Do you have a fear of flying? If so, don't feel bad. You are certainly not alone. As a matter of fact, a few years ago, the New York Times did an article that revealed that well over 40 percent of people share in that same fear. Plus, upcoming movies like Flight (with Denzel Washington) in which a plane does go down (although all people's lives were spared) certainly doesn't help cure such a phobia.

And while you may have already heard things like "There are far more car accidents that happen every day in your own city than there are plane crashes for years on end throughout the entire world" (which is true by the way), it doesn't really help when you're sitting in your seat, you feel the wheels go back into the plane and you're watching big houses turn into little specks. Suddenly, statistics are not what you're thinking about. You just want to know how to get through the next few hours with your sanity intact.

We understand and we have some ideas. Check out these tips; ones that will hopefully help you to have a flight that is as peaceful as it is safe:

Admit that you're scared. It may seem like that's oversimplifying things, just a bit, but it's really not. A part of what makes dealing with a fear even more challenging is that people tend to put pressure on themselves to act like they're not scared when they actually are; anxiety mixed with fear makes for a really long flight. As soon as you can feel OK with admitting that you're scared and perhaps even sharing it with the person sitting next to you (you might want to use the word "nervous" with them, though), you might be surprised about the ease that comes over you and oftentimes the words of comfort that the person you told will have to offer as well.

Occupy yourself. OK, if you already are not that big on flying, staring outside of the window the entire time is probably not going to do you much good. So, make sure that you bring a book, your laptop, your iPod or some form of
entertainment along that can serve as a distraction during your journey.

Don't "feed the monster". More and more airlines have magazines and movies available. If you decided to partake in either one, you probably shouldn't read articles on subjects like plane accident attorneys or watch movies with lots of drama, violence or death in them. Try and keep things light by focusing on what will make you laugh or think about things that do not have a highly negative slant.

Be realistic. Even for people who don't mind flying, when it comes to turbulence, no one is really a fan. Yet, when it comes to flying, to expect that you won't have any is kind of it is like expecting not to hit a pothole on a long drive. Turbulence comes to with plane rides; however, if you resign that within yourself, then it won't be so hard to take once it happens. You'll learn to roll with it rather than tense up about it.

Speak with your doctor. When it comes to a fear of flying, there actually tend to be levels of it. If you are someone who experiences extreme panic attacks, you may need to be prescribed some sort of a sedative. Don't feel embarrassed by that, either. Simply make an appointment with your doctor, share with him or her your concerns, and trust them to provide you with just what you need. It's OK to be scared to fly. What's not OK is choosing not to do anything about it.