turned off, which was my sign that the pilots believed it was safe to move about the
cabin. In my mind, this meant that the immediate threat of death by plane crash
was over.
I cured myself of my fear of flying, using the #5SecondRule and a specific
form of anxiety reappraisal that I call “anchor thoughts.” And you can use the Rule
the exact same way with any fear. Zahara did so with her fear of flying “and it
worked!”
Here’s how I did it. It’s the same technique that I spoke about to Zahara.Create an Anchor Thought
First, before any trip, I come up with my “anchor thought.” This is a thought
that is relevant to the trip that I am taking and will anchor me if fear sets in. I start
by thinking about the trip, where I am flying to, and what I am excited to do once I
get there.
If I am heading to see friends in Driggs, Idaho, my anchor thought might be
climbing Table Top mountain. If I’m traveling home to Michigan, I might think
about the moment we pull into the driveway of my parents’ house and my kids run
out of the car to hug my folks or of taking a nice walk along Lake Michigan with