Fear of Flying.
I'm not all that afraid of flying. I enjoy traveling and flying is a really really nice way to travel most of the time.Turbulence freaks me out quite a bit I'll admit though. My hubby teases me that he doesn't understand why I love roller coasters so much when turbulence will make me cower in his neck. The teasing is all in good fun though- he's ridiculously supportive while we are flying and usually stops whatever he is doing the moment we feel turbulence to grab my hand and give me a calm smile.I'm coming to terms with aspects about myself and letting go of things that I would label as flaws to embrace as who I am- remember when I was talking about the whole recovering perfectionist thing. I use to work really hard to suck it up and pretend I was fine whenever we would hit turbulence- but my hubby would roll his eyes at me and grabs my hand anyway.I've come to realize... there is nothing wrong with being afraid. Fear is a pretty natural (and can be very helpful) emotion. It prepares your body for any fight or flight situations. Fear makes you aware of where you are, what you are doing, and pushes you to narrow in on what causing your fear. Fear is merely your body registering that you are in fact... human. Flesh, blood, breath and sweat. You are a human with limitations and boundaries... lungs that need to take in air and a heart that needs to pump blood.
During our trip home from Charlotte yesterday- I was feeling less anxiety over the simple fact I get scared sometimes on planes. But I mean... have you ever landed in the Denver International Airport? Things can get so bumpy... and can stay bumpy the entire time you are making your descent into Denver. Something to do with the mountains and I air pressure maybe?Anyway... as I was letting go of my anxiety of merely being afraid. I watched the older woman across the isle from me ask the young man she was sitting next to if she could hold his hand as she was feeling afraid. While I'm sure he felt a little uncomfortable about it... he gave an tiny smile and let her hold his hand during our decent into Denver. He began to calmly explain to her that this was normal for a landing in Denver and that she didn't need to worry. She smiled and calmly informed him she was worried... she was just afraid and there wasn't much she could do about it. She was sure everything would be okay.I found her to be oddly brave and empowering... and the young man's willingness to help her touching. Maybe if we all would just be okay with being afraid sometimes... and okay to admit it and ask for a little support sometimes- things wouldn't seem so paralyzing and daunting.