Help- 14 hour flight!!!

[FluffyScout]

Hello!
In a few days I will be travelling over to Europe. I am extremely excited for this!!!
However, I am also very very very scared. I suffer from extreme emetophobia and anxiety, and have never been on a long haul flight. I have a 2 hour flight, then a 14 hour flight, then a 7 hour flight.

I am flying Emirates, which is supposedly a very high rated plane company, which makes me feel a bit more relieved. I am flying with my friend and my grandparents. I will be sitting in the middle with my friend in the window seat and my grandma in the aisle seat. My grandma is a frequent long-haul flyer, but my friend has never been on a long haul flight. I'm very very scared, she said one time when she was younger she v* on a plane because a kid was kicking the back of her seat. I don't think she gets motion sick or anything, but I'm terrified that she might get sick on this flight, because that will absolutely make me have a panic attack. I'm also scared to v* because of stress or motion sickness or a panic attack. I'm really scared to get n* and have a panic attack etc from feeling trapped and unwell I'm looking forward to the flight but I'm scared out of my mind to get n* while on the flight!!

I don't take any medications and will not be getting anything from my doc, so I won't have Xanax or Valium or whatever other people take. I may take a few quickeze for indigestion/heartburn but that's it.

im just scared out of my mind!!! Is it likely to have a panic attack and freak out, or get n*??? Is it likely
to see/hear others *v?? And what can I do to calm down and reduce stress-induced *n and panic?

[Bunnyjess]

I recently went on a 15 hour long haul flight and I felt basically the same way. i was terrified! I was prescribed valium but it didnt work. Some tips is always sip water and I only ate dry crackers but definitely enjoy an in flight meal if you are hungry. Also move the little vents and have air moving onto your face that can help too. Also talk to the air hostesses, most of them are very kind and will help you if you are stressed. Over the counter travel s* medication should be available so maybe buy a few packets and take them before your flight. There are plenty of movies to watch too so try and keep distracted and try and get some sleep too! Nobody v* on my long haul flight (that I'm aware of) and long haul flights are generally smoother as larger jets are less susceptible to turbulence. Try and relax on your flight and enjoy your holiday! I'm sure Europe is well worth the flight

[Afdpt]

I've never been on a flight that long myself but I've flown quite a bit and even though I worry about it every single time I have never seen anyone randomly get sick during a flight. The only time I've ever encountered it on a flight was what my sister got motion sick during a landing once. Other than that I've never seen it (and believe me, the emetophobe in me is hyper aware/alert for these things.)

Obviously past experiences don't indicate with certainty that I'll never see it, but I think the chances are quite low.

I also have never used any medications to keep myself calm. What I do is just make sure I have a lot to keep me busy. I bring lots of music, movies to watch, a book to read, magazines for lighter reading, word puzzles, phone games, coloring book sometimes, etc. The more things I have to keep myself distracted the better. Then I make myself a schedule of things to do. So if I was on a 14 hour long flight I might say: Hour 1 I'll just listen to music and try to relax. Hour 2-3 I'll watch a movie. Hour 4 I'll read my book. Hour 5 I'll do some word puzzles. Hour 6-7 I'll watch another movie. Hour 8 I'll read/flip though magazines. Hour 9 I'll relax with some music again. Hour 10 I'll color. Hour 11 I'll read some more of my book. Hour 12-13 I'll watch one more movie. Something like that. Then I just try to make myself stick to the schedule as much as possible. I always try to do each activity for at least the time I designated for it, but I will allow myself to do it longer if I want and then I feel like I'm ahead of the game closer to my destination. Not sure that would work for you but it's a huge help for me.

Also make sure to bring some foods you'll feel safe eating if you have issues with airline food. Especially on flights that long you really want to make sure you eat because hunger can trigger nausea which can trigger anxiety and that's what you want to avoid. I'll usually bring something like pretzels and granola bars and a big bottle of water to sip on so I don't get dehydrated.

Those are some long flights but in the bigger picture it's not that much time out of your life so try to focus on that.

[Kaikey]

I've flown quite a bit in my life, my longest being a 24 hour flight (California to France - France to South Africa with a 10 hour layover and we have to fly inland in SA). I didn't v* once but of course I was jet lagged but otherwise fine. Watch a movie, eat some snacks, keep yourself hydrated. Bunny is right, the larger planes are a lot smoother and you don't feel the turbulence, if there is any, so much like the smaller jets. I also get anxiety on planes but it always settles down because I know I'm stuck and there's nothing I can do about it. Have fun and don't panic...you'll be fine!! Traveling is so worth it!

[AoD]

I never take medication when I go on flights (longest one so far was nearly 7 hours but I am going on a 15 hours flight in a few weeks). I have taken flights fairly often, never saw/heard anyone get sick. There was one incident where I freaked out a bit because someone had very bad diarrhea that smelled all over the plane and I immediately assumed that person had a stomach virus and I would get it (spoiler: I was fine) but that's about it.

I'm flying in premium economy this time, so I won't have to share the toilets with as many people (thus, in my mind, lessening the odds someone using them will be ill). Saw some people that definitely looked on the verge of being ill when we went through customs, but it was most likely because they were jet lagged and hadn't slept on the plane.

Pretty sure your friend won't get ill, she's older now and it is usually little kids that get ill easily on planes (for some reason I can't yet fathom). I agree with the others that if you are worried about airplane food making you ill, you can bring dry foods with you (commercial stuff is easier to get through customs than homemade).

I'll be honest, I'm always anxious and super aware about potentially ill people next to me when flying, but so far nothing traumatising has happened. As for how likely a panic attack is, that really depends on you. Are you getting them easily, on a regular basis? Keep in mind you are not trapped. You have a bathroom you can access and if you are really unwell the flight attendants will make sure you have access as much as you need and they will find you a place to lie down if needed when seatbelts aren't required. If someone gets ill close by, you can get up and walk a safe distance away and come back when the event has passed or asked to be moved due to your anxiety.