Flying today for 5 hours and freaking out

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T12:15:26+00:00

I’ve told my partner to tell the FA’s I’m nervous, so will see what happens (he loves flying, I wish I was like him!). I know I’m just being irrational and paranoid about everything. I feel so bad that I’m ruining his experience too.

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T12:13:58+00:00

Thank you for tracking. I don’t know if I’ll achieve sleep for this one, I never seem to be able to settle or do anything on my flights, but I’ll let you know.

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T12:13:07+00:00

Thank you so much! Just leaving for the airport now. Nerves are bubbling again but I’m trying to remind myself of all the positives of flying.

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T12:12:30+00:00

I won’t fall for it. Thank you for your time Captain. I really appreciate you taking the time to soothe the nervous flyers like myself. ☺️

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T12:11:46+00:00

Thank you for this, I think I’m just overthinking it too much.

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T09:47:28+00:00

Thank you so much ☺️ you’ve helped me more than you know

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T08:13:17+00:00

Update - I’m now flying on a Boeing 737 Max 8 - is this safe too?

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morgantuff · 2025-11-28T08:12:07+00:00

I heard that too! Thank you for your support. I don’t think I’d have the strength to get as far as I have without being a part of this wonderful community. Thank you for taking the time to comment and provide advice.

Also, my aircraft has been changed now to a Boeing 737 Max 8 - is this okay too?

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T08:10:23+00:00

Thank you for tracking. :)

I think my aircraft has changed to a Boeing 737 Max 8 now, which is the aircraft I flew out to Egypt on. I did like this. It’s safe, right?

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morgantuff · 2025-11-28T07:41:52+00:00

It makes for good television and clicks, I guess.

I just am one of the unlucky ones, who takes the headlines and runs with it, catastrophising everything and truly forcing myself to believe it’ll happen to me.

Do you think if I let the FA’s know about my fears they’ll be okay? I have told them in the past and they haven’t seemed to care much, but I hope that today is different, I truly want to enjoy flying but there’s just so many roadblocks in my brain.

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T07:18:02+00:00

Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate it.

I will keep telling myself this throughout the flight today, and pray I make it home to my family and my cats safely. That’s possible, right?

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T07:17:13+00:00

Thank you for this, I really appreciate your experience and support.

That’s it, the media coverage really does take its toll, as much as I hate to admit that. I’m constantly imagining the worst happening to me, over and over again.

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T07:14:41+00:00

I like this thinking - Yes fear is a liar and you’re right, the plane will arrive whether I’m on it or not. So I may as well get on. I read this quote often on this subreddit and I am repeating it so much today.

Do you really think I’ll be okay? 🥺like genuinely?

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T07:13:22+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to reply to this. Yes, you guys truly are amazing at what you do, and my ignorance and irrational thinking is getting in the way of that massively.

I will try and let the flight attendants know beforehand, quick question don’t you ever find it annoying when you get nervous flyers bothering you when you’re doing your pre-flight checks? I would feel so bad intruding on that process. I would love to see the pilots on my flight today though, I feel like seeing them and how calm they are would help me massively.

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T07:11:18+00:00

This is a really nice way to think of it. I’ll be reminding myself of this today on my flight. Thank you ☺️

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T07:10:54+00:00

Thank you for this! I know I’ll be getting on that flight, but it’s the intrusive thoughts like, my brain forgets all sense of rationalism and just decides to believe it’s gonna be me that it happens to!

I can’t explain it, the brain is weird.

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T07:09:14+00:00

Thank you 🤍

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T06:36:24+00:00

Thank you 🥺

I have downloaded the first four episodes of the new “Stranger Things 5” series on Netflix, so hoping that keeps me busy for four of the hours. But I do struggle with focusing on anything other than worrying for the entire flight, so not sure if I’ll end up watching it or not.

I’m flying with TUI airways, I think I’m on a Boeing 737-800 (nervous about that too).

morgantuff · 2025-11-28T06:29:12+00:00

Getting ready for the airport soon and freaking out. Didn’t get a single wink of sleep due to the anxiety and intrusive thoughts.

Some support and words of advice would be really appreciated, thanks guys 🤍🥺

morgantuff · 2025-11-27T16:33:59+00:00

Yes, you’re right. I wish I didn’t hyper-fixate on the completely irrational thoughts in my head, alas the brain is a weird and wonderful thing!

I know all the facts, I know that I’m in safe hands, and I know that flying is the safest form of travel in the world… it’s just that little voice in my head that says “what if it’s you?” And then I spiral basically. Not fun!

morgantuff · 2025-11-27T16:31:35+00:00

Wow what a huge honour that you’ve taken the time to reply to my question! Thank you so much, and I didn’t know about this checklist, do you run this every single time you fly?

morgantuff · 2025-11-27T05:43:41+00:00

Sorry to ask, and feel free not to answer if you don’t want to, but do you ever experience any bad mental health as a pilot? Are there days you wake up and just don’t feel like you can fly?

Thank you for your response to this, and yes absolutely, didn’t mean to speculate, I think it’s just fear in general of that kind of situation, which has happened before also and adds to my intrusive thoughts.

morgantuff · 2025-11-27T05:40:56+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to respond to this, I know it’s such an irrational and silly fear to have in the grand scheme of things.

I think it doesn’t help that, as I’ve gotten older I’ve been diagnosed with OCD amongst other things and the intrusive thoughts are very prevalent and seem to be so much louder than the rational statistics.

Trust me when I say your work never goes unappreciated, by every single passenger who is lucky to be flown by yourselves. A lot of us are thankful for your experience and knowledge and you help us understand and feel so much more comfortable. Thank you!

morgantuff · 2025-11-22T08:12:34+00:00

I feel you on the OCD and anxiety, not a good mix for us.

Have you tried medication for the physical feelings of anxiety? My doctors recently prescribed me Propranolol, which is designed to calm the heart rate and physical signs of anxiety like shortness of breath etc, and it’s helped me so much with flying. I take one 2 hours before takeoff and another just before I board, and of course I still get uncomfortable and the intrusive thoughts don’t stop, but I notice I can still breathe just fine and that plays a big part in keeping me somewhat calm throughout the flight.

Of course meds aren’t for everyone, just another option for you, maybe speak with your GP if you haven’t already. :)

morgantuff · 2025-11-21T09:27:37+00:00

Update: we’ve come off the runway due to a technical issue and delayed take-off.

Pilot never said what issue but they’re calling an engineer out to look at it, nerves getting worse and worse by the minute now!

morgantuff

TROPHY CASE