Feel Fear In The Sky
Ever since we were little, we’ve been told that fear is a negative thing. That it’s bad to feel it, and we should do everything in our power to avoid feeling fear. As adults struggling with fear of the sky or other phobias, know this: while you will always feel some level of anxiety when faced with your triggering stimuli, you can also feel empowered. You are fierce and brave for just living your life normally despite how hard it is for you to move around regularly because of anxiety about flying if you have aquaphobia (the fear of water), or make an appointment if you have ghostphobia without being paralyzed by panic.
Every day, we tell ourselves that the things we fear are “bad” and this is true of some of it. It can be bad to have a fear of flying. It can be bad to have a phobia of a specific animal. But not all fears are bad in that way. Many people choose to go out into nature despite their fears, working hard to face their fears because they know that it’s worth overcoming it for the benefit of knowing yourself better and getting closer to nature. Not every fear is bad, but that doesn’t mean they are not there. If a person has a fear of snakes, then they are not “bad” for having the fear. They may hide from their fears, so others wouldn’t know about it and might feel pity for them if they did share their fear openly (although this isn’t always the case).
When you feel fear about something, it is important to remember that it is not inherently negative. This does not mean we do not need help with our fears and in some cases it means medication from our doctors just as if we had anything else medically wrong with us.
Here are some tips for facing the things we fear most:
1. Face your fears slowly. It’s very difficult if you’ve had a phobia for decades, or have a severe fear since childhood without ever getting help, but it is possible with effort and patience. You can let yourself face your fears slowly rather than trying to tackle everything at once. This may seem counterproductive because it doesn’t make sense to do this if you are fearful of something that may hurt you, but think about it like this: would you start running a marathon when you have never run more than three miles in your entire life? Probably not. Why would you do that with a fear of being in the skies? It’s similar. Start with small amounts and increase slowly every time, as it’s also good to make sure you are in a safe environment and have the support of others.
2. Relaxation exercises are important to help you face your fears head-on. These can be self-explanatory, but if they aren’t: deep breathing is one of them, taking small steps rather than running or jumping straight into another thing without researching how to face your fear is another way too. There are tons of ways to work on these and other ways too.
3. Get the support you need to face your fears. This could be someone who will sit with you on your flight, or someone who can talk about their own experience with flying if you don’t have anyone like this in your life. Having this kind of support can really help you gain the strength to face your fears and take these steps one at a time.
4. Don’t let yourself get flooded by fear when you do face it. Be brave and don’t let yourself run away from the situation. Tell yourself that you can do it and know that you can.
5. The right kind of medication is helpful, especially SSRIs (such as Prozac), antianxiety meds (such as Xanax or Klonopin), or panic meds (such as Ativan or Clonazepam). While it isn’t always required to get treatment for fear of the sky, medication is still helpful. If it’s not, don’t beat yourself up about it use self-help techniques so you can overcome your phobia on your own.
6. Get support from someone who is willing to be your safety net when you are flying. This can be your partner, best friend, or someone else you can trust. They need to understand that you aren’t going to be able to face this by yourself; they will have to hold on to you and protect you when it gets hard.
7. Get the help of a therapist (or psychologist) who specializes in phobias if you still feel like something else is bothering you besides the fear of flying or your phobia of water, etc. It may make sense for them to work with you there as well so those fears don’t become so dominant in the context of this one.
8. Don’t let fear of the sky dominate your life. It is important to know that this is just a fear and you can do other things that are important to you, such as live your daily life or focus on other fears. We may feel like we have to overcome it all at once, but sometimes it can make sense to be patient and have the right help in order to face this effectively.
Sources: http://www.fightfear.org/fear-facts/overcoming-fear/ , http://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-Fear-of-Flying , https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/10/30/4-tips-for-overcoming-your-phobias/, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/finding-love-after-50/201506/how-do-i-overcome-phobias, http://www.anxietydisorders.org.au/factsheets_fears_animals.htm
Shares
'In the air we breathe' is a regular column by writer and photographer Teresa Deevy of the best quotes, ideas and insights she’s come across during her personal journey through life and beyond as an artist and self creator.
Conclusion
It may not make sense to talk about fear of the sky if we are scared of whales, but it’s all the same kind of thing. It’s best to be direct with your fears and let them out in order to see what you can do about them.
Some people choose to face their fears by talking about their fears out loud with someone else for a while or finding the right kind of support to help them conquer their fear. Some people choose medication – but only under the guidance of a doctor and only in some cases. Each person has a different kind of fear and responds differently, but avoiding facing your own fears altogether is not the right way to get over them.
Tags:
Feel Fear In The Sky