What Is Acrophobia? 5 Methods To Know How To Overcome The Fear Of Heights
What is acrophobia or fear of heights? When should this fear of heights be treated psychologically? Discover the 5 ways to know how to overcome the fear of heights.
The acrophobia or as it is better known, the fear of heights, is one of the most common phobias. This fear of heights can cause sufferers to have a terror of a variety of things related to being far from the ground. Depending on the severity of these scary situations, people are more or less affected in their daily lives.
The acrophobia and its meaning They indicate an intense fear of heights that can cause more than significant anxiety and panic to the person who suffers from it. Some studies suggest that acrophobia may be one of the most common phobias today.
It is not strange to feel that a person has pictures of fear and vertigo of heights In this way, people who feel this phobia of heights end up feeling such anguish that it can affect their daily life.
Symptoms of acrophobia or fear of heights
This panic at heights can be detected through the following symptoms.
Sweating and increased heart rate: Main physical symptoms of acrophobia They include increased sweating, as well as increased heartbeat when the person is faced with one of these scary situations.
Feeling sick: The person who suffers from this fear and its meaning ends up feeling like a sick person when they are at these heights. So much so that he can even shake when he is in one of these scary situations.
Avoid the causes of fear: In order not to suffer this phobia of heights people end up modifying their behavior to stop exposing themselves to acrophobia.
Extreme anxiety and fear: People with panic at heights They end up experiencing such extreme anxiety and fear that they cannot look out a window or even drive on high ground.
Feeling of panic and vertigo: When these individuals are in one of these scary situations They end up feeling vertigo at heights that generates a feeling of very exaggerated panic. So much so that they can look for something to cling to or even descend to the ground immediately, going so far as to crawl on all fours to get out of this situation.
If you think you have panic at heights and that this is affecting your personal and professional development, it is necessary that you work on it to be able to get out of this situation. You can always go to a professional psychologist to learn the tools to overcome these fears.
Causes of fear of heights or acrophobia
Studies in this regard show that a certain phobia of heights It becomes almost a normal fear, not only in humans but in all animals that are guided a lot by visual stimuli.
Thus, acrophobia or fear of heights They seem to be associated with an evolutionary survival mechanism. Despite this, when this panic at heights is exaggerated, this may be due to a learned response to a previous fall or the overprotective reaction of parents around heights.
How to overcome the fear of heights?
The acrophobia It shares many symptoms with vertigo due to stress or other psychological reasons. For this reason, on many occasions psychological treatment focuses on trying to extinguish this common symptom of phobias. According to psychologists, it is advisable to follow the following advice.
Learn to recognize anxiety due to acrophobia: Identify those situations where it is phobia of heights presented is one of the keys to treating this panic at heights. It is also good to try to recognize and tolerate those bodily sensations that are caused by this fear or vertigo of heights so that you can stop interpreting them as something dangerous for you.
Gradually expose yourself to your fears: Another key to know how to overcome fear of heights is to try to establish a gradual exposure to these fears. Although it is obviously difficult at first, this will allow us to learn to face this fear without it being a challenge that makes us discouraged in the face of this challenge.
Use relaxation exercises: Take some time to try those relaxation exercises that allow you face fear of heights These can be useful before, during or after these exposures, even in other anxiety-provoking situations.
Try to understand where acrophobia comes from: On many occasions, the phobia of heights It has a psychological origin and must be treated. Therefore, it is good to practice self-knowledge and try to see what its origin is. To achieve this, you can ask yourself the following questions. What do you fear might happen when you are at the top? How likely is it that this will happen? o What would you need to experience to stop believing this?
Examine your behavior in the face of fear: By experimenting acrophobia Most people tend to have certain safety behaviors such as holding on to objects around them or closing their eyes. Although this is a very common reaction to this fear of heights, it is necessary that you avoid it to stop having anxiety symptoms in the long term. In this way, you should try not to use these defense mechanisms when you are suffering from acrophobia.
On many occasions, people who suffer from this phobia of heights They don’t see it as a problem that needs to be addressed. Despite this, there are many cases in which these individuals modify their behavior to avoid these scary situations. It is for this reason that they end up suffering certain havoc in their lives due to this phobia and its meaning. You should not let fear take over your life.
