Upgrade #2 - Mindfulness Chair Flying Practice for Pilots
Upgrade #2 - Mindfulness Chair Flying Practice for Pilots
Welcome to The Flight Shrink newsletter! This is Dr. Kevin Heacock.
Today with it being a holiday week we’ll be taking a break from some of the technical mental health discussions and focusing on some self-care with a mindfulness practice you can use if you’re feeling a little stressed over Thanksgiving and other upcoming holiday activities.
This post’s voiceover (at the top of the Email or webpage) and the podcast feed is a chance for you to do some chair flying. For our non-pilot readers and listeners, chair flying is a technique used by pilots for mental rehearsal and practice while sitting in a stationary chair. However, with this mindfulness practice, rather than mentally simulating flight procedures, maneuvers, or emergency scenarios, and going through the motions of making decisions as if actively flying, imagine your instructor pilot or CFI has taken over controls and told you to just take in your experience.
With that in mind here are some tips for how to listen:
If you usually listen at faster than 1X speed, reset the speed to 1X. You don’t want to rush through this.
If you normally listen while driving or working out, this is probably one you just want to sit and listen to.
I hope this mindfulness practice helps you work through any potential stressors and that you find value and peace in it.
I’d really appreciate some feedback in the comments or with likes, or you can Email me at kevinheacockmd@flightshrink.com. If this is something people really like, I plan to share more mindfulness exercises.
For now, sit back and follow along…
Play the VoiceOver at the top of the Email or Webpage.
Seeking Aeromedical Guidance
I’m certified by the FAA as an AME and as a HIMS Psychiatrist. So I would be happy to consult with you confidentially on any mental health related aeromedical questions. I have looked up other services like this on the internet and they can charge as much as $90 per question. So for my newsletter subscribers and podcast listeners I figure you deserve at least 50% off that. And so, if you have a mental health related aeromedical question you’d like me to address confidentially, just email me at kevinheacockmd@flightshrink.com and for just $45 I’ll address your question.
It can be about any mental health related questions you need help with. Whether that be questions about a mental health condition and how it might affect your medical certificate, how antidepressants might impact your career, or what evaluations the FAA will want if you’re trying to get a special issuance for your mental health condition. Whatever it is, email me at kevinheacockmd@flightshrink.com and for just $45 you’ll get your answer from an FAA certified AME and HIMS Psychiatrist with over 17 years of aeromedical experience.
Support The Flight Shrink
Stay tuned to The Flight Shrink for more insights into mental well-being and personal development. Your support means so much to me. I love writing this newsletter for you. If you find The Flight Shrink valuable, I invite you to subscribe and share this post with your fellow aviators, friends, family, and colleagues. Your engagement helps us continue this important conversation. Leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify can make a big difference too and may even help us get some guests in the future. And now, you can support The Flight Shrink with a one time contribution of any amount on Venmo to username @flightshrink.
Let's soar to new heights while prioritizing our mental health.
I love hearing from readers and listeners, so feel free to Email me at kevinheacockmd@flightshrink.com. Also, you can connect with me on Instagram, X (formally Twitter), Facebook, and Threads with the handle @flightshrink. I also have been more active on LinkedIn recently and you can find me there as Kevin Heacock. And feel free to visit The Flight Shrink substack for archived posts covering a wide range of mental health topics. Until next time...
I'm Dr. Kevin Heacock, The Flight Shrink... Keep on flyin'!