Leading on from my previous blogs on how COVID has changed my job as an airline pilot I will address “stress”! Aviation is one of the worst hit industries by the pandemic. As a front line pilot I am all too aware how our lives have been affected and stress has escalated in our lives. A combination of job uncertainty, pay cuts, lack of recency, travel restrictions to visit loved once, quarantine measure and the list goes on. Pilots are facing non precedented challenges in the cockpit. I will discuss different types of stress and some coping mechanisms from my personal experience.
Causes of stress are known as stressors, I will address 3 types of stressors we are exposed to in the cockpit:
Physical Stressors
Stressors that make for an uncomfortable work environment and add to the workload: temperature changes, changes in air pressure, noise levels, poor lightings, confined spaces, poor visibility.
Psychological Stressors
Work related stressors, financial problems, marital problems, interpersonal problems with superiors and colleagues.
Physiological Stressors
Flying when unwell, no proper meals, lack of sleep, fatigue, shift schedules working long hours
Situations can bring about different degrees of difficulty for different people. The situation can be a stressor for one person and “normal” for another. Also, the stressor can cause stress in the same person when they are in a different predicament.
If we look at the three stressors the physical stressors haven’t changed, pilots are used to working in a stress full environment called the “cockpit”. However the psychological stressors have changed significantly as many people face work uncertainty, along with financial and marital problems. This increase in psychological stressors can lead to increased physiological stressors, stressed people have a general tendency to take less care of them selves, resulting in lack of proper rest and meals, thus escalating the stress even further.
Dealing with stress in flight
It is important to know how to deal with acute stress taking place during flight and chronic stress that may have been around for an extended period of time.
Reactive and preventative measures are available to deal with both acute and chronic stress. Very often the preventative measures help to improve the reactive coping techniques. In general, preparation and practice create competence and confidence and greatly reduce stress levels.
Some stressors that are faced in flight cannot be avoided. The best way of coping with such stressors involves a combination of preparation (preflight) and in-flight corrective actions: Preparation, Anticipation,Planning, Communication, Use of Resources, CRM, Time Management
Should you still be faced with a totally unexpected stressful situation despite all your careful planning and anticipation, the keys are to recognise the symptoms, remain calm and buy yourself as much time to think as possible. By understanding stress mechanisms, you can control negative emotions resulting from stress such as irritation, nervousness and anxiety, and attempt to solve the problem in the most logical and safe way possible.
Handling Stress
People cope with stress in many ways. Specialists say that the first step in coping is to identify stressors and the symptoms that occur after exposure to those stressors. Other recommendations involve development or maintenance of a healthy lifestyle, with adequate rest and exercise, a healthy diet, limited consumption of alcoholic drinks and avoidance of tobacco products.
Physically
- Maintain good physical fitness
- Have regular meals
- Have sufficient sleep
- Sound time management
- Control the physical environment
Psychologically
- Sound preparation with regard to knowledge, skills and procedures
- Have confidence in your training and ability
- Have a well balanced social, family life so that financial, domestic worries are not a problem
- Share and discuss problems so as not to bottle them up
- Solve problems as soon as possible to prevent snowball effect
Additional Recommendations
- Remove the stressor, or change your way of thinking about the stressor;
- Seek training in common stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, yoga, tai chi and biofeedback-assisted relaxation
- Perform progressive muscle-relaxation or deep-breathing exercises
- Talk to someone else about the situation. Psychiatrists, psychologists and licensed clinical social workers all have training to help people cope with situations that trigger a stress response
- Visit a massage therapist, use a hot tub, or take a bath or shower
- Exercise or play sports
- Go outdoors
- Listen to music, read a book, write in a journal, engage in a hobby or other enjoyable activity.
I hope you found some of these tips useful and can relate certain situations to your own life. Stay safe and healthy everyone, hope the airways will be saturated again soon. In my next blog I will share what 350VA has achieved in its first 6 months of operation and plans to work on future aviation training programs.
Thank you for reading my blog!
350VA