Working At Height: How to Overcome Anxiety

It's understandable to feel anxious when working at height up a ladder. In fact, some people even have an extreme fear of heights, a phobia known as acrophobia. In this article we will discuss some ideas on how to overcome this anxiety, to help you feel calm and relaxed working at any height.

Why You Might Feel Anxious Working at Heights

There are lots of reasons why you might feel anxious working at heights. All are completely normal.

Reasons include:

- Having had an accident and fallen from a ladder
- An emotional trauma that has become related to heights
- A generalised feeling of falling
- Witnessing something happen either in real life or on television

How Your Height Anxiety Might Feel

Example feelings include:

- Panic and fear
- Shaking
- Feeling like your heart is beating very quickly
- Dizziness, vertigo
- Sweating

Some Stats and Facts About Ladders and Anxiety

Fear of heights affects between 2% and 5% of the population. In fact most people feel a degree of anxiety when they're up a ladder.

Falls from height are one of the most common causes of work place accidents. According to the HSE website in 2008/2009 there were 35 fatalities, 4654 major injuries and 7065 injuries that caused the person to be off work over three days.

Tips For Working at Height
 
- Natural Remedies

These have been proven to help in anxiety and phobias. Herbs like lavender and lemon balm provide a calming effect.

- Psychotherapy

It's not as scary as it sounds. This is involves retraining your negative thoughts.

- Medication

Your doctor may be able to give you something to ease anxiety.

- Self-Hypnosis

Train your own thoughts to stay calm when up a ladder.

- Avoid Caffeine

Coffee can actually increase anxiety. It's a stimulant and enhances fear.

- Look After Yourself

Getting enough sleep and exercise aids your general wellbeing and you will find it easier to cope with feelings of anxiety.

- Talk About It

Discuss your fears with others who regularly work up a ladder.

- Be Gentle With Yourself

If you've developed a fear of heights after an accident, try gradually building up how high you go. Start off going up just a few steps, noticing how you feel, relaxing, then coming back down. Keep increasing how high you go each time. This technique is called "flooding".

In summary, it's normal to feel some anxiety when working at height, but if that anxiety is a problem you should not be afraid of seeking some help and consider the ideas listed above. With determination and some positive thinking, you can overcome any fear of heights.