For the purpose of this article, try imagining yourself reading this while falling from 15,000 feet, without a parachute, into either the middle of an ocean or in a densely populated, metropolitan city where everyone is staring up at you with looks of horror but are absolutely powerless to help you. Now that you’re in the right frame of mind, let’s talk about why it’s silly to have a Fear of Heights!
Looking Down at Your Fear of Heights
While many people are afraid to look down because they realize just how high up they really are, there are also people who are afraid to look up because it’s impossible to see what is below you and above is just infinite sky. Either way, heights are scary. Whether we’re talking about 10 feet off the ground or 100 stories, a fall almost guarantees injury. Though the risk of injury is somewhat reliant on what exactly you are falling onto. Falling two feet onto a plethora of pillows, marshmallows and Jell-O doesn’t sound that bad, right? I didn’t mention the pillows were stuffed with medieval weaponry and the marshmallows were laced with LSD. That’s the thing: You are falling and therefore cannot control what you land on. You just hope the LSD kicks in quick.
Having a Fear of Heights often limits the things you are able to do. Fun-filled activities such as skydiving, giving a rousing speech whilst on an airplane, and next level parkour are out of the question. Instead, activities such as lying on the ground while gripping the legs of furniture around you for support are about all you can do. Give or take.
Things Are Looking Up for Your Fear of Heights
One of the worst parts about having a Fear of Heights is you could go years without realizing you have it. Unlike something like Fear of Tigers which you can face anytime in life, Fear of Heights often sneaks up on you. Example: You’re sitting at work when your boss suddenly tells you to climb a ladder or be fired. Or perhaps you’re relaxing in your apartment and look out the window to realize you are 15 stories up. Or even chatting with your second-uncle during an awkward family reunion and he throws you off the balcony. There are times when Fear of Heights is completely unavoidable. And good luck trying to tell your employer you don’t want to climb the ladder by explaining some story about an LSD trip from a pillow. That one hardly ever works. Have you considered getting a new job?
The good news about having a Fear of Heights is a large percentage of the world can relate to you. It’s quite common to have. The bad news is no one knows how to get over the Fear because no one is willing to face it. So if they can’t help you, just imagine how useful a sarcastic blog post would be.
