Man with lifelong fear of flying reveals tips to stay calm during flights

Nervous travelers have been worrying about taking to the air given the recent airplane crashes in the news.Even so, one man with aerophobia, or a fear of flying, believes there’s nothing to be afraid of — and he’s on a mission to help others address their concerns.Brian Morris of Salt Lake City, Utah, created “Flight Deck: Fear Of Flying Flash Cards” to help anxious flyers calm themselves about takeoff procedures and the travel experience.“In light of the recent flight incidents and accidents, I know firsthand how these events can evoke fear and uncertainty in many individuals,” Morris told Fox News Digital.Aerophobia affects more than 25 million Americans, according to the Cleveland Clinic.Morris said it’s important to know that anxiety related to flying produces valid feelings, “especially when we’re bombarded with videos and reports about aviation mishaps.”Aerophobia can be triggered by news stories about plane crashes, takeoff and landing, and turbulence, Cleveland Clinic also noted.It’s no wonder that searches on Google by Americans for the phrase “Is it safe to fly?” have been surging in February, as has been widely reported.Michaela Renee Johnson, a commercial pilot and licensed psychotherapist, told Fox News Digital that fear is a natural reaction.“A lot of people don’t realize [fear is] actually incredibly natural, and it means that your body and brain [are] working exactly as intended,” said Johnson, who is based in California, Alaska, and elsewhere.“It’s not necessarily a bad thing to have these thoughts,” she said.“But what happens is our reptilian existence kind of takes over, and we start to doubt everything we’ve known to be a relatively safe way to travel.”She said any sort of fear that people may experience is a “very rational place for the human mind to go.”“The way that we tackle fears in general is by assessing the risk, assessing the safety — and then deciding to do it anyway.

[That’...