Herbie

Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone on here has had to deal with any anxiety issues that have hindered you flying. I have been out on Med leave for a while and I am trying to avoid anxiety medication as that takes the medical away. If anyone has had this problem and knows of any methods for dealing with it short of the medication, any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

__________________
Yes sir, we are still restricted to 250 knots......and FL250.

rickair7777

Anxiety can be caused by environmental factors and/or biochemical. It is a common reaction to a stressful event (divorce, a death, job loss, etc).

If you are genetically pre-disposed, you may need meds and/or a low-stress lifestyle. But most folks experience anxiety or depression at some point due to environmental factors.

Depression and anxiety are often related. If you think your problem has been caused by environmental factors, here are some things to consider...

There are two possible issues to deal with..

1) Chemical imbalance, usually low serotonin levels.
2) Negative thought patterns. Sounds hokey, but it's not. A major life event of the bad kind can get you down and in the habit of thinking negatively...once you get into that rut, it can be hard to break out of.


Here are some ways to maybe deal with it without getting professional advice which would endanger your medical:

Chemical imbalance:

- St. Johns Wort (hypericum) is an herbal supplement which many folks swear by. It is by no means as powerful as a prrescription SSRI med like prozac, but it appears to have an effect on serotonin levels. Like SSRI's, you may have to take it for weeks before feeling any effects. I am not certain about the legality as far as the FAA goes, but it is sold as a supplement not a medication.

- Alcohol: Burns up serotonin. Lay off the booze completely if you are having problems of this nature. An OCCASSIONAL glass of wine or beer might not hurt. One glass.

- Exercise: Releases happy-endorphins immediately and stimulates long-term serotonin production. Only cardio exercise of a fairly strenuous nature will work. You need to do 45-60+ minutes 4+ times a week. Weight lifting, walking, and short cardio workouts may be good for you, but they will not have the same affect on serotonin levels. This also may take weeks to show results.

- Stress, tobacco, and poor sleep don't help either. Clean up your lifestyle.

Thought Patterns: You may need therapy, or you may be able to consciously train yourself to think differently about things. You can try various meditation techniques or philosophical approaches such as religion.

Low serotonin can cause depression and bad thought patterns...which can then in turn lock you into a cycle of anxiety which continues to depress serotonin levels. You get stuck in a vicious cycle, even after the triggering event is resolved. You need to break the cycle. There are plenty of books on this.

If your condition is mild you might try some of this on your own. If it's serious or you have thoughts of suicide or harming anyone else get medical help immediately!

jedinein

Try:
The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook - Bourne
Feeling Good - Burns
Guide to Trance-Formation - Bandler
Get the Life You Want - Bandler

With the last two, the fun part is you can be completely skeptical, and the processes described still work. With any of them, you can pretend, and if you pretend long enough and good enough, it won't be pretending anymore.

Pilots are mission-orientated compartmentalizers. When they fly, they open the compartment called "pilot" and close the other ones. It's when the other compartments don't close completely that there are problems. Learning to close the other compartments is part of pilot training, even if not directly mentioned.

Having dealt with the mental health system and refugees from it for a few decades, I've come to a few conclusions:
1. What one's parents, siblings, other kids, and so on did to you doesn't matter.
2. What event the fear or anxiety comes from doesn't matter.
3. Finding the source of the fear or anxiety doesn't matter. Finding the source, path, and route of the feeling does.
4. With rare exception, one can learn to control their thoughts.
5. After controlling one's thoughts, the physical reaction takes awhile longer to conquer.
6. Knowing the above makes it easier to deal with the stupid and/or shameful physical reactions while bringing the physical reactions under control.
7. Small victories lead to bigger victories.
8. Small failures, if not corrected and learned from, lead to bigger failures.
9. At times, life sucks. It provides a difference so we know when life doesn't suck.

Bringing the thoughts under control takes practice, which the above listed books can assist with. Some talk therapy might be helpful, but that therapy should deal with how to move forward, not discovering who was mean to you in the third grade.

jedinein

All good thoughts Rickair777. Some comments on the exercise portion:

If one has been completely sedentary, start out slow and keep it slow. Nothing sucks like being sidelined with a preventable exercise-caused injury.

Even if it feels really good to pound the bejeebers out of the pavement, a punching bag, the water, or a ball, one needs to start slow. If the punching bag is the desired method, get instruction on proper form which will prevent injury. If the pavement is the desired choice, depending on your level of couch potato, try starting with ten minutes. Stay there for a week. Then bump up to eleven or perhaps fifteen minutes. Stay there for a week. By the end of six weeks, one can have a moderate activity that serves to burn off frustration, indulge "fight or flight" responses, and keep one away from the ER.

bugy

Hello all,

Up for this topic, as I feel anxiety a lot...

Im young european pilot, (26), just got job last year as F/O in summer for LCC in asia, with Bond type rating on 320.
During line training things went well, until I had some tough instructors.
Plus, i was quite tired due to schedule, sometimes very late, sometimes very early etc I think I have difficulties to adapt.

Night after nights I had issues to sleep, and had anxiety, a lot.
I couldnt sleep all night and had flight very early.
I feel very stressed if I had to fly with some capt instructor, strict, and shouting.
Plus, i heard after line trinaing, even other capt (some) were like that...

I am afraid i have diffciult to adapt myself in such team environment.
Some colleagues, just deal with it, and do not seem to care....
But me, all the time i need to know, who is who, who is nice or not.
Everytime, coming back home and cheking my schedule, I had difficulties to breath when I open my email.

When I was OFF, I was veyr happy and relax.

At this moment i noticed there was something wrong with me.
"how come a passionate like me about aviation, since my childhood, can be better when being OFF ?" (I should be happy to fly!)

Since that, anxiety started to increase a lot.
When my alarm for wake up rang, I was so stressful...

Every night, then, could not sleep, became nervous, had hurt in stomach and could not breath normally.
Then I canceled my flight, and went to doctor for a certificate...

I came back in europe and then i went to therapist and relax for the moment.
My doctor told me it's a like a Burnout.
Now I don't feel good to come back in asia. Every morning when I wake up, seems for me I wake up in my last apartment (in asia) and feel stressed... so I did not recover yet.

The thing is, I feel nothing now, I feel empty and have a dellusion too.
It was my dream, I focused only on that, and now I just see it as a job, with many dark sides too.

Now, I changed my mind a lot, before, i wanted to go anywhere at any price for being pilot, and now, i prefer to have good health and enjoy life even if I don't fly big jet.
I suffered a lot inside, and got sick too due too stress...(headaches, stomach, red dry skin on my face etc)
so, my objective is to Live.

Maybe I am too sensitive person, and can not adapt myself in such job. I don't know
It's been one month, i am under certificate for stop working.

I talked to some freinds here, my family...it's difficult because many give me differents advices :
"do what you feel, it's your choice"
"recover soon, and go back, you will regret otherwise, fly 500h on type and find in europe another airline"

The thing is, now I don't know what I want to be. Airline pilot ?maybe but in a legacy then, but for LCC, is really not for me I guess.
Or sometimes, i dream about flying just in small planes around islands .
But doing 500 hours and then, go back for a LCC again probably, I don't see the point...
anyway, I don't know yet

The problem, is I feel so bad, because i spent money, a lot as you know. And maybe I discovered that airline pilot is not for me ?

Then i am under bond contract and if I resign, i need to refund.
I feel stress too about it.

Plus, I am young, I did not even have 100h on type, and I am already grounded. It's not as if I was flying 20 years and feel tired of it.

I am here to share this and find if some pilots lived the same thing ?

I am wondering too, if it's possible to lose a passion ? I feel like, I lost everything (goal, passion...).

Thank you very much for reading,

regards

HercDriver130

Not everyone is cut out for this job...... only you can answer that for you. Personally I think if you dont at least face your fears you will regret it, you still may end up quitting but at least you gave it a last try.

NoWake200

Being under a contract and flying in Asia are two major stress issues. I can completely understand what you are going through, it is not easy. I do not think you are going to be able to find the answers here. Unfortunately we as pilots are programed to do whatever it takes to be successful in this industry and sadly this industry is not very kind to pilots. There is always uncertainties whether it is bidding for your next month or if you'll even have a job next month. I hope you find what you need and best of luck in your journey.

bugy

Thank you for your replies.
I'm in such situation that now, I am considering seriously to get another diploma for a more stable job.
I don't have any degree... so now, I feel like im stuck.
Fortunately, I don't have wife, or kids, and live with my parents, so I can maybe do a break in aviation field and go to university...

Now, i am stopped by the doctor and for the first time in my life he gave me anti-depressant... I did not took them yet, as I hesitate.
I can not work for one month more at least.