So I've always had flight anxiety and don't travel as much due to this. Be it my luck, I had scheduled a flight on American Airlines for the end of May and just received an email that the actual plan is being changed: from a Boeing 737-800 which has been a reliable aircraft for decades for a Boeing 737 Max 8. The change was very discreetly communicated. the Max 8 was grounded a few years ago because of the Malaysian and Ethiopian Airlines crashes. 

I feel so unlucky, I was so excited to travel again, even though I hate flying I had been working on my anxiety for a few years. Am medicated and was up for the test. Now I seem to be back on square one. There's ZERO chance I can board that plane. Even though it's a 2-hour flight, both crashes were under 15 minutes from lift-off. But I can't cancel my trip, I've paid without refund for lodging (it was cheaper).

Am I being ignorant of how thorough the FAA performs their checks after grounding? I don't claim to be an expert, but I knew the Max 8 rung a bell in my brain and effectively, they've been ungrounded this month for AA. I will be talking to my therapist about this, but this just seems like a recipe for mental disaster for me.