Flight Attendant Life: The Effects of Living Out Of A Suitcase

My Face When Passengers Ask "What Do You Have?"

Them: "𝑶𝒉, 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒕? 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆, 𝒉𝒖𝒉?!"

Me: "𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒉, 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍." (kidding, not kidding)

First of all, I’m having a panic attack writing this because I’m so tired. This is the 6th day I’ve been in and out of my home base. This flight attendant life is no flipping joke I tell ya. Yeah everyone sees the nice hotels (who posts the crusty ones?) and new destinations every day, but what gets left out most is the struggle behind the scenes.

I’m just getting home, its 10pm (EST) in Jersey from LA where I spent a whole 10 hours there (and just came back from San Francisco 12 hrs prior). To say I’m tired is an understatement. Being in a different time zone nearly every day is extremely challenging; physically mentally, and spiritually.

Yes, AM...

As a flight attendant, I’m often called at random times of the day (and night) to work on both domestic and international flights. With my particular company, it is contractual that the schedulers can give us a minimum of 3 hours notice before check in, which can add another level of anxiety to the mix. I never know when I’m going to be called, and there have been many 3-5am calls in my 2+ years of flying.

Just to put it in perspective, here are a few ways flying affects me and methods the I’ve found to help me cope with it all.

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𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎

I bloat like crazy

There’s nothing worse than killing yourself in the gym and striving to eat all the right foods, to look 6 months pregnant when you finally end a 4 trip and try to fit in that cute outfit you’ve been dying to wear to brunch. (Unless having a pudge is your thing, and in that case to each their own) #judgementfreezone

My poop schedule gets thrown off

I’m a morning pooper, and it’s so annoying to have to wake up before my biological clock and work a flight without going. (I find myself squeezing my cheeks during a lot of beverage services, to enjoy the bloat and constipation later on in the day.) Suffering from IBS has been a massive challenge throughout my life and more so with this career, and has added a lot of stress when traveling.

My sleep schedule is HORRIFIC

If I work an international flight to Europe, they typically depart in the evening, so I work all night. Then when arriving in the morning, if I want to do anything I have to either force myself to stay awake (trying not to look like a crack head feigning for a fix) or force myself to take a short nap and not sleep the day away. (I fail at both most of the time). Then when it’s time to sleep that night I’m usually awake because it’s still early at home! Eek (Woe is me, right?…*cues unison ‘RIGHT!’ *) … The worst is going to Asia when you’re a whole 14 hours ahead, as it literally takes a minimum of 2-4 days to get acclimated to US time zone again.

ʜᴇʀᴇ's ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴅᴏ:

I drink a lot of water

I try my best to drink the best water, staying away from large soda company brands like Dasani, Smart Water, and Aquafina. These companies add sodium and bicarbonate and other ish to the water which we do NOT need in our bodies (it actually dehydrates you even more); and 9 times out of 10, those are the brands served on flights (with any US carrier for sure). I do have the benefit of bringing my own most of the time, and I take full advantage of that when I can.

Chlorophyll drops and Oregano oil

Chlorophyll helps give oxygen to the cells of the body, amongst other benefits, so I take that daily. Oregano oil helps with the function of major organs, so I put a few drops of that in my water daily as well. Also suffering from IBS, there are certain foods I stay away from; i.e., bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, bread, beans, etc. This is often a challenge for me when I haven't meal prepped any food and left to fend for myself on airport food.

Hit the gym

I try to hit the gym at least 5-6 times a week to sweat as much as possible (to help with decompression/bloating), or if the weather permits I lay outside by the pool (or anywhere in the grass... yes I’m a hippy). Once I get home, I sit in the sauna for at least 30 minutes to get rid of inflammation and drink turmeric-ginger tea as much as possible.

Sleep as much as possible

I try to make it a habit of going to sleep and not overexert myself when I don’t need to. This helps ease the pain of the early morning check-ins and late night flights. It definitely is a challenge, of course, since I try to have some sort of social life outside of work, but it really does help.

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𝙼𝚢 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚢

I neglect my own needs for others

On top of trying to be present in my family and friends’ lives when important events, I’m sorting through my own stuff too. Finding a balance between focusing on my spiritual journey and not isolating myself is DIFFICOOOOOT (difficult).

It can be lonely at times

Even though I like my space, and I post fun destinations and I'm smiling majority of the time, this life can get really lonely. When I'm overseas, it's easy to miss talking to my friends and family due to the time difference. Everyone is always busy and has their stuff going on and when I'm on the road, I definitely depend on hearing from loved ones, and given words of affirmation and love while away. There's nothing like being in their presence though and that gets hard.

I’m moody (AF)!!!

One minute I’m the happiest camper, rolling around in the grass, embracing the sun and its beauty, drinking beet juice, all unicorns, and rainbows, then the next minute I’m a GROUCH!!! Especially when I’m exhausted from the 14-16 hour days to be greeted by an angry passenger. Yes, I do understand how stressful traveling can be, but just like everyone would expect me to treat others with respect and kindness, I expect the same in return and more times than not, that is not the case. (Because I control when it rains and delays/cancels flights, right? *eye roll*).

I don't pray as much

Being a Muslim, it is prescribed for us to pray 5 times throughout the day. Once before the sun rises, once in the early afternoon, then midday, early evening (dinner-ish time), then at night (before bed). I honestly don’t make salat (prayer) very often since my sleep schedule is usually all over the place, I typically don’t have the energy to wake up first thing in the morning, I work throughout the day, and when I’m finally done for the day, I’m hitting my pillow HARD.

ʜᴇʀᴇ's ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴅᴏ:

Give Allah (God) the glory

I strive to be mindful of my gratitude and praise throughout my day with prayers as I’m walking through the airport or downtime inflight. We are taught in Islam that there’s no compulsion and as a revert of 5 years, I’m still in my infancy of this spiritual journey and learning daily. A simple Bismillah (which means "In the name of Allah") is a prayer in and of itself reminding one that nothing happens but by God's permission and will, so I say this many times throughout my day.

Sleep is Universal

I’ve found the best way to combat mood swings is to get as much rest as I can and allow myself not to be a slave to other people’s time (other than the plantation of course… cuzzzzzz currently, it pays the bills).

Meditation is key

Not jumping on my phone first thing in the morning, or checking my social media before I get out of bed, brush my teeth, meditated (even if not formally... just sit awake in silence), listen to podcasts, and prayer have proven to be game changers for me to get myself up for a successful day. I feel more at peace and in a better mental space to be the creative I am. Taking time for self in the morning is the most vital time we have.

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𝙳𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜, 𝙸 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚓𝚘𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚍𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚔𝚜

(𝚋𝚎𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚎𝚜)

This... This Is Peace

It supports my need to be alone at times. I don’t like to always be around people 24/7. As an only child, I’m used to being alone a lot, so I need that personal time in my life.

I'm Definitely Thinking "Please Don't Poop On ME!"

I'm granted the opportunity to travel to new (and familiar) destinations. Free flights and hotels is what most people think of when picturing the flight attendant life and it's really cool to be able to visit a new destination when I'm working as it allows me to decide if I want to come back and spend more time on my own. Also it allows me to connect with family and friends who live away and get paid for it!

A Real Life Leprechaun, I Mean Irishman!

I meet fascinating and unique people from around the world. Being able to hear life stories of strangers is so motivational. I love learning about new cultures and experiences of people from all over as it gives me a wider view of the world at large. It’s like having your own support group around the world, ha! I definitely believe the frequency you vibrate on gravitates right back to you, so you meet likeminded people that aid you in your growth and its a blessing for anyone’s journey.

I'm entirely grateful and blessed for my friends and family who check on me often and include me in their day, no matter how many miles apart we are. Friends who truly love, support and reciprocate my love are priceless.

Though being on different time-zones daily take a toll me in many ways; fortunately there are also things that make it oh so worth it. Most importantly, I try to live by this motto and keep this at the forefront of my mind. 👇🏽

“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺.”

Seeing the silver lining in everything is essential. It helps keep my cyclical sabotaging thoughts at bay and allows me to continue to be grateful and see the beauty in the struggle as it aids me in my evolution.