As a travel nurse, you’re doing your part to better the lives of your patients every day. Then, after your assignment’s up, it’s time to head on to your next position. That’s all well and good except for the fact that this job’s in Oregon and driving from Florida isn’t really an option… You feel the pit of your stomach drop because you know it’s time to take another transcontinental flight — gasp! Believe it or not, even nurses who deal with some pretty intense medical situations on a daily basis can have a fear of flying. Still, as a traveler, it’s a necessary part of your lifestyle. Here’s how to combat flight anxiety as a travel nurse: combat flight anxiety as a travel nurse
First off and above all else, it’s important to recognize that your fear of flying is a very real sensation. Even after all of the daily stress and potentially gruesome scenes nurses encounter, flying feels like it never seems to get any less terrifying. Despite the fact that only 1 in 1.2 million flights result in an accident, our brains aren’t wired to override neurotransmitters with pure statistics. Avoiding flights your entire life might very well mean you’re missing critical career opportunities, especially if you don’t have the time or resources to drive around the country.
Combat Flight Anxiety as a Travel Nurse:
Learning ways to combat flight anxiety as a travel nurse is something you can consider part of your travel nurse training and experience — if you made it through nursing school, this should be easy right? Let’s take a look at some proven approaches:
Knowledge is Your Friend
One of the most prominent experts in treating flight anxiety is commercial pilot and licensed therapist, Captain Tom Bunn. In his book SOAR: The Breakthrough Treatment for Fear of Flying he emphasizes exercising control over your rational thoughts, and how doing so helps resist the production of stress hormones.
Essentially, when we’re going throughout our routines there are few reasons for our brain’s “smoke alarm,” the amygdala to kick in. Still, when it does (in the advent of booking that flight) it takes some finessing of our mental state to help associate fear triggers with positive images or moments that can produce the “love hormone” oxytocin instead.
One thing he strongly recommends is recalling a time when someone or something made you feel free from anxiety. Again, states of anxiety in nursing and stress are all too prevalent, but if you can establish your “happy place” ahead of a flight you’ll be in much better shape.
As soon as the walls feel like they’re closing in on you, take some deep breaths and imagine that person, place, or thing that can pump some oxytocin your way. Once you’ve painted a nice mental portrait, supplement this with some quick statistics…
I apologize in advance for my candor, but you’re much more likely to:
- Drown in your bathtub — 1 in 840,000
- Contract terminal flesh-eating bacteria — 1 in a million
- Get killed by a meteorite — 1 in 700,000
- Die in a Tornado — 1 in 60,000
- Get murdered at random — 1 in 18,000
If none of these things have ever been a concern to you or they’ve never even crossed your mind for that matter, it’s safe to say that flying isn’t a real mortal danger…
Find Your Healthy Distractions
For many travel nurses, these mere statistics don’t always stop sensations of imminent doom (no matter how irrational it is.) In this case, it’s time to consider what distractions are at your disposal when a flight is in your near future.
Naturally, lots of people in various professions gravitate toward certain substances used for staving off anxiety. As effective as things like alcohol or other drugs might seem in the air, they often have their downsides once you land. Not only is drinking on planes rather expensive but combined with jet lag you’ll be hurting in more ways than one! Your new assignment is expecting someone sharp and bright to hit the ground running, so a two-day long hangover is just not worth it.
If you do take anxiety medication regularly this is a different story. Nonetheless, the sharp spike of fear when facing a flight might just be better dealt with distractions!
Plan to bring some books, your favorite music, or even the details of your new assignment to really motivate you to make this flight as easy as possible. Studying up on the industry, reading through our blog here, or just doing a little career planning are all great ways to make the best use of your time and combat flight anxiety as a travel nurse!
Here’s to hoping you’re able to overcome your fear! Got any techniques that really work for you? Share your secret in the comments below!
