Living with acrophobia can be incredibly hard. Even if you’re able to avoid triggers on a day-to-day basis, achieving that can mean cutting yourself off from a lot of the experiences that contribute to a happy, fulfilled life. That’s because, when you really think about it, situations that require you to move away from ground level can crop up everywhere.
It is for this reason that we urge you not to resign yourself to a life limited by an intense fear of heights. The journey to overcome your acrophobia may not be straightforward and easy, but it is within your grasp and most certainly worth it!
To give you a little motivation, here are 7 ways overcoming acrophobia will change your life…
1. You have so many more options
If you live with a phobia, it can feel much safer to stick to what you know and avoid trying new things. Routines are great, but it’s very easy to get stuck in a rut. When you overcome or learn how to effectively manage your acrophobia symptoms, you will find that life is full of little ways you can mix things up.
Let’s take a regular workday as an example. When heading to the office, will you take the lift or the stairs? As soon as lunchtime hits, you could head to your regular sandwich shop or you could try out the new street food place on the top floor of the local shopping centre. Then home time finally comes around. Sure, you could take the trusty main road route, despite knowing that traffic will be terrible. Then again, what’s stopping you from taking the scenic drive with the great views that everyone’s always talking about? Absolutely nothing!
And that just covers the extra options on a boring workday. Imagine how many new choices will open up for you at the weekend!
2. The world is your oyster
Acrophobia can cause you to avoid planes, balconies, cliffs and tall buildings. The thing is, all of these elements make for a great holiday! We’re not saying you should rush to face all of them at once as soon as you have control over your fears—we still recommend baby steps. Nevertheless, you’ll soon find that you can really expand your horizons and get out of your comfort zone geographically.
Whether it’s a few days in a charming B&B with incredible coastal views, or a weekend trip to explore the sights, sounds and flavours of a European city, a whole world of new experiences is at your fingertips! Travel really does broaden the mind and you’ll be making memories to cherish for life.
3. Your social life gets a massive boost
A lot of people don’t realise just how much acrophobia can impact your personal relationships. Even if you’re surrounded by supportive friends and family, they’ll never fully understand what you’re going through. This makes it difficult when you have to turn down plans or leave events early because an unexpected trigger has set off your anxiety. In the long run, you might even find yourself ignoring friends or reducing time with family to avoid having to disappoint them.
When you overcome your fear of heights, these barriers start to come down! Not only do you feel more comfortable reaching out to friends to make plans, the socialising itself will be far more enjoyable when you’re not living in fear. Old friends will get to enjoy the company of the person they knew before your acrophobia really took hold. On top of that, new friends will be lucky enough to get to know the real you—a person who is open to trying new things and living life to the fullest!
4. Your confidence soars
When you are able to manage (or even completely banish) the symptoms of your acrophobia, it feels like a weight has been lifted off you. You no longer live in the shadow of your phobia, which means you can step out and stand tall! What follows is a healthy process of exposing yourself to new experiences and realising that bad things do not necessarily happen as a result. This pattern reinforces the lessons you will have learned while getting treatment for your phobia.
In addition, the more you’re able to explore the world and improve your relationships with others, the more you will learn to appreciate yourself. This kind of inner confidence is life-changing. It will help you to realise the kind of life you deserve and give you the self-belief to go out and build it!
5. You gain perspective and wisdom
The process of getting treated for a phobia is a learning experience in more ways than one. Of course, you’ll gain the tools and knowledge to understand and beat your fears. As well as that, though, you’ll learn a lot about yourself and how the mind works.
Many phobias link back to experiences from our childhood or adolescence. When you start to peel back the layers of what’s causing current behaviours, you realise how much the way we interpret events impacts our overall well-being. This wisdom can be applied to much more than your phobia. Armed with these lessons and techniques, you can begin processing everyday things in a much more healthy way!
6. You’re an inspiration to others
The wisdom you gain from combating acrophobia isn’t just useful to you—it can be passed on to others too! Whether they’re coping with phobias of their own, or just trying to overcome their own personal hurdles, your new-found knowledge could be really valuable to them.
Now, you should always remember that depending on what stage of healing someone is at, they might not be ready to take on new information. Plus, you may not feel comfortable filling the role of teacher! Either way, your story speaks for itself. Even just being witness to your new lease of life can serve as inspiration to those around you.
7. You can tackle anything life throws at you
Overcoming acrophobia is a huge achievement. You put in the hard work and it paid off! With that under your belt, anything else life throws at you feels doable. Moving forward, you have the self-belief and can-do attitude to clear any obstacle. This is incredibly empowering. It’s time to pat yourself on the back, embrace that positive outlook and start exploring what life has to offer!
How do I overcome my acrophobia?
It can be really hard to know where to begin when it comes to dealing with your acrophobia. After all, tackling the issue that has put a dark cloud over your life is a daunting prospect. The good news is that you don’t have to do it alone. At Climb Above Fear, we have an experienced team of therapists ready to listen to your needs and prescribe the best treatment for you.
To get started, simply fill out our contact form. There are no strings attached—all you have to do is tell us a bit about yourself and we’ll organise a free assessment to see how we can best help you overcome your fears.
Take the first step today to start your journey towards a life free from acrophobia!
