I'm not paid to be liked! I'm paid to get the job done. I have a low patience rating. I think the slap on the cheek approach is better than the 'hold my hand, look into my eyes, it will be alright' approach, which doesn't actually work, it panders to these peoples attention grabbing desire. Example: Jumbo, 200 odd people, doors closed at SYD, about to push back. Told by CC 'we can't go, woman demanding to get off- nervous flyer'. Senior Staff Grand Captain of the Fleet Rainboe unbuckles, tells everybody to stop everything- we will prob miss our slot now, jackets up and goes downstairs and finds this miserable simpering crying heap of jelly quivering away saying she 'can't go', and her seriously embarrassed hubbie trying to calm her. Decide: let her off, find her bags- get new slot- poss 2 hour delay, or knock some sense into the daft numptie? I went for the 'mental slap' approach. I pointed out SHE had bought the ticket, she had agreed the terms of travel, and here we are pushing back and she insists on getting off NOW? (loud voice). I told her she was going to travel because that is what everybody else wanted to do, sit down and please STFU. It helped letting those around know we would be seriously delayed if she was pandered to. It worked. The 'hold my hand' approach would have had us all delayed hours She travelled- never heard any more. I bet she'd thank me now- reckon it conquored her fear in an instant.
It's all attention seeking. An audience is what they want. If that audience is going to flatten you because you are going to seriously inconvenience them, the problem mysteriously 'disappears'. They want to be pandered to. It's spoilt people who indulge themselves in these 'nerves'. That's why I say 'deal with it, or swim, but don't go boring everyone to death with your pathetic phobias purrlease!'