I’ve been on countless flights over the years and never had a single issue. I actually used to look forward to traveling. But about six months ago, with only 30 minutes left in a flight, I suddenly had intense heart palpitations, nausea, dizziness, and this overwhelming feeling that I was dying. They took me off the plane by ambulance, ran a full workup, and found nothing seriously wrong. The doctors concluded it was a panic attack—something I’d never experienced before.
Looking back, it made sense. That month was brutal: my dad (my best friend and main support person) had just moved to another state, and I had flown out to say goodbye to my grandpa who was another big support person in my life. I was carrying a lot more emotional weight than I realized.
For months after that flight, I was convinced something was physically wrong with me. But after every test imaginable came back normal, I finally accepted that it was anxiety. And honestly, I had been doing much better for a while with therapy, daily excercise, and fixing my sleep schedule.
Then in early March, I was supposed to fly to my grandpa’s funeral. I got so nauseous and anxious for weeks leading up to the flight that I couldn’t do it. It was keeping me up every night and I sit and cry. I canceled and drove 12 hours instead. I was really disappointed in myself because I love traveling, and I want to get back to flying.
To help me ease back into it, my mom is taking me on a short flight (about 40–53 minutes) in a few weeks. I’m doing better than I was before the canceled March flight, but I still get waves of panic and nausea. I know the only way through this is to actually get back on a plane. I’m not afraid of flying—I’m afraid of being stuck on the plane and feeling like I’m dying again, the way I did during that first panic attack when I didn’t know what was happening.
Now I do know what it was, and I’m hoping the tools I’ve been practicing will help, even if I have another panic attack. I do have a little “mother’s helper” to take for this first flight, and while I’d love to eventually fly without medication, this feels like a good starting point.
Please wish me luck!