noflyingfan
03-11-2007, 08:42 PM
I posted a few months ago that I had earned my Southwest Rapid Rewards award, and then last week, I decided to use my reward this weekend, because it was my last free weekend before the wedding, Matt was going to a photo conference, and I thought it would be fun to hang with my old college roommate, who now lives in Fayetteville, NC. So I flew MDW to RDU (that's Raleigh-Durham) on Thursday evening and back today. (Plus it seemed like a good idea to get some practice flying in before the honeymoon flights).
I have wheedled my fear down to a point where, once I get on the plane, I'm fine. I don't know if I can say I'm afraid of flying anymore. It's more correct to say I am afraid of the couple of days before flying, since that's when I tend to do all of my stressing.
I was feeling a lot of stress this time, although I think quite a bit of it was about missing Matt, and stressing over the wedding and work and other things, and it just sort of came out as fear of flying. I kept thinking, "what if something happens to my plane," and then when I stopped to think about it, I realized that I actually wasn't too concerned that something would happen to my plane. So I had a little talk with myself and told myself to stop being whiny, that I deserve a break from everyday life, and that I should enjoy myself, because I'm not going to get another break for awhile.
The sky was silky smooth going to RDU. There were no bumps whatsoever, not even little tiny ones. I had a great seat mate; we chatted the whole flight. I did have a little vertigo thing going on for part of the flight. I think part of it was because I had taken a dose of over-the-counter sleeping pills (not Simply Sleep, but something like that). It really helped calm my nerves, but it made me a little loopy. It worked better for me than Xanax, though, so I recommend trying it if you don't care for the Xanax or just want to try something for which you don't need a prescription, as long as you don't have to drive or anything after. By the time I got to bed, I was wiped out; I feel right asleep.
The flight home this morning was fine. The computers at RDU were going a little wonky because of the time change, but things seemed to be moving along on time, for the most part. Had another smooth flight, and here I am, another successful flight under my belt!
All in all, another great trip, and it was precisely what I needed. The weather was warm and sunny, the company was good, and the activities were exciting. It was a great way to spend my last weekend as a single gal.
I have wheedled my fear down to a point where, once I get on the plane, I'm fine. I don't know if I can say I'm afraid of flying anymore. It's more correct to say I am afraid of the couple of days before flying, since that's when I tend to do all of my stressing.
I was feeling a lot of stress this time, although I think quite a bit of it was about missing Matt, and stressing over the wedding and work and other things, and it just sort of came out as fear of flying. I kept thinking, "what if something happens to my plane," and then when I stopped to think about it, I realized that I actually wasn't too concerned that something would happen to my plane. So I had a little talk with myself and told myself to stop being whiny, that I deserve a break from everyday life, and that I should enjoy myself, because I'm not going to get another break for awhile.
The sky was silky smooth going to RDU. There were no bumps whatsoever, not even little tiny ones. I had a great seat mate; we chatted the whole flight. I did have a little vertigo thing going on for part of the flight. I think part of it was because I had taken a dose of over-the-counter sleeping pills (not Simply Sleep, but something like that). It really helped calm my nerves, but it made me a little loopy. It worked better for me than Xanax, though, so I recommend trying it if you don't care for the Xanax or just want to try something for which you don't need a prescription, as long as you don't have to drive or anything after. By the time I got to bed, I was wiped out; I feel right asleep.
The flight home this morning was fine. The computers at RDU were going a little wonky because of the time change, but things seemed to be moving along on time, for the most part. Had another smooth flight, and here I am, another successful flight under my belt!
All in all, another great trip, and it was precisely what I needed. The weather was warm and sunny, the company was good, and the activities were exciting. It was a great way to spend my last weekend as a single gal.