Beth Ditto on In-Flight Nerves

Keeping up our rock and pop theme, the well known authority on flight phobia (or, at least, somewhat well known) Beth Ditto (lead singer of The Gossip, what do you mean 'never heard of her'?) has offered her tips on tackling fear of flying to The Guardian newspaper. So here you go...

Don't drink caffiene; if you're anxious the last thing you want is to "be jacked up, imagination running amok."

Build your own personal "psychological oasis" (it's true that some celebs live in one permanently). Imagine you're somewhere else, bury yourself in a trashy magazine (so that's what they're for) or plug into some music.

Try to sleep even if you need over the counter medication to achieve it, but stick to the recommended dose and keep hydrated.

In the event of turbulence, Beth recommends resorting to the Turbulent Plane Train game. This consists of doing the locomotion (it's easier to learn than your ABC) with your hands, progressively faster and faster. She insists that this looks "totally stupid" but works partly due to distraction and partly because after a while you don't know whether it's you or the plane that's moving.

Finally (and this is so rock'n'roll) "don't be afraid to look strange". If there's anything that calms you down - roseary beads, mantras, soft toys - use them. Which explains a lot.

So next time you see a woman in a trance wearing headphones saying 'no' to coffee, who is popping pills and water while thrashing her arms about so wildly that her collection of teddy bears is getting sprayed around the cabin, you'll know who she is.