Defying gravity is a part of the job when you’re working in construction. And for those who are afflicted with Acrophobia (fear of heights!), it may be more difficult to deal with it than one may assume. We’re not talking about a possible six feet drop, but rather, a thousand feet above the ground! Technically, for a person who’s suffering from the fear of heights, and possibly working in building construction, let’s say it’s not the best combo. Unless! You choose to conquer the fear itself. Today, we’ll be talking about the five best ways to deal with Acrophobia.
Symptoms of Acrophobia
This is one of the most common fears that a person can have. Let’s face it, heights are not for everyone. And if you are afflicted with some of these symptoms, you might not be far from having Acrophobia. According to Psycom, these are the possible symptoms when you have the fear of heights.
- Feeling the need to crawl on all fours, kneel, or descend immediately when you are high off the ground.
- Shaking.
- Sweating.
- Feeling terrified or paralyzed.
- Experiencing heart palpitations.
- Crying or yelling.
- A full-blown panic attack complete with breathlessness.
- Headaches and dizziness when you are high off the ground.
Some may have it worse than others. At this point, we may have already looked down at something uncomfortably elevated that makes us “fear” it. Hence, the multiple side effects that we may experience. But don’t get us wrong, some heights are tolerable too.
Ways to relieve Acrophobia…
As the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! Meaning, that yes, you can eventually overcome your fear of heights. However, prepare for a more hands-on experience when it comes to treating phobias. The treatment will not be some kind of tablet you’ll drink within the day and wait for it to go away. Treating phobias can be excruciating and one may have to consider a bit of mental conditioning and a certain level of preparedness to undergo the process of it.
1 Encourage exposure to fear…
This may sound a bit daunting, but it’s actually one of the most effective. One way of beating your fears is to actually face them head-on. But we’re not talking about immediately taking action. Facing fears also takes insurmountable amounts of time and patience. This is why it is ideal to face fears gradually.
Fears, if not dealt with properly during treatments can become worse than it already is. Therefore, finding common ground wherein patients are comfortable facing in a gradual manner proves to be significant for development purposes.
2 Condition yourself.
Preparation is your ultimate weapon in facing your fears. It’s all in the mind. You have to mentally prepare for what’s to come. Think, internalize, and ponder on situational things how you can address them, how you can calm yourself, and basically think about stuff that can help you conquer the situation. This will help lessen the anxiety in a way that you already know what to expect. Preparing mentally and physically can help you accept and be confident about what’s to come.
3 Practice techniques that help you calm down.
Things might turn into a panic-y stride even with all the preparations. Therefore, it’s very helpful for you to consider practicing calming techniques. So if the anxiety kicks in and the heart starts pounding, and the focus is fading away, there will always be ways how you can get your head back in the game. If you don’t know where to start, here are a couple of techniques to ease panic attacks according to Healthline.
- Sit in a quiet and comfortable place. Put one of your hands on your chest and the other on your stomach. Your stomach should move more than your chest when you breathe in deeply.
- Take a slow and regular breath in through your nose. Watch and sense your hands as you breathe in. The hand on your chest should remain still while the hand on your stomach will move slightly.
- Breathe out through your mouth slowly.
- Repeat this process at least 10 times or until you begin to feel your anxiety lessen.
4 Learn about Acrophobia.
Knowledge is indeed power. And when you have that kind of power over your fears, it gets easier for you to understand areas that you need to put your focus on. In other words, this will eventually help you realize why you are afraid of heights, how you can manage the fear, and know when it’s starting to creep in on you. Plus, you can also know what you can do to ease it when the opportunity presents itself. Knowing more about what you fear the most basically gives you a higher ground in the sense that you already know what you’re dealing with.
5 Challenge yourself through day-to-day activities.
Relaxed activities are also a good motivator. When friends and family surround you, there’s a high chance you’ll feel more secure (than being surrounded by strangers). If you’re an outdoorsy person, try and incorporate what you fear into your daily activities.
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