nervous or excited?

[spiffyone]

We fly Tuesday AM...so I have one more day, basically.

It might snow...but intellectually I know we will be okay if it does, it's more just wishing there is no snow because it will freak me out more.

I go back and forth between feeling kind of excited - tonight I was thinking about flying and I got the same feeling I do when preparing to go on a long non-flying trip - just excited about traveling period - and feeling freaked out, like when I think about how close the flight is and feel panicky and then I kind of don't let myself go there in my head. 24 hours from now I will take my first xanax (it doesn't really knock me out or anything, but I have this illusion that it will keep me from really flipping out).

I won't have internet after tomorrow morning at about 9 - so any last-minute advice would be appreciated now and then I will email you when I reach my destination....

AAAAAAAAAH!

spiff

[Debbielevis2]

Spiff --

You already know the answers to your questions. You know you're safe. You know the worst part is getting to the airport.

(By the way - our local weather indicates that Tuesday is fine. No problems at all. It's tomorrow that could be hairy)

Well, if I were you, I think I'd lean toward excited, rather than nervous. Excited to be going away - somewhere warmer - excited about Christmas, excited about not working for a bit, excited about hanging out with Spiffytoo with no time constraints.

So, what was your problem again???

Spiff, have a great trip! Merry Christmas to you!

Deb

[beaugest]

Spiff, I really think this flight has the potential to be different for you. Just the fact that you are getting glimpses of being excited about it is a good place to be. Plus you held off on getting really nervous. So, you know you have concrete tools that can work on getting your anxiety to a manageable level. Just remember to pack things to read that will help remind you that you have learned a different way to look at flying. As I've said before I take Ray's book and posts from here that I have found helpful. I think when the anxiety starts to climb it is very important to remind yourself that there is a different way of approaching the situation. Otherwise your mind takes off with the "What If's". Remember to try visualizing things that relax you. For me, it is seeing myself walk off the plane and being where I went to be.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Hope you and Spiff 2 have an wonderful holiday.

[canoga]

SNOW??

Here is a little boost for your confidence. Cleveland got 12-18" of snow this past weekend and all flights got in and out just fine. As I was preparing to drive to work today in snow that is deeper than the height of my dog (we had to shovel out a little path so should could go out and pee-pee), I was actually wishing I WEREN'T on the ground and was flying someplace warm!!!

You are gonna do just great. This is going to be a really nice trip fo you.

Beth

[HOLLYWOOD]

Speaking of snow...did you all see the news this weekend? The 70 car pile-up on the highway in Ohio?

I've lived in the Los Angeles area for over a year now and have seen several bad car accidents on the highway in this short amount of time. I've also been in a fender bender myself. So now, I'm turning it around in my mind and thinking how much safer it is up in the sky away from all the stressed out drivers and bad road conditions. Every year you hear on the news how many traffic fatalities there were over the holidays but you never hear about how many people died on commercial airlines over the holidays...

[noflyingfan]

I heard about that pileup. It was right around the Ohio-Pennsylvania border on I-80, where I will be driving in two days!

I'm hoping for clear weather.

[Passenger Mark]

They had a double fatality on the I15 today.

A truck wrecked and caught on fire, while they were working on that, a car ran off the freeway and hit the burning truck!

Yikes! Get me on a plane!