How Skydiving Empowers You To Conquer Your Fears

People have an inherent want to conquer their fears because in the long run, being stagnant is scarier than just doing the dang thing. Being scared of skydiving is 100% natural. In fact, it would be a little freaky if you told us that you weren’t scared to skydive! Overcoming the natural skydiving fear is much more psychologically in depth than meets the eye. Let’s jump into why skydiving is so enthralling, some of its psychological benefits, and how these can really catalyze personal growth! 

Understanding Fear

Let us preface this by pointing out the obvious: we’re skydivers, not psychologists. This is our take on our first-hand and second-hand (watching our students!) experiences with overcoming fear. Fear is a stubborn little pest that can’t be dismissed through verbal reassurances that yes, it really will be okay. Unfortunately for the fresh and timid skydiver, fear has to be untaught through repetitive exposure to the fear. This will physically teach our brain that the situation is not as scary or as dangerous in actuality. It also gives us the confidence to be assured that if something does go awry, we’ll be more than capable of handling it. 

A few common fears we often see in the sport are: skydiving fear of heights, fear of the unknown, and fear of failure. Oof, those are toughies! Going back to the point above, our brains will learn through repetition that these things aren’t to be feared, but rather to be embraced! 

The fear of heights* decreases through learning more about the safety measures taken in the sport and reliability of the gear used. Being nervous about the unknown of skydiving is somewhere we’ve all been! Believe it or not, all avid skydivers started as novice baby birds. There is something special about learning the ins and outs of the sport, and it is a challenge that should be welcomed. The fear of failure may be the biggest kicker here. Failing has such a nasty connotation connected to it, when in reality we should train ourselves to automatically see a “failure” as an opportunity to get even better. When we embrace and conquer our fears, we grow! 

*Fun fact! The funny feeling in your stomach from standing on something high, like a skyscraper or cliff, doesn’t happen in freefall! 

Skydiving As A Fear-Conquering Activity

Going skydiving is an interesting (and quite ideal) way to conquer multiple fears at one time while having fun. It’s so ideal because the myriad emotions associated with fear and ecstatic joy are all-encompassing within the span of about 15 minutes!

Let’s say someone has a fear of flying in an airplane or doesn’t particularly like being in close proximity to others. Skydiving offers the perfect trial-run to both of these situations. Before booking a commercial flight, take a 15 minute ride in a jump plane! And before going to a crowded concert for hours on end, sit in a crowded airplane for 15 minutes! Skydiving seems like the biggest fear of all, but it’s really a bunch of little fears built up. It really makes ya think, “What am I actually scared of here?” And then overcome each fear one by one. 

Psychological Benefits

Not only do serotonin, adrenaline, endorphins, and dopamine course through our veins during the skydive, but their effects are evident long after the actual jump. When we conquer the fear(s) associated with skydiving and have an influx of these chemicals, our brains are learning that we can do it! An increase in confidence, gaining a new perspective (we call this a “new lease on life”), and the desire to overcome other fears in life are all common psychological benefits of going skydiving. 

Personal Growth And Empowerment

What does it mean to get a new lease on life? You’ll notice that when first time skydivers are asked what their favorite part of the skydive was, they’re speechless. This isn’t because they blacked out and don’t remember anything, but because the overwhelming feeling of gratitude and empowerment that comes with skydiving is indescribable! 

When we physically do an activity we’re scared of, whether that’s skydiving, riding in an airplane, or talking to a stranger, it lets our brains know who’s in charge! When we squash one fear, the other ones don’t seem as intimidating and we’re able to overcome those with a bit more ease. 

Safety Measure And Professional Guidance

Skydivers often jokingly repeat, “Look good, have fun, safety third,” and while the former two are important (duh!), safety is always placed in front of everything else. Of course skydiving, like any extreme sport, comes with inherent risk. The thing that many people don’t consider is that skydivers are not a bunch of bozos jumping from planes. Rather, they’re highly trained, dedicated, and passionate individuals who value and respect the freedom the sport of skydiving gives them and place safety at the forefront to mitigate risk as much as possible. Along with the overflowing wealth of knowledge from Instructors, skydivers use highly advanced (and surprisingly technical) gear that has drastically evolved over the years! 

Ready to overcome YOUR fears!? Take the first step and reserve your tandem skydive today and don’t look back! Reach out to us with any questions or hesitations — we are here to support you. Blue skies.