Anxiously Optimistic
I had always been an anxious kid. I would get extremely nervous about tests and quizzes. I bit my nails down to stubs and fiddled with my hair. Nothing seemed to help. But one January morning, I reached a breaking point.
If you told me I would be flying a plane seven years later, I would not have believed it.
I was nine years old when I started to dream about being a pilot. The idea that one day I could be in control of a metal tube at 36,000 feet would linger in my brain for years. Each time I stepped onto an airplane, the thought of flying around the country—potentially the world—would swirl in my mind nonstop.
But how would I overcome the other massive “thing” swirling in my mind? At first, addressing my anxiety was tough. I did not fully understand what I was grappling with. Over the next few years, I found a medication regimen that worked for me and intermittently talked about how I was feeling with a counselor. With the added support of my parents and friends—and overall self-growth—I started to become more confident. I put myself out there. I also began to fly. And it was better than anything I could have ever imagined.
Nothing was more extraordinary than being in control of an airplane and seeing new sights from a new perspective. It made me understand that there is more to life than what is on the ground before me. Whether it is my anxiety or an unexpected flock of birds, life is not about what is thrown at me. It is about what I do next. The experience of learning to fly has helped me to realize that an entire world is waiting for me to discover it.
As of writing, I have 39 hours of flight time. I am ready to Solo, pending my FAA Medical. It has been a challenging and lengthy process, and I am currently sitting at six months awaiting a decision. With the recent mental health incidents, I am greatly concerned that the FAA will not rule in my favor. I am hopeful, however, because experts have finally realized that mental health is not always a discouraging factor. I eagerly await the FAA Pilot Mental Health Aviation Rule Making Committee’s meetings and am excited to see what the future holds.
