A woman was left so embarrassed by her friend’s plane ‘rituals’ that she was dreading getting on a flight with her – but she was told to reframe her thinking about her mate
Going on holiday is usually something you’ll be counting down the days to, but one woman found herself cringing instead at the thought of her friend’s mortifying plane habit – so much so that she hadn’t accepted the holiday invitation.
The woman explained that her pals were going to Italy, and it sounded like a “dream”, but she shared that the last time she went away with the friend who invited her, she was left horrified at her “incredibly odd flying habits”, and she wasn’t sure she could “handle” it again. Writing to agony aunt column Dear Jane, she said that she was worried she was the “worst friend in the world”, but she was going to struggle with what she did when she was on the plane due to the fact she’s an “anxious flyer”.
She explained that her pal has “rituals” that she has to do when she’s on a plane because she feels anxious when flying. These rituals include spraying “disgusting-smelling soothing mist”, and meditating. She also “whispers affirmations” to herself, and will shake her body to relieve herself of tension.
The woman said that she knew that her friend was just making herself feel better and be comforted, however, she said: “It’s slightly mortifying to be sitting alongside her while she does this whole routine, and frankly, it ruins my experience when all I want to do is down a glass of red wine and go to sleep on long flights.”
She continued to say that she wanted to “book a separate flight” without bringing this whole situation up, saying that she may say she has “air miles” with a different airline to avoid getting the same plane as her.
Responding to the woman, agony aunt Jane Green assured her that her friend’s behaviour could “easily be drowned out” if she really wanted to. She also said that she would treat her friend’s rituals with “humour” rather than being embarrassed about what she was up to.
“Nobody is going to judge you for your friend’s muttering and shaking, and who knows, she may see the funny side of things if you start to do your own ridiculous ‘anxiety-relieving’ exercises of your own”, Jane reassured. She also encouraged the pal to get “excellent earplugs” and use “humour”, rather than being stressed about the situation and using “lies” to get out of the flight.
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