On a flight to Melbourne (in Australia), I got to thinking about physics. I’m not a scientific mind, but I do love to imagine how things work. I tell myself stories about ‘what would happen if…’.

The dot dot and dot really got me going this morning as I looked at the line of no smoking signs above our heads. Essentially, if I up and I see the sign indicating that I ‘cannot smoke’ and I have to ‘keep the seatbelt on’ the whole duration of the flight. Then the lady at the front shows me how to put that bit into that other bit to keep me strapped into my seat just in case there is unexpected turbulence; all the while, I’m asking myself the typical coaching question ‘what is the worst thing that could happen’.

 

Chuckling at my curiosity, I began to wander… yep, dot dot dot. What IS the worst that could happen? We could dramatically drop out of the air due to all sorts of catastrophes! We could have a bit of turbulence and get shaken up a little!? There is a significant fear of flying, but the truth is – without getting into statistics – it is safer to fly than it is to drive. Road fatalities definitely outweigh metallic birds dropping out of the sky.

 

This week, I want to focus on the fear and anxiety we suffer with those closed in circumstances that really pull on our emotions. Whether it be of flying, driving, or even using public toilets!

 

Years ago, we would not have worn seatbelts, in fact the feeling of restriction and being closed in has actually grown more as we regulate the need for them. You don’t usually see seatbelts on a local train ride and this is due to the fact that the train runs along a line, minimizing the risk. Therefore, while you’re in the air and a bubble interrupts the plane mid-flight, of course there’s going to be bumps in your journey. I have been on a train that swayed side to side plenty of times, that’s why they have straps and handles all through them.

 

Throughout our lives, we establish a sense of balance that is easy for our body to remember, generally in the toddler years of our life when our parents show us how to balance on our feet and then we learn how to put one foot in front of another. Once we have perfected the art of balancing on our feet, then balancing on single feet, then moving around on our feet, we absorb this information, and it gets saved into the unconscious brain.

 

The fear some of us have of being enclosed in large things with small spaces is a mystery to most, but it is quite simple! Imagine, everything you spent the better time of your toddler educational life about standing up and walking was wrong! Why would we humans learn to roam the earth using our feet if we were going to deliberately put ourselves in little pods that transport us? Our subconscious has learnt something so valuable and prepares itself to transport the amazing body it protects and our conscious mind puts it in constant danger! So Confusing!

 

Our unconscious mind does not understand that it is safe to be 45,000 ft in the air. It understands that we stand on our feet and we put one in front of the other until we reach our destination. Right?

 

Yep! But what about those small spaces – public toilets – stationary cupboards? Our unconscious mind is always thinking of the next step so you don’t need to consciously. It does 95% of the work. Imagine, once again, that you have stepped into a place that has you surrounded, your unconscious mind is then spending it’s whole resource system looking for a doorway or a window that you can leave by, putting your body into panic and stress because you are, essentially closed in. You know consciously that there is a door, because you just came through it. At some point in your life, you have a dark memory of being stuck – it’s the only real explanation as to why your unconscious brain would think that you would be in danger.

 

But how do we get out of this panic? You ask!?

 

Simple! Just breathe, and know that the universe is out there gathering your wants and needs. If you ask it to lock you in a box and keep you there, chances are, you’re stuck! BUT if you focus on being positive and receiving freedom and to breathe fresh air, always, it will bring that to you.

 

Know your symptoms! When you start feeling triggered, get in before your unconscious does. Tell it consciously that you are the boss and you won’t go down like that. Tell the universe your demand is freedom with fresh air and it will bring that to you. On the flight that never seems to end that you are safe and you are going to walk off the plane in the allocated time frame and the universe will bring you the best flight experience. Doing the normal PUIO (panic until it’s over) only brings you pain and discomfort.

So sit back and enjoy the ride.

I love to hear feedback from my readers, so please get in touch using one of the methods on this site and tell me about your feeling stuck experiences.