From the rushed chaos of TSA to the plane turbulence, flying is an anxiety-inducing event for many. 

If you deal with overwhelming airport and airplane anxiety, people have probably offered advice. They tell you to breathe mindfully, find a distraction, meditate, avoid your triggers, and arrive at the airport early. These are all valuable tips but also somewhat obvious and generic. 

We have more unorthodox tricks to help you through the experience. These range from watching graphic violence to hanging upside down to carrying Tobasco with you. See if one of these weird tips can make flying easier for you. 

1. Bagel and Lox Breakfast

We know eating a full breakfast when you’re anxious about the travel ahead of you is hard, but a full stomach is beneficial. More specifically, you should eat foods that can reduce anxiety and stress and help you remain calm. 

Salmon is one of the most effective foods for reducing anxiety, thanks to the ample fatty acids, vitamins, and other nutrients. If lox isn’t your thing, any salmon meal will do. If you hate fish, just make sure you get a lot of protein that day and give your body a variety of nutrients to stay balanced. 

2. Free Screaming, Singing, and Flailing

Yelling at the top of your lungs before you leave for the airport, flailing about wildly, or just singing robustly offers a catharsis that can better prepare you for the travel stress. These aren’t public activities, so we recommend doing them at home or on the way to the airport. 

However, you could find a secluded spot in the airport to flail a little. Letting your muscles relax and swinging your body gently can have the same effect. The point is that your body is full of anticipation and anxiety — these cathartic actions help release that tense energy. 

3. The 4-7-8 and Box Breathing Techniques

We know, we know; everyone, including her mother and her mother’s mother, has told you to breathe mindfully. It really can help! But “just breathe” isn’t super useful advice. We recommend a more specific breathing technique like 4-7-8 or box breathing. 

The former involves a 4-second nose inhale, a 7-second hold, and then an 8-second forceful exhale. Box breathing is a 4-second inhale, 4-second hold, 4-second exhale, and 4-second hold. These demand your attention, taking your mind off the anxiety while calming your nervous system. 

4. Cathartic Content

Some like to watch their comfort shows and movies on planes. That can work, but it’s not engaging enough for some because it’s too familiar. Instead, you can opt for intense and cathartic content. This trick is ideal if you like to lose yourself in whatever you’re reading or watching, as this kind of content will suck you in. 

This could be a heartbreaking movie like Sophie’s Choice, a brutal book like American Psycho, or a shocking TV show like American Horror Story or Black Mirror. The more intense, the more distracted you’ll be. Maybe avoid anything involving plane accidents. 

5. Aromatherapy

You’ve probably heard that aromatherapy can help with anxiety and stress. A strong, calming scent can ground you and occupy your senses. Lavender, mint, chamomile, and rosemary are excellent options. However, we find any citrus scents perfect for travel, helping you relax without getting sleepy. 

Rub a small dab of Vicks VapoRub on your nose or hand. Carry travel essential oils you can take a whiff of at any moment. Wear a perfume or cologne with a soothing scent. Getting tea just to inhale the smell of chamomile or ginger can even work. 

6. Stare Out the Window

We realize this may be some people’s worst nightmare, but the more you do it, the more it helps. Watching the clouds, birds, and anything else you can see distracts and grounds you. It’s a pleasant reminder that this is temporary, and you won’t have to be in this airport or on this plane forever. 

When walking or sitting in the airport, stay near windows to prevent that isolating feeling airports can have. Try to get a window seat or ask the window person to keep the shade open, barring any blinding sunshine. 

7. Roll Your Eyes

You’re not rolling your eyes because giving attitude to everyone in the airport will make you feel better. In fact, please try not to roll your eyes at anyone else. But rolling your eyes up and back into your head or toward your eyebrows while holding a deep breath soothes anxiety. 

This eye movement engages the parasympathetic nervous system, encouraging you to relax. This trick can also help you fall asleep, whether on the plane or in your bed! Plus, rolling your eyes into your head reduces the sensory stimulus of the setting. 

8. Tongue Tricks

Weirdly, there are many tongue movements you can do to reduce anxiety. Using your tongue to count your teeth, feel your teeth, and gently tap the roof of your mouth are some tricks to try. But our favorite is simple. 

Check in with your tongue position as often as possible throughout your journey. It’s likely pressed against the front of the roof of your mouth, a common fight-or-flight position. Routinely release your tongue from the roof and lightly push it down as far as you can without any straining. The act of focusing on this muscle alone can help. 

9. Practice Reflexology

People always say to practice mindful breathing when anxious or overwhelmed, but that’s not always enough. Reflexology is another way to use your physical body and movements to calm your mind, and it’s also a fascinating practice. It involves pressing, squeezing, or massaging pressure points associated with stress. 

These points include between your eyebrows, thumb and index finger, shoulder wells, the top of your foot below your big and second toe, and the pulse checkpoint on your wrist. You can find one that works for you or do them all in a sequence. 

10. Get Spicy

It’s hard to think about anything else when your mouth is on fire, so consider making this a spicy trip. Spicy food can increase your endorphins and serotonin, mitigating anxiety. 

Pack some hot snacks for your flight, like Takis, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, wasabi bites, Hot and Spicy Cheez-Its, horseradish potato chips, and Scorchin’ Pringles. Take it up a level and bring a travel-size hot sauce you can eat a dab of at any moment. These spicy tricks can work for spice lovers and haters alike.

11. Cold Splashes

Similar to intense spice and heat, sudden and intense colds can help you manage your parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. Dunking your hands into ice-cold water or splashing your face with cold water can lessen tension. It’s harder to keep ice-cold water than spicy food on hand when traveling, so use every opportunity you get to use cold water wisely. 

Dab your face, neck, ears, sternum, hands, and even feet if possible. Even one finger in cold water can make a difference. Reflexology pressure points are also excellent spots to apply cold water. 

12. Smile It Out

What our bodies do influences our emotions and mindsets more than we realize. Believe it or not, forced smiling can make your brain happier and calmer. The same goes for laughing. Smiling likely won’t cure your travel anxiety, but it can help reduce the build-up of tension. 

Smile at everyone you interact with, at people you pass, at yourself in the mirror, and at your phone, book, or laptop. Heck, keep a smile plastered on your face from TSA to ground transportation if you have to. 

13. Invert Yourself

Inversions are known to reset your nervous systems to bring you out of a fight-or-flight state. Bringing your head below your heart immediately activates your parasympathetic nervous system. Any inversion will do, so don’t feel like you need to do headstands near your gate. 

Sitting down and bending forward to bring your head between or past your knees will work. You can stand up and fold forward, letting yourself hang freely. Yoga poses like Down Dog, Bridge, Child’s Pose, Legs Up the Wall, and Fish are good go-tos if you have the space. 

Be Okay With Your Anxiety

These tricks and techniques are all helpful, but we also want to remind you that it’s okay to be anxious while traveling. No matter what your inner monologue says, you are not the only person at the airport or on your flight who is anxious. 

This anxiety is normal, but with these tips, you don’t have to be on edge the whole journey. Try one or all of them on your next trip.