I’m one in a hundred (or rather three hundred twenty). Are you too?
I have a little fear of heights (Acrophobia)–mixed with a good sized bit of Basophobia (fear of falling). More specifically, it’s the fear of falling to my death from a height. According to Wikipedia, about 23,542,500 people suffer from Acrophobia. That’s roughly 1 in every 320 people. At times this fear has scared me into complete paralysis–neither able to move forward or backward.
The weird thing is when the fear hits me and paralyzes me. I can’t do above the third rung of a ladder very well. I freeze. Yet, I can look out at spectacular views of a tall office building, like the Hancock Tower in Chicago. I absolutely cannot look out the glass elevator as it travels to the top of the Space Needle, but when I’m at the top, I love the view. I love hiking, and even climbed Angels Landing in Zion’s National Park, but the third level walkway at the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum near D.C. gives me the absolute heebie-jeebies. Overall I think it has to do with how secure I’m feeling in that moment. Mountain sides are something I can cling to as long as the path is wide enough.
We had spectacular views when we visited the North rim of the Grand Canyon. There was a portion of the trail to the canyon overlook near Roaring Springs Canyon which narrowed significantly. It made me extremely nervous to see any of my family members walk on the trail. I had to shut my eyes when DearHusband who had BabyGirl in a pack on his back walked towards the end of the overlook. Firstborn took the photo below as DearHusband was about to get to the narrowest point with drop-offs on both sides.
I had to breathe deeply and be told when they safely traversed the narrow passage.
More recently, I’ve found the best way to keep battling my fear is to keep pushing myself. This last fall when I got to see London for the first time, I climbed all 259 steps to enter into the Whispering Gallery of St. Paul’s Catherdral.
As you can see, it’s quite a ways up above the floor. I stayed up there for about five-ten minutes. My heart was racing the whole time. The seating and ledge are more narrow than you think. The time may seem like a pittance, but it was adrenaline producing, leaving me with a shaky hands feeling high I had made it.
A few weeks ago, I chaperoned Lawboy’s Orchestra/Band trip to Chicago and Cleveland. They performed at Chicago 360° on the 94th floor of the Hancock Tower. Part of their night included a chance to go on Tilt! Where you and seven other slowly lean out to a 45° angle over the street in a glass enclosure. I wasn’t going to do it. I really wasn’t.
Then I saw these amazing kids, many of them with my same fears, pushing themselves to do it. Some were shaking afterwards like I did in Saint Paul’s. The orchestra/band director is also afraid of heights, but we dared each other to go on. We dared ourselves to do it scared. And we did.
It felt A M A Z I N G !
#DoItScared in other areas in my life
Recently I’ve been taking classes on blogging, design, and other tech related areas. I also took Ruth Soukup’s “Productivity for Bloggers” course. In that course and in her new podcast, “Do it Scared”, she encourages everyone to dream big. Really big. So big it scares you big. I’m doing that now.
I’ve set goals for writing and reaching others in a way I’ve never done before. On of my big, scary goals is to write fiction as well as my blog. I have several ideas for books. Some of those ideas have been kicking around my brain for the better part of 15 years. Some are newer. Those books will not write themselves. The fear stopping me needs to be conquered. To quote others, “I can have excuses, or I can have results.”
And our move? We’ve been paralyzed with the idea of picking the wrong community, and haven’t pressed forward in some time. Today I had an insight into which community I should explore, and I’ve set the ball rolling. One of my next actions is already arranged. I’ve got contractors to fix up the last few things we need done.
I’m grateful God gives us nudges when we need them and in His time. I have a direction and I’m grateful for it.
How can you apply #DoItScared to your life?
Are you feeling stuck by fear, or with analysis paralysis? Maybe (like me) you make excuses why you can’t tackle weight loss yet? Doyou worry what will happen if you actually succeed? Has overwhelm hit you, and are you feeling daunted by the myriad of therapies and potential paths available for your special needs child?
I encourage you to listen to Ruth’s podcast at https://doitscared.com, and start setting goals. Big, huge, I-can’t-believe-I’m-trying-this goals. Set goals for yourself and your family.
Join me in this journey. Join me as I take on things that scare me. I may be one in 320 people who are afraid of heights, but I’m going to reach for the stars anyway.
Have a “bee”-utiful day!