It's travel season, which, for people like me, means the dreaded time to fly has arrived once again. For people not named Shirely, this fear can run deep.

So, should we all -- there are millions of us -- just stay home forever? Not at all! Here's how I went from being grounded by the fear of flying to taking more flights in this year than I had in my entire life.

My fear started with one turbulent flight from Florida. I remember watching "Fight Club" with a friend and the plane began shaking right at the same time the Narrator was also on a flight. An uncanny coincidence. But, after two more shaky flights, I swore off flying. It had become too much. Not even a paid business trip opportunity could shake my fears. Flying over the ocean for hours? Buying that ticket felt like signing my own death certificate. For over a year, I avoided flying altogether.

Then, a day came when a family obligation left me no choice but having to board a plane. I was gripping the armrests, shaking, with my head covered by a whole jacket -- convinced I was somehow making myself safer. It had been a year since those fateful, turbulence-filled flights, and I thought I had prepared. I'd spent hours learning everything about flying, even memorizing the damn "jello" video.

But, none of it worked.

I sweat through the entire three-hour flight, feeling like I was living my own "Final Destination" sequel -- and I wasn't going to make it to the next movie. I fell right back into the comfort of fear. Flying is for emergencies only, I told myself, justifying all the declined invites postponed plans.

So, how did I overcome my fear of flying? Well, once again, I was faced with a trip I couldn't avoid. Trust me, dear reader, I tried everything to get out of it.

I bought the ticket to Puerto Rico just 48 hours before departure, during a flash sale, telling myself I could cancel at any time. But that didn't happen. Even as I researched "how planes work," I pretended I wasn't really flying, treating myself to as many distractions as possible. Turbulence forecast websites helped and I remembered a teacher once telling me, "Find the nerds in life; they'll come in handy," and so I did. I followed every plane enthusiast account I could, listening to hours of pilots calmly circumventing disasters.

I had readied myself with the basics, but I was still stuck, until one day. I stumbled across an old news segment. In it, a retired pilot held a class for people afraid of flying. I watched, captivated, as his students shared their fears -- engine failure, turbulence -- each one of them echoing my own. I'll never forget one woman, moved to tears after passing his class, saying how the world had now opened up for her. Nor will I forget the man who braved a flight, only to take a bus back. The camera lingered on him as he walked alone outside the airport. It was a stark reminder that fear traps us in false comforts. I couldn't let myself become that man -- I didn't want to fight customer service for a refund, I'd rather be on board that plane to Puerto Rico now. So I did.

A few good movies helped, and so did the right playlists -- anything to drown out the dreaded hum of plane engines. But, what ultimately helped me conquer my fear was the repeated exposure. I told myself, I'm going to do this over and over again. Maybe life's challenges aren't meant to be feared but faced, especially when they come with complimentary orange juice and those delicious biscuit cookies. One last tip: play Baila Esta Cumbia by Selena during turbulence. I promise it'll make you laugh instead. Safe travels, my friends, wherever your next destination may be.