Doing any type of climbing activity can be a fun experience, but the fear of heights limits some people to do it. So, how to overcome fear of heights climbing? Please check this article to learn various tips and tricks to eliminate the fear of heights and experience the fun and excitement of climbing.
Understanding and Learning the Fear of Heights
The first step you can take to overcome the fear of heights when it comes to climbing is to understand and learn from the fear itself. You must know why it happens and what triggers this fear. Is it because you are afraid of falling or you are not confident enough of your skills which makes you feel like accidentally falling?
All of these questions related to your fear must be answered by yourself. Doing this action will give you an idea of where the fear is coming from and the symptoms you feel when the fear kicks on you.
It can be hard to eliminate the fear immediately, but understanding a lot of perspective with your fear will let you be able to control it. Once you know the symptoms, you will know what you do next time. For me, I always try to focus on my breathing to eliminate the anxiety and control the fear once I get to the top.
Changing your Mindset
As the saying goes, “the only constant in this world is change”. As cliche as it sounds, this saying is also helpful when overcoming the fear of height when doing any climbing activity. If you try to analyze, you cannot always have this fear of height forever. Somehow, change will happen the moment you want to confront the fear.
I know many climbers who happen to have this fear of heights but still proceed to climb anyway regardless of the fear they are feeling. What I learned from them is their uncanny ability to change their mindset, focusing on the goal of the climb, which is to reach the top, instead of focusing on their fear of heights.
Changing the mindset also means focusing on your feelings during the climb. You have to be present during the climb feeling the joy and the stress of dealing with all the obstacles to the top. Once you do it, your focus will be on your climbing activity and not on the fear of height and the anxiety that usually goes with it.
Confronting the Fear of Height
When it comes to confronting fear, it should be systematic. Having to eliminate the fear cannot be done immediately, but learning ways systematically to control and eliminate the anxiety will help you be better moving forward.
For one, I have learned how to use a breathing technique that makes me relax once the anxiety starts to kick in because of my fear of height. Having to feel the present moment accepting your fear while trying to control it will make your mind and body adapt and control the fear inside your mind.
Sometimes, the fear also comes from what we think, which is occasionally irrational. If you can find a way to not believe all the negative thoughts in your head and kick them out, you are in a good position. Keep the positive thoughts in your mind but throw them away from all the negative things out of your head.
Use the Power of Repetition
The power of repetition is a unique way to confront the fear and reduce it over time. The fear of height is normal to occur in some individuals, but if you try to expose it constantly, then there is a good chance that the fear will be reduced and eliminated after the constant repetition.
It is all about getting used to the height during the climb. I know someone who happens to feel very nervous every time he climbs. But what he did was hang out at the top for a while once he reached there, then come down and repeat. Eventually, his fear of height was eliminated entirely because of his constant repetition and getting used to the height of the climb.
The constant exposure to your fear will eventually let your body and mind adapt and slowly eliminate the fear. Constant repetition will make you deal with the fear little by a little while challenging yourself to deal with it slowly until you ultimately reduce the fear.
Be Fully Equipped with your Climb
One caused by the fear of height is the feeling of having an accident and falling to the ground. But this fear of falling down can be eliminated if you invest in top-quality climbing equipment.
Using high-quality equipment during the climb will give you confidence during the climbing activity and instantly eliminate the fear of accidentally falling down to the ground. Having a top-quality carabiner, rope, and other equipment will give you greater peace of mind before, during, and after the climb.
Fully equipped also means being knowledgeable about everything you need to know about the climb. It is very important that you understand what you are doing. Having the proper training when you are just starting to learn the sport can help eliminate the fear.
Having the technical know-how of the belaying system and how it works will certainly build your confidence physically and mentally. Once you have the knowledge of the belaying system, you can have the confidence to do the climb with ease. Confidence also reduces, if not eliminates the fear of heights.
Conclusion
Learning how to overcome fear of heights climbing is completely necessary if you fear heights. The fear of height prevents so many people from experiencing the joy and happiness of doing this sport. But, the best thing about it is there are solutions available which can lead you to ultimately overcome the fear and replace it with confidence to do the climbing activity.