Believe it or not, there are a plethora of avid skydivers that will admit they are afraid of heights. No joke.
Skydivers love to tell people about their epic weekend they had skydiving. I’ve heard a number of responses over the years including, “I would love to try it but I can’t. I’m afraid of heights.” Well, say no more. You are in good company. Here is the explanation why.
Your Brain Does Not Register Excessive Height
Our survivor instinct or fight of flight tendencies were instilled to keep the human race safe from harm. The fear of heights directly correlates your distance from one object to the other. It you feel you are to far from your comfort zone, your flight signal is triggered.
However, we evolved from trees and on the ground. Luckily, our brain has trouble distinguishing thousands of feet in the air versus a more obvious 40-50 feet high. Thus, it really is not as scary as you think.
Perks
Our tandem instructors are professionals at creating a comfortable and calm setting while in the airplane. They will explain everything three times over and at the end they will say,” even if you don’t do anything I just told you to do, we are going to be just fine!”
Imagine what happens when you face your fear of jumping out of a moving airplane? You can now do anything! It is true. Skydiving has changed so many lives in the matter of minutes. It is truly amazing.
Don’t wait! Try it this weekend!
A fear of heights is an evolutionary survivor instinct to help keep yourself safe. A fear of heights is directly fueled by your brain seeing other objects and being able to calculate a rough estimation of your distance from the ground. If it is not a safe distance, the alarm bells will go off.
We evolved in trees and on the ground, so our brain doesn’t really know how to distinguish heights of thousands of feet in the air. You may feel the fear initially as the plane climbs up, but after a few thousand feet your brain has no relative objects nearby to calculate the distance.
I have heard from other skydivers with an extreme fear of heights that after a certain altitude in the air, you are “telling yourself” to be scared, but your fear inputs are not complying. Go with this. Don’t keep reminding yourself to be scared; breath steady, relax, and smile. You’re about to have the ride of your life!
You get more happy juice than others.
You will get an extra burst of adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine. The more anxious you feel about any given situation, the more reward chemicals your body will give off. You will feel more pumped and exhilarated than ever before! Many times, the people who are most scared of their first jump are also the most excited ones, and they’re so ready to take over the world when they get to the ground!
The first jump is a huge accomplishment for anyone, regardless of fears. But especially so for those overcoming a fear of heights. You took something that can be debilitating, decided you won’t let it control you and took the giant leap. This is huge. You did it, you pushed through one of your biggest fears in life. Now, you can push through ANYTHING. With this burst of energy and forward momentum, nothing will stop you from your dreams.
Take the first big step in overcoming your fears and book your skydive!
