Travelers usually love that sudden rush of adrenaline—the kind that sharpens your focus and leaves you breathless for a moment. It’s proof you’re on an incredible adventure. But those same intense reactions can also show up as anxiety, an unavoidable part of travel—the flip side of the thrill.
For more and more travelers, that anxiety is about flying. Even though air travel is one of the safest ways to get around, roughly 25 million U.S. adults dealt with some level of aerophobia in 2022. After the tragic plane crashes in early 2025, searches for “fear of flying” and “flight anxiety” skyrocketed.
Yet, travel demand hasn’t slowed down—over 5 billion passengers are expected to fly this year. For those feeling more flight anxiety than usual (maybe even for the first time), there are ways to cope. Challenging anxious thoughts helps, but calming your body is just as important.
“We think we can control our minds and rein them in, but we actually have more power over our body’s chemistry than we realize,” says Dr. Brian Ramos, a Yale-trained neuroscientist and stress specialist. “We can flip a switch, tap into our parasympathetic nervous system, and bring ourselves back to the present—where we find peace.”
Here’s how to ease anxiety by taking charge of your nervous system—and why it’s best to practice these mental resilience tricks on the ground first.
7 Ways to Soothe Flight Anxiety
- Cool down—Sip a cold drink or press a chilled can to your forehead.
- Breathe slowly—Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Find a rhythm that works for you.
- Try the “5-4-3-2-1” method—Spot five things you see, four you can touch, three you hear, two you smell, and one you taste.
- Pack sensory helpers—Sour candy, textured objects, scented lotion, or calming audio tracks.
- Use touch—Ask a travel buddy for a light massage or gentle pressure. A weighted blanket can also help.
- Repeat a calming mantra—Prep one before your flight to counter nervous thoughts.
- Consider therapy—For deep-seated fears, counseling can help uncover the root cause.
Keep reading to understand the science behind these anxiety-busting tricks.
How Cooling Off Calms Your Nervous System
To quiet your body’s fight-or-flight response (aka the sympathetic nervous system), “chilling out” isn’t just a saying—it’s literal. Adrenaline from this system spikes your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and cortisol levels, revving up your metabolism and body heat. Ramos explains that while this response helps us react fast and stay productive, it doesn’t exactly ease anxiety.
“Most people overuse their sympathetic nervous system to power through life,” says Ramos. “But with all that constant ‘go’ mode, our rest-and-digest system weakens. We forget how to pause. In a way, we trap ourselves.”
The parasympathetic nervous system (your “rest and digest” mode) acts like a brake on that stress flood. One quick way to activate it? Play with body temperature. Cold triggers your body to dial down the energy.
Why Breathing Slows Stress
Controlled breathing jumpstarts relaxation by steadying your heart rate and cooling your body. Adding a pattern to your breath helps with “grounding”—staying present instead of spiraling into “what-ifs.”
“Breathing keeps your mind in the now, where those scary future outcomes don’t exist,” says Ramos. “Anxiety lives in the future, not the present.”
Clinical psychologist Becki Apseloff adds that this process tricks your brain into feeling safe: “It’s like your body’s telling your brain, ‘Hey, that alarm? False alert—we’re okay.’”
How Your Senses Keep You Calm
Distraction helps—most travelers load up on movies, books, or music instead of flying “raw-dogged” (no entertainment). But when anxiety hits, it’s hard to focus even on fun stuff.
An easier fix? Tap into your senses. Even when anxious, your senses stay sharp. Focusing on your surroundings keeps your brain busy and reminds you there’s no real threat.
“Once your breathing’s steady, give your brain a simple task,” suggests Apseloff. “Play ‘I Spy’—find everything on the plane that starts with ‘C.’” The goal is to anchor yourself in the moment.
Pleasant tastes or sounds release dopamine (the feel-good chemical). Touch boosts calming oxytocin while lowering cortisol. Any of these can give your nervous system a helping hand.
Work Through Flight Anxiety Before You Fly
Plane crashes might trigger flight fear, but the real roots are often deeper. For many, it’s about losing control. “You have to trust the crew and the plane,” says Apseloff. “You can’t just stop or leave—that surrender is tough.”
Therapies like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) focus on “radial acceptance”—making peace with what you can’t control. Apseloff laughs sharing her go-to mantra: reminding herself that her anxious brain is terrible at calculating real risks.
But in panic mode, your logical brain (prefrontal cortex) gets hijacked by the survival-driven amygdala. That’s why practicing calming thoughts beforehand is key—like building muscle memory.
Dr. Charlotte Russell, founder of The Travel Psychologist, helps clients tackle flight anxiety with personalized strategies. “If relaxation techniques aren’t enough, therapy can help unpack the fear,” she says.
The bottom line? Universal tips and personal therapy both help. The goal isn’t to erase fear—just to manage it so you can keep exploring.
“Humans are meant to travel,” says Ramos. “That adventure is what fills life with joy.”