Am I Afraid Of Heights?

Do you feel a compulsive need to kneel or crawl when you're in a high place?

Have you ever felt your heart racing when you're at the top of a building?

Do you feel sweaty or shaky when you're at the top?

Have you ever approached a professional psychiatrist or a psychologist to discuss this problem?

Does your head spin while you're high off the ground?

Have you ever fallen down from a high place before?

The fear of heights is called acrophobia and stems from the natural fear of falling off from an elevated place. This feeling is more profound in some people when compared to others and this is why there is an urge to crawl or kneel as they feel it will give them better stability and prevent them from falling off. If you have this feeling, there's a chance you are afraid of heights.

Another common symptom of acrophobia is heart palpitations and sometimes, even a full-blown panic attack that can leave you breathlessness. Most of these stem from the fact that fear is ingrained in humans because of the innate need to protect ourselves from any impending danger. In some people, the mind sees height as a danger and triggers these reactions to urge you to move to safety.

When you climb a hill, you're bound to feel sweaty or your legs may shake if you've had to climb way more than what you're used to. Never confuse that with what you feel when you're at the top. For example, if you take the elevator to the 89th floor of the Empire State Building and feel sweaty or shaky there, you have a fear of heights as there is no physical effort involved.

If you know for sure that you have acrophobia or even if you suspect you have, it merits a session with your psychiatrist or a psychologist because this is a condition that can be resolved easily with mild intervention therapies. There is no need for you to live with this fear all your life as you can easily overcome it with help.

Though this is a common symptom, check if you have other symptoms too before deciding whether you have the fear of heights. Many times, vertigo is compared with fear of heights, though they are widely different.

This explains the reason why you feel that you may fall again and have an innate need to protect yourself from the same. This is a natural reaction and doesn't necessarily mean you have a fear of heights. This may go away after you forget the pain and the hurt of the previous fall.

If you've never fallen off from a height, you're more likely to have it naturally and it is ingrained in your DNA. You have what is acrophobia or a fear of heights and may require intervention and treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to get over it.