Now is the Time to Overcome Your Fears
For as long as I can remember I have had a major fear of heights. I decided over winter break to take a ski trip to the Appalachian mountains and attempt to overcome my fear. I was overly optimistic that learning to ski would be a type of exposure therapy I could use to self treat my condition. Through research I learned that graded exposure therapy is recommended to help overcome phobias and many other anxiety disorders including PTSD. I was ignorant to the fact that graded exposure therapy is supposed to happen “gradually”, slowly working up to more difficult situations. Skiing for the first time is not considered gradual, and so my story begins….
I have always wanted to visit Asheville, and I planned my family’s first day in North Carolina to be at the Biltmore Estate. I didn’t think about my fear of heights one time while we were in Asheville, which was my first success. We finished the Biltmore tour as the sun was going down, which would mean our drive to Blowing Rock would be at nighttime. Thankfully I was not driving, and I was able to cover my face for most of the ride, especially when I saw the runaway truck signs as we descended the mountain. Once we arrived at our hotel in Blowing Rock, I was immediately at ease, since the lodging was better than I had anticipated.
The following day we decided to go to Appalachian Ski Mountain because we were told that this was a great skiing destination for beginners. My husband signed our daughters up for snowboard lessons and away they went with their instructor. He did not think to sign me up for ski lessons because he assumed I could learn by watching him. I was able to ski well down the beginner’s bunny slope and my confidence increased after 5 successful attempts. I decided to move up to the next level slope, and that would require a ride on the ski lift. I looked up at the ski lift and assumed it was going to be like the lift at Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park, which I have always enjoyed going on. I was wrong with my assumption, and the lift at Appalachian Ski Resort was nothing like the Blizzard Beach one. For starters, it doesn’t stop and wait for each person to get off safely. And because I was not going to the highest peak, I had to get off at an angle for my slope.
As we approached the area to jump off, I froze, and my fear of heights started creeping in. The hesitation made my husband give me a little push off the lift which caused me to catapult down the small incline and crash into group of people. My fear turned into embarrassment, but I knew I had to get up and put my skis back on because there was no other way off the mountain. As I stood at the top of the hill and looked down, I started to feel a little shaky, but I knew it was now or never and I started to ski down the hill.
I was so focused on looking down to the end of the hill that I lost control and had my first fall. My husband was behind me thankfully and was able to retrieve my ski pole, bring it over to me and help me back up. Once I was all situated, I began to descend the hill again, but this time it seemed much faster, and I lost control and rolled down the hill almost to the bottom. When I started to pick myself up again, to my horror standing in front of me was my kids with their snowboarding class. They were all staring at me with their mouths wide open and a look of shock on their faces. I was so humiliated that I got up and took my skis back to the rental window and decided that skiing was not for me. The good thing that came out of this embarrassing situation is that I fell because I was not in control, and it had nothing to do with my fear of heights. In my mind this was my first real victory with overcoming my fear. Or so I thought…
The next day we decided to take a break from skiing and drive the Blue Ridge Parkway to Sugar Mountain. I did not research this drive whatsoever since it was a spur of the moment idea. Once again, I had to cover my face for most of the drive. The parkway would twist and turn around Grandfather Mountain, and at one point we were driving over the viaduct which is known as one of the most dangerous bridges in North Carolina! Thankfully we were able to stop at rest areas and take family photos that make me appear completely sane.
My children loved the drive through the mountains, and I am thankful that they did not inherit my phobia. I may never ski again, but I do hope to take at least one more trip back to the same area during the summer when the weather is nice, and I can try to hike the mountains instead of ski on them.
Suffering from an extreme fear of heights is more common than most would think. The term acrophobia is used to describe people with this type of anxiety disorder. Accordingly to the Cleveland Clinic “approximately 3% to 6% of people have acrophobia”. My hope is that one day I will no longer be apart of this percentage and be able to write about my success with overcoming this condition and put it in my past forever.
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Items recommended for the person with an extreme fear of heights to pack on a trip to the mountains:
-A blanket to cover your face with while driving in the car.
-ASMR videos unless you suffer from Mysophobia too.
-Lavender essential oil.
-Stress ball.
-Xanax if nothing else works.
Story References:
- Acrophobia (fear of heights): Symptoms & treatment. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21956-acrophobia-fear-of-heights
- psyche_the_mag. (2022, January 21). How to overcome a fear of heights: Psyche guides. Psyche, from https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-overcome-a-fear-of-heights-step-by-careful-step.
