I want to fly but I'm afraid

I find it perfectly logical for someone who wants to fly to have fear, and that is an inhibiting factor in deciding to go paragliding. Maybe that might be strange to some people hearing it, and from a paragliding instructor at that. Before I continue my analysis on the fear part of paragliding, related to paragliding, let's first distinguish two different cases. In the first case are those who want to fly, but are afraid. It is mainly to them that I am addressing this article. And the second case are those who are not attracted to the idea of flying, but are also afraid to try it as an experience. This category of people does not need to be tried to convince, that is, that fear is something that one can work on as an emotion. Because they simply don't have the will in them to feel the experience of flying. This makes sense because not everyone likes everything. 

Now let's go to our friends who want to fly but are afraid. With a little humour, but also with complete honesty I can tell you that, well done for being proud of your fear, and also doubly proud because you admit it. I am certainly intriguing you more with what I mention, but let's look at what fear is in the first place.

What is fear ?

Taking a look at Wikipedia, we read the following definition: {Fear is a basic human emotion caused by the awareness of a real or imagined danger or threat. It is a protective mechanism, a physiological defensive reaction of the organism without requiring conscious thought}. Much more simply I will state that it is fear that protects us from dangers around us , and mobilizes the instinct of self-preservation that exists within us. It makes us more cautious, example: I drive the car on a dual carriageway, and I don't overtake the vehicle in front of me on a bend where I have no visibility, and I can't know if another car is coming from the oncoming traffic. In this example, I may be a driver with years of experience, but the fear of colliding with another vehicle coming from the opposite direction makes me pay attention to when I make the decision to overtake. So fear exists in our daily lives and it is a healthy emotion because it makes us cautious, and we are not prone to accidents and more.

Fear and phobia

Here we should distinguish the term fear from phobia, which many people confuse with the emotion of fear. While fear makes some sense, because it represents a reaction to a potential danger, phobia is excessive anxiety and fear in the face of some supposed danger that does not actually exist. So we could say, very simplistically, that phobia is an exaggerated fear reaction towards something that is not logically justified.

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‍Acrophobia and height phobia

Here I would like to point out that a lot of people come to me and say, I would like to go paragliding, but I have a fear of heights. My question is whether they get into airplanes. When the answer is yes then the conclusion is that they obviously have acrophobia, which is a different kind of phobia, which I have. Acrophobia exists, for example, when you are afraid of getting close to cliffs, or getting close to the edge of the roof of a tall building when there is no protective railing. Acrophobia doesn't affect someone who is paragliding at all. 

Fine so far, but what about fear, how do we get past it?

Managing fear

Listen to the voice of reason, acknowledge your fear, learn, become familiar, and think positively. Let's look at some examples: I'm afraid the parachute lines won't hold my weight. The answer here is that they all together can withstand roughly over 1500 pounds of weight. So one less fear. Another example :I am afraid I will suddenly get blown away. The answer is, the wind never suddenly changes and never suddenly gets stronger. Every meteorological phenomenon takes a reasonable amount of time to develop. And that time is long enough for the warning to be in place and for the activity not to take place. Unless of course we have storm development very close to the flight area, where weather changes can be rapid, (but we never fly when there is a storm in progress near us). Similar examples abound, so ask and learn. Of course those of us who paraglide love our lives, and our health, and if there was too much risk, few would continue the activity. In no way do I mean to imply that there is no risk when one paraglides. There is risk as there is in all outdoor activities, and especially when safety rules are not followed. Three things are the key safety factors: good equipment, good weather, and a well-trained pilot. Since all of these are present I will add one more that I mentioned at the beginning. 

Think positive

Every negative thought brings a subsequent negative thought, resulting in an association of many negative thoughts. This increases our stress, and if stress levels increase enough then the activity becomes anything but enjoyable. Have positive thoughts, these will create an association of positive thoughts, and will give you joy and great pleasure. One thing is for sure, you will have a huge smile after landing and your mind, and heart will be mentally in the air for many hours. Paragliding is definitely a unique experience.

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Sources:

https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A6%CF%8C%CE%B2%CE%BF%CF%82

https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A6%CE%BF%CE%B2%CE%AF%CE%B1

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