Suck it up and keep going

Finns are a straightforward nation. We mean what we say, we do the work assigned without hassle.

We’re not keen on admitting to our weaknesses, the general rule is to suck it up and keep going.

I, however, came out recently with my fear of flying. An affliction I only recently developed after a few landings didn’t go as planned. A most inconvenient thing considering I fly at least twice a month.

I did the Finnish thing for a few months and tried to suck it up. Didn’t work.

So I decided to seek help so I could just get over it. I went to see a psychologist. Mature and responsible, but it didn’t quite have the desired effect.

After discussing the issue, the psychologist deemed that we need to change my negative thought patterns into positive ones. Fair enough. But then we got to the “tools” which is I should employ and the pragmatic Finn in me cringed.

I should think of my fear of flying as something I’ve packed in my suitcase and just vision unpacking it before I board the flight.

We also discussed the possibility of me visioning the worst case scenario and I’d just distance myself from it. We came to the conclusion that me picturing a plane crash might, however, not be the best way to go about it.

In conclusion I should just think positive and imagine any negative thoughts as clouds that will just float away in the sky.

“And just out of frame is the thought that I’ll have another aborted landing and this time they can’t fix the technical fault. Just look at it floating away…”

By the end of the session I felt a lot more sane. I’m not that far gone that I’d succumb to thinking about clouds and boogeymen I’ve packed with me…

So keep sucking it up and dealing with it and all will be well. Sedatives also help.