Fidget Spinners for Flight Anxiety

Most people do not enjoy flying. You may not have deep-seated fears about it, but almost everyone out there has thought twice about stepping into a 300-ton piece of metal hurtling through time and space at approximately 550 mph. If your anxiety is average to intense, you have probably tried many ways to mitigate it. You have developed your share of pre-flight rituals — perhaps you take a comforting object on the plane with you, you buy certain magazines, you drink a little more than usual or, in serious cases of flight anxiety, you may medicate to get through the journey. Flight anxiety is torturous. It combines claustrophobia with a fear of crowds and heights with the added boost of flying, not natural for a human being to do.

With all of the options out there, it might sound too simple to suggest a toy, but you never know what might work. Some studies report that when it comes to anxiety the simpler your remedy, the better. Complicated rituals tend to increase anxiety in these situations because they give you even more to worry about. Instead of just worrying about flying, you worry about having everything you need in place to fight your anxiety. Enter the fidget spinner. This is a small toy like a top that spins between your fingers. It has been claimed this helps kids with ADHD and relieves stress, but one thing is for sure, it is a soothing and non-disruptive way to zone out. Pack a fidget spinner on your next flight and give it a twirl, it might just get you through.