This weeks is all based around heights. The vast majority of us guys have or had a fear of heights, myself included. I’m still not 100% out of this fear yet but conquered the height of The Big One (235ft) after many years. Therefore I wanna share my tips on doing so yourself.
Occupy Yourself In The Queue:
The worst thing to do is constantly look at the height your about to experience. Keep yourself occupied whether that’s a game on your phone or game you’ve created yourself with your friends. Do not focus on that fear as it will only make it so much worse.
Breath:
I’m not sure how common this is but whenever I get anxious or nervous I tend to hold my breath (not even knowing I do so). So now I physically breath through my nose and mouth to help calm myself down. Just keep breathing as your climbing the lift.
Take Your Time:
If your not ready to have your eyes open that’s okay. Take your time. There’s no rush in overcoming this fear. Simply begin to open your eyes more regularly the more you feel comfortable. If you’re not ready to even ride the tallest rollercoaster in your country that’s okay? Just remember it’s whenever you feel comfortable and ready & at your paste whether it takes you a a year or you never choose to tackle it all together it’s okay.
Build Yourself Up:
You know your own limits. So why not begin to build yourself up with different levels of height. If your in the UK I’d recommend the likes of Shockwave, Infusion, Nemesis Inferno, The Swarm etc. They all have a decent height to them and will gradually help build your confidence with gradually reaching the tallest. If you feel going straight to the tallest first then definitely do it!
Consistency:
Patience and consistency is next. Don’t worry if you instantly aren’t afraid anymore these things take time. It has taken me 5 years to feel comfortable on The Big One. It’s taken me so many tears, closed eyes and almost panic attacks but now I can ride whilst looking around and feel a lot more okay! Just take your time, breath and if your comfortable enough then consistency too.
Relax:
Where there’s a view and a decent height I feel it helps to keep it that bit easier. As your able to look around acknowledge things you’d find interesting from a not so common view. I’ve found looking around Pleasure Beach on The Big One for storage and spaces of old rides to really helped me overcome the fear. By all means this may not be for you but if it isn’t. Relax hold on as tight as you desire and keep your eyes close ask the person next to you to inform you when the climb is over. Then the rest of the ride will be a diddle.
I’m not sure how helpful these blog post are. But these are just a few of the things I found helped me become comfortable at 235ft height.