In-flight anxiety is a psychological issue that can have a strong physiological impact. Alongside breathing and grounding exercises, positive affirmations can help to bring your focus back to the present – providing reassurance and calm.
Positive affirmations are short sentences or statements that anchor you to the immediate moment. Instead of being pulled into your own disaster movie and catastrophising, positive affirmations can help to calm you.
We’re going to explore what positive affirmations are, how you can use the, and why they’re an effective tool for reducing flight anxiety.
What are positive affirmations?
Positive affirmations are short and simple statements and sentences that you can use to counteract negative thoughts and increase confidence.
For example, on the way to the airport a positive affirmation might be:
“I’m choosing to fly today – and I’m going to have a good flight.”
Saying (or thinking) the affirmation can provide confidence.
You can use affirmations at specific trigger points, like during security checks or in turbulence.
“Turbulence is uncomfortable, but not unsafe. I’m going to get through this.”
The affirmations can be repeated, becoming a mantra for you. Repeating these affirmations can increase their power and effectiveness. They can help to bring you back to the present, rationalising your fears and, in some cases, reducing the anxiety you might be feeling.
Do positive affirmations work?
There is evidence that positive affirmations work, says the American Psychological Association. In one study, they found that the affirmations worked to reduce anxiety, with the impact relatively long lasting.
Quite how affirmations work remains a complex and under-researched area. One paper found that people who used affirmations “showed increased activity in key regions of the brain’s self-processing (medial prefrontal cortex + posterior cingulate cortex) and valuation (ventral striatum + ventral medial prefrontal cortex) systems”.
When people ask this question, they really want to know: Will positive affirmations work for me?
We’re all individuals and can’t tell whether they will work for you – but the evidence that they do is powerful. Positive self-talk is a part of certain therapy approaches, including CBT.
Using positive affirmations is simple and free, so why not give it a try?
How to use positive affirmations
We each use positive affirmations in different ways. You can record them somewhere (like a Notes app or a journal) and refer to them when you need them. Other people memorise their affirmations and repeat them when they want.
Positive affirmations work through repetition. It’s also a good idea to prepare your affirmations before you fly.
When to use positive affirmations
It’s entirely up to you when and how you use positive affirmations. It really depends on what triggers your flight anxiety and when.
You can save them for when you need them, or use them at any stage of the flight.
Positive affirmations can be used at any of these stages:
- Pre-travel positive affirmations
- On the way to the airport
- At the airport
- During taxi and takeoff
- At cruise and during turbulence
- During landing (if this is a trigger)
- Post-flight stress reduction
You may want to prepare affirmations for all stages, or for the stages that you find stressful.
Why you should personalise positive affirmations
The causes and triggers of anxiety for you are unique. It would be simple and easy for us to provide a list of positive affirmations, but the best ones are personalised.
When you create personalised affirmations, you are confronting the reality that you’ll soon be flying. That in itself can increase confidence. Instead of running away from your fears, you’re confronting them and finding ways to deal with them.
Take some time to explore what you find most stressful about flying (is it takeoff, landing or turbulence, for example) and develop affirmations that can help you.
Repeating affirmations can make them more powerful, and the more you fly the more you’ll understand what works and what doesn’t.
For more evidence-based tips on how to deal with fear of flying, visit our Help Desk and download the Calm Flight Toolkit.
Please share this article with anyone who might benefit from it.
FAQs
Positive affirmations are short sentences and statements that you can say to yourself (internally or even out loud) that can provide momentary reassurance. They’re part of mindfulness practice and can be powerful at bringing you back to the present in moments of anxiety.
Yes, there’s evidence that positive affirmations can help people deal with situations that cause anxiety. We’re all different and you’ll need to see if affirmations can help you. Thankfully, they’re simple and free to use, so why not give it a try?
The best affirmations are written by you. They’re personalised and focus on precisely the triggers that impact you. If you want some pre-packaged positive affirmations, we’re working on a comprehensive list for every stage of flight.
