{"id":506545,"date":"2026-01-10T16:38:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T16:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/506545\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T16:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T16:38:10","slug":"mel-robbins-reveals-simple-mental-trick-for-easing-flight-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/506545\/","title":{"rendered":"Mel Robbins reveals simple mental trick for easing flight anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author and podcast host Mel Robbins<\/a> recently opened up about her experience with\u00a0flight anxiety,<\/a>\u00a0sharing a simple mental technique she says helped her manage it.<\/p>\n

She discussed the approach on a recent episode of the \u201cDelusional Diaries\u201d podcast with hosts Halley Kate and Jaz.<\/p>\n

Flight anxiety isn\u2019t always about the plane itself, the Vermont-based Robbins said during the conversation. <\/p>\n

Instead, it\u2019s about the thoughts people spiral into\u00a0while flying<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 particularly fears about crashing<\/a>, turbulence in the air or the loss of control.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason why you have anxiety is you are thinking about the plane crashing and dying and your life being over,\u201d Robbins said.<\/p>\n

To help\u00a0manage that anxiety<\/a>, Robbins detailed a strategy she calls an \u201canchor thought,\u201d which involves visualizing a specific, positive moment that will happen after the flight.<\/p>\n

\"MelAuthor and podcast host Mel Robbins has shared a simple mental technique she uses to manage flight anxiety. Getty Images for Massachusetts Conference for Women<\/p>\n

The technique works by giving the mind something concrete to focus on when fear starts to take over, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the episode, Robbins asked Kate \u2014 who was preparing to\u00a0travel to Venice<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 to picture something she was excited to do once she arrived.<\/p>\n

Robbins then encouraged Kate to make the image as detailed as possible, focusing on sights, sounds and physical sensations.<\/p>\n

She said engaging the five senses helps lock the image into the brain \u2014 making it easier to return to when anxiety spikes during a flight.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mind doesn\u2019t know the difference between what\u2019s real and that anchor thought,\u201d Robbins said.<\/p>\n

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Robbins said having that mental image ready gives the brain something else to focus on when fear starts to rise, rather than spiraling into worst-case scenarios.<\/p>\n

Robbins added that the technique doesn\u2019t eliminate anxiety altogether but can help reduce how intense it feels over time.<\/p>\n

Fox News Digital reached out to her for further comment. Robbins has been nominated for a\u00a0Golden Globe\u00a0for best podcast for \u201cThe Mel Robbins Show.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jonathan Alpert, a New York\u2013based psychotherapist and author of \u201cTherapy Nation,\u201d told Fox News Digital that fear of flying is usually less about the actual\u00a0safety of the plane.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ARobbins pointed out that her technique doesn\u2019t completely eliminate anxiety, but can help reduce how intense it feels over time. Witoon \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more about uncertainty and a perceived loss of control, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people aren\u2019t reacting to the actual safety of flying,\u201d Alpert said. \u201cThey\u2019re reacting to the \u2018what ifs,\u2019 and this is what drives their anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that the culture of flying itself has made anxiety worse for many travelers.<\/p>\n

\u201cCrowded gates, delays, viral clips of passengers melting down, arguments over seats or bins.\u00a0By the time someone gets to their row, their nervous system is already dialed up,\u201d Alpert said.<\/p>\n

He explained that many of his patients are more afraid of the experience of flying than the flight itself.<\/p>\n

Alpert recommends practical steps to help keep anxiety manageable.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat helps most is bringing the focus back to what they can control: simple routines, breathing that brings the heart rate down a little, limiting doom-scrolling before boarding and reminding themselves that discomfort isn\u2019t danger,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Author and podcast host Mel Robbins recently opened up about her experience with\u00a0flight anxiety,\u00a0sharing a simple mental technique…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":506546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[52421,17390,1736,8483,210,517,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-506545","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-airplanes","9":"tag-airports","10":"tag-anxiety","11":"tag-flights","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-mental-health","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115871790389617475","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=506545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=506545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=506545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=506545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}