Irrational Anxiety is Still Real |
I’ve been getting irrational about flying lately.
I’ve customarily flown one of the bigger old-school airlines like American and United. More recently, I’ve found myself on Southwest, JetBlue, and even RyanAir in Europe.
When I’m traveling by myself, I really don’t care which airline I take. I travel light and can sit anywhere. But when I have family along (especially my kids) flying on Southwest or RyanAir causes me inexplicable pre-flight anxiety. The reason? We don’t have seat assignments.
As we line up with our boarding passes and see the hundred-plus other passengers milling about with their big “carry-on” bags, I start wondering: will we be able to sit together? How am I going to find space in the overhead compartment?
It’s really pretty stupid. I know we’ll get seats, and we’ll probably be close to each other. Still, why is it better that –when I’m boarding a cramped American 727 and I’m in a hole they call 27E, I feel more comfortable?
I’ve been reading more on Maslow and his hierarchy of needs, and I think the fear is based down in one of the first few levels of the needs pyramid – particularly the level 2 need for safety or security (translate as “peace of mind”).
It’s irrational, but it’s real.
Let me know if you have other ideas on our irrational (but real) anxieties.
