Introduction
Everyone is scared of something and such thing, activities and situations get them afraid, unhappy, mentally unbalanced and can affect their general well-being. They are generally referred as phobias. Although they are many and diverse, their effects are unpleasant and negative.
Phobias are categorized into three classes. Specific objects and situations like height, water or ant etc can scares people to death. They grow up, hating those objects and getting scared of those situations. Others get scare of social interaction and engagements because they might be misjudged and embarrassed. Those social phobias affect their esteem and confidence. Other are afraid of open or enclosed places where their escape when emergencies arises can be challenging. Whichever one is being affected, it affects them seriously.
Personal Experiences And Challenges
Personally, I have afraid of many things but the fear of heights still top the charts. Acrophobia as it is scientifically described. It is an anxiety disorder that people like me experience intense fear and displeasure when we think of heights or positioned at any height. Any kind of elevation sent unpleasant signals within my system and affect me physically. For example, my uncle and other extended families complained heavily that I don't visit them regularly like my siblings. Truth to told, I chose to avoid their heights of their residence as they are living in high storey buildings or upstairs. I get scared whenever I visit them due to the presence of their staircase. My heart beats faster whenever I managed to reach the top with sweats all over my body. I can remember how my hands and legs trembles with shortness of breath. Being at such height affects me physically and that's why I don't visit them.
Apart from physical attacks, I suffered emotionally too. I thought that I am alone with this problem till we visited a remote town. Ihebu, a hilly town at the bank of famous river Niger. My friend is from there and when he lost his mother to death. It is compulsory to visit their town for the burial rite. We moved to that side of the city and stop at the river bank. We proceed with canoe to cross the river. In the other side of river lies a vast and untamed forest with winding and narrow footpath. We trekked and endure the excruciating pain of moving higher on the hills. At the summit where the town is located, many of us with acrophobia became afraid and reacted differently. One of us have panic attacks and fell down instantly when he looked down from the side. We were forced to set a camp there to assist him and others have to relax too. We waited for others to attend the program before we went back. It was never easy for us that we couldn't attend after making enough sacrifice to be there.
Solutions And Practical Support
The status of my achophobia have managed effectively with practical and professional helps. Now, I'm getting better than before. Let me share those practical with others.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
A visit for professional help was very important. I get to know more about my situation, challenges and solutions. The team of Therapists assist me to think different and better. Better viewpoint of the situations reduce the anxiety and worries over heights. I now understand that people can live perfectly on such place without felling down. Being there or thought of such heights can't scare me as before.
With the practical example of younger and older people on high places and elevations, I understood that it's dangerous only when the place is not firmly located or without support. Now, height doesn't scare me easily but can withstand it's effects for some time. Such helps have really calm down my fear and improve my situation.
Medication And Treatment.
Some antidepressants have been administered perfectly whenever I suffer great shocks and panic attacks. It have been a great help whenever my situation get worser. Those drugs have strong therapeutic effects that can calm down the process and readjust the patient's feelings.
Physical therapy can serve as drugs and treatments too. Practicing aerobic exercises that strengthen the internal organ and keep one fit is very beneficial. I enjoy running, swimming and walking for a distance as my favorite exercises to help me against anxiety and worries.
Support Groups.
We formed an association whose members are sufferers of this illness. We meet regularly in the church hall and discuss freely about the problem. Invitation of psychologists and other related medical personnel have helped us to understand ourselves better and get treatments too.
In our support group, we have the best and effective system that ensure that all of our members are well taken care of. We learned from others in our associations. I avoid their mishap and be happy at all time.
Thanks to 