Fear of falling
In the fear of falling, first of all, we must accept that falls are part of skiing but at the same time we must recognize that we have an innate fear of falling.
The reaction to falling is congenital since it is already in the newborn so it can be called ‘instinctive fall reaction’. In adulthood basophobia, or anxiety of falling again, can occur, which leads to reduced activity and decreased confidence.
Fear of falling limits our range of motion mainly in ankles and knees as we adopt a rigid posture. This results in a restriction in the displacement of our center of mass in order to reduce the risk of falling, especially in intimidating situations. It also distorts our perception of terrain inclination: if we are fearful, we are prone to perceive slopes as steeper. This type of fear can become distressing and strongly influence our skiing behavior in certain circumstances where we are not aware of it. Some skiers interpret that the more they fall, the faster they will lose the fear of falling.
Within the fear of falling is the fear of letting ourselves go down, which is associated with the anxiety of falling and may stem from the perception that downward movements generate more fear than upward movements, or that landings are more intimidating than take-offs. Descending awakens in many skiers a fear of falling that is usually repressed.
Another widespread fear is of speed. Being a subjective perception, we tend to remain at our comfort speed, that is, feeling comfortable at a certain speed and, if we exceed it, we begin to feel fear.
The fear of making mistakes comes from childhood where parents unconsciously project their fears and exert pressure on their children to avoid making mistakes. In this case, they idealize the successful and fulfilled person, the one who does not make any mistakes or who never experiences failure.
The anxiety that certain skiers experience is often associated with the fear of heights and sliding. It is generated by the transition from perceiving firm feet on non-slipping ground to sliding on sloping and unstable terrain. This sensation of destabilization is disturbing because the fearful skier perceives himself as separated from the ground, a situation in which his senses waver, threatening his Self-integrity.
For some, the anxiety generated by a potential fall may be linked to the fear of being alone at the moment of falling and that no one can help him/her to get up; but in skiing, falling and getting up are interdependent actions. For others, the anxiety produced by the fear of falling is related to failure or to the loss of pride in which their Selfs could disintegrate, especially if they possess a rigid personality firmly tied to independence.
In certain skiers, falling may symbolize resignation to their own control patterns through a protective posture adopted as a defense mechanism in order to achieve a certain degree of contact with the ground, then, anxiety is generated by dismantling that posture. If instead of resisting the fall one consciously let go, this would not correspond to falling because of controlling the loss of balance by freeing oneself from conscious control of the body. Since most skiers experience fear of giving up control of their bodies, this act causes anxiety. We should learn that surrendering to external forces does not have a devastating effect on our personality, therefore, we should not fight against them but take advantage of them.
Moving on a slippery element such as snow introduces a psychological insecurity related to the danger of falling. A baby taking his first steps has the instinct to hold on to someone’s hand, but if he is dropped he becomes frightened and anxious. Just like a beginner trying his first descents, the anxiety to feel safe comes from his phylogenetic history, which manifests the need to hold on to something (his poles) to avoid falling.
If we relate our balance to the control of our Self, then we unconsciously reject the loss of this control, which causes considerable anxiety. This is produced by the discrepancy generated by the execution of a body movement and the unconscious control to restrict that movement in order to maintain a balanced posture.
According to the psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, the anxiety of falling is connected to rapid contractions of the vital apparatus. Falling causes a biological contraction and this, in turn, originates the sensation of falling. In reality, it is not the fall itself but the sensation of falling that generates anxiety. In this sense, we should flow into our skiing but our internal dialogue prevents us from doing so by arguing that it is dangerous.
Strategies for dealing with fear
Fear is a natural reaction and cannot be completely eliminated since it has a survival function through an alarm signal. Although these strategies may help to reduce it:
- In reality, fear is not the problem but how it is managed. An essential strategy is to modify our way of interpreting fear-generating situations.
- Accept that, in certain situations, it is normal to feel fear.
- Try to reduce it by making conscious decisions and committing to the process.
- Direct concentration towards the new challenge instead of apprehensive interference.
- Decrease demands, expectations, or ambitious goals.
- Pay attention to breathing.
- Improve technique, especially braking technique. Being able to brake when and where one wants helps fearful skiers psychologically.
- In threatening situations, singing or humming a song helps to divert attention.
- One radical form of coping is to expose oneself, as long as possible, to the fear-generating stimuli. Another way is to apply systematic desensitization which proposes to gradually confront fears.
- It is important to make us aware of our fears without this implying our devaluation or an attack on our self-esteem.
- It is beneficial to know that being scared is something common in skiing and that it can be overcome. Therefore, it is constructive to know and accept it because when it is denied, the skier may be paralyzed and not realize it. Then, the worst thing is that something unfortunate happens and he cannot overcome it because he does not know how to proceed.
- Expressing one’s fears socially is comforting. It is a mechanism that allows freeing oneself and feel better when talking about it with others. On the other hand, when the skier is alone with his fears, he is prone to imagine adverse scenarios.
- Body contact soothes. When children are afraid, hands are held to disperse the unpleasant sensation of experiencing fear.
Conclusions
- Evolutionary psychologists argue that fear is a legacy of our evolutionary past.
- Fear attracts the feared.
- Negative effects of fear include impediment to meeting new challenges, impaired performance, inhibited ability to concentrate, muscle tension, interference with coordination and rhythm, decreased motivation, and reduced confidence.
- Every fear-generating situation is an opportunity to grow.
