This article originally appeared and was published on AOL.com
Even for the most experienced fliers, turbulence can be unsettling. Though the pockets of air are “uncomfortable, but not dangerous,” it’s hard for some anxious travelers to overcome the bumps the plane encounters along its journey.
We distract ourselves by snoozing, becoming engulfed in a good book or movie, but sometimes turbulence is hard to ignore. But this weird trick may solve all our anxious problems.
Interested in learning the best way to distract yourself from turbulence, TODAY correspondent Jeff Rossen visited a special turbulence simulator to get some answers. Rossen, along with producer Jovanna, spoke to pilot Captain Ron Neilsen about the best ways to fight the fear of flying — and his tips were surprising.
Neilsen suggested to Jovanna to write her name on a piece of paper with her opposite hand.
It first causes her to focus extra-hard on what she’s doing, because she doesn’t normally write with her other hand — and not on the turbulence,” explained Neilsen. “And the second thing is, it’s actually crossing over her motor function in her brain, using the other side of her brain from what she would normally do. We’re disrupting the thinking.”
He also suggested breathing through a drinking straw to calm fears.
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