Know who He is

This next step goes hand to hand with the first one. Know who your Father is.

The Bible tells us that God is the creator of all things. He has no beginning and no end. He places the stars in the sky and makes it rain on good and bad alike.

God forms every single cell and every single part of a baby, inside of a woman’s womb. He knows who that baby is because He thought of him before he was even conceived.

God knows all things, and everything belongs to Him. This God that we are talking about, is your Dad.

Just think about that for a second. The owner of everything, the giver of life, the greatest love you can imagine, He is your Dad. You are His and He is yours.  You can definitely trust a Dad like Him. And unlike any earthly father, God will never fail you and will never let you down.

Trust in Him

Now that you know who you are, and who He is, you see that there is no reason for you not to trust Him. Trust is not something that you say but something that you do with your heart.

You cannot have trust and fear at the same time, they are opposites. When fear tries to come in, know who you are trusting. God is bigger than any fear and any situation. Choose to trust Him over fear.

One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out.

Luke 8:22

We need to follow Jesus’s example. On this bible verse, we see that Jesus said: “Let us go over…”  Jesus didn’t pray for God to watch over him, for God to keep the boat from sinking or for his angels to go before him. None of that! Jesus trusted that His Father was with Him and that He will automatically protect him.

Jesus trusted God, and he was confident that he was going to make it to the other side of the lake. There was never a doubt in his heart. Jesus knew who his Father was.

So, you need to apply that same scenario to your situation. You know you are children of God. You know who He is and how much He loves you, so you are going to trust Him because you know without a doubt in your heart that you will make it to the other side.

It doesn’t matter what your destination is, God will see you through and you will make it to the other side.

 

What can you do?

Now you know who you are, who your Dad is and you can trust in Him. Also, you know that you are going to make it to the other side!

What a relief!

Meditate on those 4 things, and when thoughts of fear try to make their way to your head, reject them and think of those 4 things.

Those 4 things are the foundation of your trust.

Finally, I have a list of things that can help you with overcoming flight anxiety as a christian. Things that will keep your mind from thinking about things that do not align with the word of God.

• Speak life: speaking life is the same thing as speaking positively.  Talk about the things that you want to do on your trip. Talk about the places you are going to visit, the food you want to try, the sites you want to see. Make yourself excited. Talk about how much fun you are going to have. How happy you are going to be. Focus on speaking positively

 

• Think positive: no more worst-case scenarios and no more doom and gloom. Think about all the amazing things that you are going to do during your trip. Think about the adventures that you are going to have. Think of yourself as happy, not anxious.

 

• Be thankful: think about this great opportunity that The Lord has given you to travel by plane. There are millions of people in the world that will never experience flying and seeing the Earth from such a beautiful distance. Soak it all in baby, enjoy it and be thankful!

 

• Drink some tea ☕ Linden tea relieves anxiety. God created it for our benefit. Start drinking it a few days before your trip and bring some along with you so you can have a nice warm cup on the plane.

 

• Get a good nights sleep. Stress and fatigue don’t really help with anxiety.

 

• Use turmeric to help with your anxiety.

More tips to help you relieve flight anxiety as a Christian

1. Listen to The Word of God. You can download a podcast or bring a cd with you. The word of God will keep you focused and grounded in Him.  This is one of my favorite podcasts, you can download some and listen to it on the plane.

2. Listen to music. Be happy, sing along, just don’t be too loud because the other passengers may think you’re crazy!
3. Color. There are beautiful coloring books for adults out there.
4. Get some medicine. There is nothing wrong with going to see your doctor to get some medicine. God works through doctors and medicine can help you. Make sure your trust is in God and not the medicine.
5. Play games, this is a great way to stay entertained.
6. Take a nap. This is my favorite! 😉
7. Do some planning. Get a pen and paper and start planning a birthday party for a loved one, Christmas list, things that you need to buy, places that you would like to visit. Get busy!
8. Read a book.
9. Write a letter
10. Read this post!
11. Do a small DIY. Last time I traveled I made a tutu for my cousin’s baby. I had all the pieces already cut, all I had to do was to assemble them. By the time I was done it was almost time to land.
12. Learn a new skill or educate yourself on something that interests you.
13. Clean up the photos you don’t want in your phone and edit photos.
14. Talk to the people next to you.
15. Take this time to pray for people.

16. Remind yourself that you are perfectly safe. Jesus said he will never leave you or forsake you. So you may not see Him but He is right there with you.

You are an overcomer

Also, know that with God’s help you can overcome any obstacle that comes your way. Remember that God is bigger than your fear and His perfect love cast away all fear.

I’m sure that if you follow this simple guide you will be able to overcome.

Even though the title is “Steps to overcoming flight anxiety as a Christian” you can use these steps for all kinds of anxiety-related issues.

I hope this post was a blessing for you and that it will help you to enjoy your life. So, if you know someone that could benefit from this post please pass this along.