7 Ways I Overcame my Fear of Flying

Until 13^th November, 2013 I had no problem flying. I had even flown the previous day, that is 12^th November 2013, and I slept most part of the journey. However on my return trip we encountered a storm and it was a bit turbulent. I had never experienced such turbulence until then so of course I panicked inside even though I put up a calm look outside.It was after that experience on the 13^th of November 2013 that I developed a fear of flying.

Due to the nature of my job, I have had to fly over 230 times since that day. I fly an average of 3 times with total average of 2 hours 30 minutes weekly since November 2013. Last month, I did 6 flights in 8 days. I have since experienced even far worse turbulence than the initial experience that triggered my fear. Despite the terrible discomfort I experience before and during a flight I still had to do this weekly.

Normally, I will become anxious a day before my trips. When I get to the airport I will repeatedly use the rest room even though I had done that before leaving the house. I often also used the rest room at least once while on the flight. While on the flight, regardless of how much I tried, I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. Many times I avoided seats that gave me a clear view of the wings of the wind because I had this fear of “what if the wings suddenly stop while we are in mid-air?” I will also often shut the windows once we are in the air. On one occasion, following a very brief slight turbulence, I started breathing fast and noticed I was beginning to gasp for air. I will listen and observe every change in sound engine and be overly alert to those occasional sounds from the cockpit or from other passengers. I am usually so tensed all through the flight and only feel relieved when we land.

My fear of flying lasted for a long time within this period however I am far more comfortable with flying now. Here are seven specifics things that I did that helped me manage my fear for flying:

# 1: I repeatedly faced my fear

Psychiatrists and psychologists will tell you that one sure way of feeding any fear is by avoiding what you fear. Many times I felt like quitting the job and often looked for an excuse not to fly. As a medical doctor I even considered taking medications that will help me sleep during a flight. Even though I had all these options racing through my head I never gave in to them. I knew that if I avoided flying I will only experience temporary relief but then worsen my fear for flying. Long-term, I will be missing out from making such trips.

# 2: I practiced relaxation techniques

Sometimes I practiced progressive muscle and deep breathing relaxation techniques when I noticed I was becoming much tensed during a flight. Doing this helped me on the particular day I almost had a panic attack that I described above.

# 3: I often distracted myself

Distraction is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy technique. It entails focusing on something else when your mind is preoccupied with anxious thoughts that are not helpful. For me I often read a book or wrote down my thoughts on “some issues of life” or a presentation. And sometimes during turbulence, I will just start counting from 1 to 60.

# 4: I paid attention to my faulty thinking and challenged them

Many times the fear of flying is associated with a form of distorted thinking called “catastrophizing.” Fears are perpetrated when you allow your thoughts to go unchallenged and unquestioned. You often say to yourself things like, “What if the engines fail? What if the plane cannot take off? What if today you are going to die?” There is a lot of uncertainty with the question “What if…” and it tends to worsen the anxiety. When such questions come up in my head I don’t just allow them to persist rather I challenged them and considered the rationality of these thoughts.

# 5: I permitted myself to be uncomfortable during turbulence

Sometimes the issue with flying is the fear of ‘being afraid’ (called the fear of fear) particularly during turbulence. Being anxious is a normal reaction to a perceived threat.The real problem is being overly anxious. Don’t try to numb yourself or be upset with yourself for being anxious during turbulence. Rather tell yourself it is okay to be uncomfortable during turbulence but remind yourself that “Though it is uncomfortable, it is not life threatening.”

# 6: I got informed

Since part of the reason for my fear was that I was concerned about the safety of planes I addressed this by getting better informed about planes. Do you know that between 1993 and 2000 there were 568 plane crashes in the US involving 53,487 passengers yet 51,207 survived? That means less than 5% of the passengers died in all those crashes. This information may not do so much but it is meant to further buttress that flying is quite safe.

# 7: I meditated

I am a Christian so I often focused my mind on Bible verses that talked about safety. I also often prayed before most flights and this helped me calm my worries. Rather than only focus on the process of the journey and be overly anxious if we were going to experience a storm or turbulence, I simply always imagined that we always landed safely and then give God thanks in advance for safe landing.

I do hope this piece helps someone out there. By the way that’s me about to take my 130th flight (I think) this year (2015)…Bon voyage

3 Critical Benefits of a Workplace Wellness Programs to Your Business

One of the primary purpose of any business is to make profit therefore optimizing the return on investment (ROI) of staff Healthcare plan therefore becomes a critical aspect of any business.

Here are 3 valuable benefits of a workplace wellness program

1. The Business gets to save on investments on health-related cost

 In a recent meta-analysis of the literature on costs and savings associated with wellness programs, researchers from Harvard University found that medical costs fall by about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs. Dr. Dee Edington of University of Michigan, a highly respected wellness program ROI expert, stated that companies that invest adequately in their wellness programs save at least 3 times their investment in health-related costs.

2. It improves employee engagement

A recent data released this year by Virgin Pulse, a market leader in the rapidly-growing employee health engagement category, showed that the top five factors affecting employee well-being are work stress, physical health, personal stress, financial concerns, and sleep. Findings from this report further supports that there is a strong link between employee well-being and engagement. A comprehensive workplace wellness program helps to address and better manage these factors affecting employee well-being.

3. It boosts productivity

Many researches suggest that employee productivity is where workplace wellness programs yield the greatest returns. One study done in Australia showed that healthy workers are 3.1 times more productive than others.

When a finely tuned comprehensive workplace wellness program is in place, everyone wins. You can choose to take a reactive approach to healthcare- where you pay for health problems after they develop and continue to see your healthcare costs climb- or you can take a proactive approach-where you invest in the health of your employees, trim healthcare costs, and improve employee engagement and productivity.

A comprehensive workplace program is not just a ‘nice-to-have’, it is a need-to-have’ because of the significant impact on the bottom-line. Clearly a proactive approach makes good business sense both for employers and employees.

3 Ways to reduce the burden of mental illness

 Mental illnesses are more common than people will often like to admit. While some struggle with their mental illness, others go on to optimize their lives and live out their dreams. The likelihood that someone with a mental illness will go on to live out their dreams largely depends on varying factors such as the nature of the mental illness, the quality of support, the appropriateness of the intervention and the patient’s cooperation with treatment.

Here are 3 helpful tips to improve one’s quality of life despite having a mental illness

1. Be informed rather than be in denial

Like I always say “You are never without hope when you are better educated about what you are dealing.” In the last 2 decades a lot of positive advances have been made in the management of mental illnesses. Some treatment outcomes for some particular mental illnesses are over 70% positive. It is better to confront the reality of the illness and seek treatment rather than avoid and deny it.

2. Be patiently supportive and tolerant towards a loved one with mental illness rather than being critical, hostile or emotionally over-involved

This advice is really for relatives, loved ones and careers of people with a mental illness.  Supporting a loved one with a mental illness can be challenging and sometimes emotions may run high in the home in such situations. Understanding the nature and manifestation of the illness can help reduce feelings of hostility, anger, tension, sadness or blame which sometimes tend to arise in response to the person’s with the illness.

3. Choose to live beyond the illness and the stigma

You are not the illness rather you have an illness. Don’t focus on the illness beyond what is necessary. The illness definitely takes a toll on you but don’t define yourself by it. Even if the treatment is for a lifetime make a choice to equally pay attention to other aspects of your life. Help people understand the nature of what you are dealing with and inform them on how best to be of help to you in that aspect.

Remember, people with mental health challenges can live more productive lives, talk to a professional today.

I am not Feeling well in my body yet my doctors say it’s all in my head

Chioma (not real name) couldn’t hold back her tears as she explained to me that her family doctor had referred her to me because all her test results came back negative and couldn’t explain her various symptoms. She had been on various treatments for several months but was not getting any better therefore she thought her doctor had given up on her when he decided to refer her to see a psychiatrist. After evaluating her, a diagnosis of Somatoform Disorder was made. She was then educated on the the nature of the illness and also placed her on medications. Since commencement of her treatment Chioma has significantly improved and also reported that she is now happier with her health.

Somatoform Disorders is an umbrella name for a group of psychiatric disorders which present with numerous significant physical symptoms yet with no medically explainable or evident cause. These disorders cause significant distress for patients and often difficult to diagnose. What is characteristic in this psychological illness is that despite several examinations and laboratory investigations pointing to the absence of physical illness the individual still remains overly preoccupied with being ill. He or she therefore repeatedly visit healthcare facility searching for “cure” even though they have been repeatedly told that nothing appears to be wrong with them. Collaboration with a mental health professional can be helpful in making the diagnosis and the subsequent proper management of a somatoform disorder.

Like I always say, “You are never without hope when you are better educated about what you are dealing with.” Let’s spread the awareness and not the stigma.

Remember, people with mental health challenges can live more productive lives, talk to a professional today.

Is it a heart attack or a panic attack

In the last 4 months Sandra (not real name) has been experiencing repeated sudden "attacks." During an attack her heart starts racing, she experiences discomfort in the chest, internal heat, and a feeling as if she is about to pass out and die. Sandra feels she has a life threatening situation and has been rushed to the emergency room on several occasions. She has done several tests yet all the test results have not been significant enough to explain her attacks.


A panic attack which is often mistaken for a life-threatening situation such as a heart attack is actually a form of an anxiety disorder. It is different from normal fear and anxiety reaction to stressful events rather it often strikes without warning and for seemingly no apparent reason. In some individuals it happens in particular situations such as when flying.

When an individual experiences several repeated attacks it is called a Panic disorder. Each attack usually last for few minutes but may sometimes go on for hours. Some other symptoms of a panic attack include shortness of breath, sweating, stomach upset, and fear of loosing control or going crazy.


It is very important to note that even though the symptoms that occur during a panic attack are very uncomfortable, they are not life-threatening. Remember, "When you are better educated about what you are dealing with, then you're never without hope." 

Remember, people with mental health challenges can live more productive lives, talk to a professional today. Let's spread the awareness and not the stigma.

3 Cardinal Signs of Depression

"Depression is like living in a body that fights to survive, with a mind that tries to die"

--HealthyPlace.com

 

Everyone experiences set backs and occasionally have 'low mood' days. In moments like that we may loosely use the word "I am depressed", however an individual who suffers from the mood disorder called depression this is completely different from the normal depression we all experience.

Depression generally makes it very difficult for the affected individual to cope and manage with life. It is not an illness of the "weak" or "fainthearted" as many often think. Depression has been proven to be associated with functional changes in the brains of the individuals who are affected by it. 

 

The three cardinal symptoms of depression are

# 1. Persistent low mood- which occurs most part of the day, almost every day for two or more weeks or even months.

 

# 2. Loss of interest in hobbies, work, activities and in things you normally or previously enjoyed doing.

 

# 3. Noticeable reduced or lack of energy, hence the individual is easily fatigued.

 

There are other symptoms such as impaired sleep, impaired appetite, diminished ability to concentrate or indecisiveness almost every day, suicidal thoughts and feelings of guilt, helpless, and hopelessness.

 

When you are better educated about what you are dealing with, then you're never without hope. Let's spread the awareness and not the stigma.

Remember, people with mental health challenges can live more productive lives, talk to a professional today