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a.j.

Jump Anxiety

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I’ve been jumping for a few months, have completed AFF and am almost to my A license.

However,

The more I jump, the more fear I have. I’ve spoken with different people about this, people with a lot more experience than I, and everyone has been reassuring, saying that they, too, have gone through this, that the more a person jumps, the more he or she realizes what the risks are.

With only a few more jumps to my A license, though, I’m finding that the fear is almost insurmountable. If I’m not overly concerned with what could go wrong with the A/C, I’m concerned with my exit, with others in the air, then deployment, then traffic as I’m setting up for landing, then landing itself (though this is getting better).

Just yesterday, someone told me that I’m now entering the most dangerous phase of the sport, jump-number wise. This added just a bit to my level of apprehension.

I realize that some fear is a good thing; it keeps me safe. This amount of anxiety, though, is driving me crazy and is taking a lot of the fun out of the sport for me.

Is this normal? Will it ever go away? And any tips to help me continue until it does diminish?

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try to learn everything you can.By knowing all of the things that can happen, and how to handle many different scenarios, you will be more prepared, and that should help make you feel more confident.
Also, try to surround yourself with far more experienced jumpers, even on the ground. Most of these people have survived thousands of jumps because they made sound decisions throughout their skydiving career.I've learned a whole lot about skydiving standing at Pauls' bar, or at the fire.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!



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Slow deep breaths at altitude. On the ground small "panting" breaths will get you by, but at altitude, you have to take deep breaths and get the fresh all the way down in your lungs to the avoli sacs. I see this alot with people that have asthma, they have so much anxiety about not being able to breathe that they almost could tear through a brick wall to get a good breath. I am sure that you have jump anxiety, but some of it might be due to the panic mode your body goes into when your blood oxygen content gets low. Learn as much as you can about emergency procedures, and landing safety. The more you know in your mind that you have done everything you can to be safe the less you worry about it. I read the SIM manuel once a month at work, and it really calms me down.

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i went through the same on aff. maybe you have a hop'n'pop coming up and you are letting this frerak you out for other jumps. i dont know.
my instructor told me that i have to think positive at all times. Well it sounds easier to say than it is to think. Trust me, you go up on the next load and close your eyes focusing on your jump and running the jump through your mind, thinking full positivity take you through the jump. complete the jump and do it again on the next load. Always think positive, you do this for the next few jumps and you will relax and trust that thinking positive in your jumps keeps you safe. It is good to be nervous and if you find yourself nervous, realise that this is what keeps you alive. Once the aff is over you will be jumping with a coach and learning the discipline that you enjoy, this will take your mind of being scared of your surroundings and will be replaced with enjoyment of your surroundings. You must tell how your instructor how you feel because you are his student and he cares about your welbeing more than any other skydiver anywhere. sometimes it feels like instructors come down hard on you but they are like this cause they want you to stay alive.
It gets better,
blue skies dude.


.Karnage Krew Gear Store
.

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I am going through the same thing right now. As i jump more I get more confident in what i can do. My anxiety was so bad i would cry before i even got on the plane. Now i put my gear on know my plan and do it. Knowing as much as you can will help alot. Hang in there i hope it gets better for u.
Jana

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I’ve been jumping for a few months, have completed AFF and am almost to my A license.

However,

The more I jump, the more fear I have.
.......................................................................
I’m concerned with my exit, with others in the air, then deployment, then traffic as I’m setting up for landing, then landing itself (though this is getting better).
.......................................................................
I realize that some fear is a good thing; it keeps me safe. This amount of anxiety, though, is driving me crazy and is taking a lot of the fun out of the sport for me.



I did static line and not AFF but I do not think that it is any different concerning your worries. First of all let me tell you that in my first ten jumps, on the way to altitude I kept thinking: "what the f... am I doing here?" but it went away when training stepped in and had to perform the learned sequence for exit and jump. I stopped having those thoughts from my 11th jump on.

People are different, you and I are not the same, do not react the same, etc. But there is a trend. May be you are in that sort of mid-point in which you know much more than in your first jumps so you are more conscious of the risks involved but you do not have the experience to reassure you that safe behaviour (implying not taking risks beyond your known capabilities, gear checking, permanent learning attitude, etc.) is what will keep you nearly always out of trouble.

I would be lying if I assured that "safe behaviour" is a guarantee for incident-free skydiving. But it sure is a guarantee for staying out of trouble most of the time and for better outcomes if trouble arrives.

Keep your cool, breathe deeply, concentrate on your jump before and during the skydive and talk with your Instructors and experienced people around. Your aprehension should go away with time and jumps.

If you do all this and still have the same anxiety, well, what I learned in scuba diving appplies also here: Skydiving is fun, if it is not fun do not skydive.



HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

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I realize that some fear is a good thing; it keeps me safe. This amount of anxiety, though, is driving me crazy and is taking a lot of the fun out of the sport for me.

Is this normal? Will it ever go away? And any tips to help me continue until it does diminish?

The fear comes with increased understanding and comprehension with the situation you are putting yourself into. This is normal, and if controlled, healthy. The best way to work through it is to decide if this is something you really want to do, if you know how to save your life, and recognize that fear is okay.

Will it ever go away? For some, yes. I still get nervous doing something out-of-profile, like a hop-n-pop, or upon downsizing. This past weekend, I was nervous/fearful enough to seriously consider riding the plane down. I recognized that I was scared, considered why (hop-n-pop with my smaller reserve as my main), and drew confidence from the facts that: a) sooner or later I'd need to use this canopy - it *is* my reserve - b) I knew that I knew all the correct procedures, c) I knew I could handle this canopy, d) a little bit of self-perceived peer pressure (admit it, from time-to-time most of you have been influenced by this), and e) I really do get my jollies from skydiving. I jumped. Working through this has built within me more confidence for the next time I'm faced with this situation.

Recognize and acknowledge your fear. Let it advise you, not control you.

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try to learn everything you can.By knowing all of the things that can happen, and how to handle many different scenarios, you will be more prepared, and that should help make you feel more confident.



This was pretty much how it worked for me. I manged to screw almost everything up that was possible during my AFF, yet still manage (somehow) to sort things out eventually. After about a 10 jump nasty patch, I somehow began to feel that there wasn't anything that could happen that I hadn't already experienced or could not handle. Then I began to relax more and things started to happen!

As an aside: also around that time, stresses I had at work subsided (change of project) which made me less "edgy". Just a thought - are there any non-skydiving related issues which are compounding the problem for you? I have been amazed at how my own performance suffers in a variety of "risk" sports when I'm freaked out at work! :o[:/]
--
BASE #1182
Muff #3573
PFI #52; UK WSI #13

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I had anxiety up til around 100 jumps. I told myself many times in the plane that if "i land safely this time, i'll never jump again." Hehe, yeah right. Eventually the anxiety will go away. It just takes some people longer than others to lose it.

___________________________________________
meow

I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!

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You've hit "The Wall."

At some point, most skydivers somewhere between getting off student status and 75 jumps hit it. The "Wall" is the sudden collision between perceptual filters and reality.

How much of your first dive did you really remember without coaxing from your instructors. What happens when the adrenaline kicks in is; your perceptual filters give you tunnel vision. You remember the exit, a couple of things, the opening and perhaps the landing, but very few remember every second of the dive.

Factor in all the learning you've been doing regarding equipment, incidents, what not to do, etc. and after awhile it all sinks in - in one great big moment; about what you're doing, all the possible variables of what can or may go wrong and Wham, you hit the wall.

For most, it is an individual choice. Some choose to push past it, others choose to feel "lucky" and walk away. For those who wish to push past it, my suggestion has been to make 10 more skydives that are "all about me dives." No complexity, no RW or a simple 2-way with one or two points, Hop N Pops if you choose, leave last, open high, enjoy the canopy ride, etc. Do whatever it is YOU want for the next few dives. IF you're jumping with a Coach, just tell them, I'd only like to do one of the learning objectives for this dive and then just hang out till pull time. Don't get pushed into anything you don't want to do. If someone presses, simply tell them, "This is an all about me dive." Most skydivers will understand what that means and leave you alone.

If you choose to push past it, I wish you the best of luck. And for those who are telling you that this is the most dangerous phase, they are mistaken.

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Just yesterday, someone told me that I’m now entering the most dangerous phase of the sport, jump-number wise. This added just a bit to my level of apprehension.


Well, they were full of crap. The most dangerous phase is when you get a hundred jumps, know everything, won't listen to anybody, and downsize to a Velocity 97 because you're such a hot canopy pilot. Until then, you'll be fine. I'd recommend backing off on all the goals and everything you may have in mind. Just make some dives doing nothing in particular, or maybe jump with a coach that is a lot of fun to be with in the air. Sometimes another smiling face in freefall will really help you to relax. Keep going, it's worth it.:)

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Thank you for the responses. At least I know I'm not the only one.

I try to jump every weekend, weather permitting, so infrequency isn't too much of a problem. Once I'm in the plane, I'm much less nervous on the ride to altitude--breathing techniques really help (so does mentally rehearsing what I plan to do and singing to myself).

I'm still having fun, thankfully, because I really do love the sport. And while I always want to stay a little nervous, I'm hoping it will ebb in time.

"The Wall" sounds about right; I'm remembering a lot more about the actual freefall and realizing that, hey, there are other people nearby, too. Plus, I'm looking around more, something I didn't do when I was on AFF. My comfort zone has expanded, I suppose, so I'm more aware.

***********************
The most dangerous phase is when you get a hundred jumps, know everything, won't listen to anybody, and downsize to a Velocity 97 because you're such a hot canopy pilot. Until then, you'll be fine.
**********************

I think this was what he was talking about, in general in regards to jump-numbers, not me, specifically. I've heard about the 100 jump-wonders but I know that the more I learn, the more I have left to learn. Plus, I'm extremely conservative by nature and know enough to know that I don't know nearly enough--about anything.

Jumping with a coach has been helpful, as I've noticed I'm less stressed than. Haven't quite figured out why just yet, though I think it's having someone else as a reference point.

At least I do know I'll stick with this and see this through. I'm entirely too competitive with myself not to and, I realized last night, I'm already planning future jumps in my head.

Sorry for the length. Thank you all, again.

a.j.

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I got this just off AFF - jump 9 or 10, and i nearly didn't get back in the Plane. But then i asked my instructor with "x" thousand jumps - do you ever get scared, and his answer was "yeah, every time" and at that point the fear went from being a bad thing to being a good thing (and it gets better and better!!)

(Thanks Andy Pfeiffer, wherever you are!!;))
Never try to eat more than you can lift

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Don't get me wrong, I get worried when I think about the danger's of the sport. It's never once stoped me from getting on the plane or quitting the sport. I'm just getting my solo liscence now, but when I started to freefall, i'd always come down completely out of breath. I thought maybe I had my mouth open or something, but my instructors told me that you get that from anxiety, not being used to it or something. We'll it passed. I love this sport, I know i'll never stop learninig something new, therefore the anxiety will probably show it's face again.Free bird Forever

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Thank you again, everyone, for the advice. I took what everyone here said and applied the advice to my jumps this weekend, had a total "me" weekend. Here's what happened.

The last jump I did this weekend, I was to be third to last out on the first pass, surrounded by a group of people I've never seen before.Usually, my nerves at this point would be in overdrive, especially sitting next to the door, but instead, I thought about what I was going to do. When the person next to me learned that I, too, was a solo, he offered to do the jump with me, but because that wasn't my dive plan, and I knew what I wanted to work on, I politely declined and concentrated on what I was going to do, concentrated on touching my handles in the order I would pull them. At 5000', I watched as the hop 'n pop jumped. I watched him under canopy and enjoyed the beauty of that sight.

My turn to jump came. Someone helped me with spotting and told me to go, and I did a perfect diving exit, caught the relative wind and enjoyed the feeling of the air as my body "fell" into its arch while watching the plane go away. For the first time since I've been jumping, or maybe since the first time I jumped, I simply enjoyed the feeling of the wind, the feeling of flying, the beauty of the sky. I looked down for the first time ever, kept total altitude awareness, looked around and felt myself smiling in freefall.

After I pulled and saw the canopy, I played around a bit, as I usually do, and again, for the first time ever, saw my shadow in a what tiny bit of industrial haze there was in an otherwise flawless sky. Again, I smiled a huge smile and remembered why I want to continue doing this.

Landing still leaves a lot to be desired, but I'll work on that. My jumps in general still leave a lot to be desired, but as I told someone last night, while part of me regrets that I've waited this late in life to discover the sport, a larger part of me is so excited because I know that I have the rest of my life to do nothing but learn more.

I'm so looking forward to learning more.

Thank you all, again.

a.j.

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Thank you again, everyone, for the advice. I took what everyone here said and applied the advice to my jumps this weekend, had a total "me" weekend. Here's what happened.

The last jump I did this weekend, I was to be third to last out on the first pass, surrounded by a group of people I've never seen before.Usually, my nerves at this point would be in overdrive, especially sitting next to the door, but instead, I thought about what I was going to do. When the person next to me learned that I, too, was a solo, he offered to do the jump with me, but because that wasn't my dive plan, and I knew what I wanted to work on, I politely declined and concentrated on what I was going to do, concentrated on touching my handles in the order I would pull them. At 5000', I watched as the hop 'n pop jumped. I watched him under canopy and enjoyed the beauty of that sight.

My turn to jump came. Someone helped me with spotting and told me to go, and I did a perfect diving exit, caught the relative wind and enjoyed the feeling of the air as my body "fell" into its arch while watching the plane go away. For the first time since I've been jumping, or maybe since the first time I jumped, I simply enjoyed the feeling of the wind, the feeling of flying, the beauty of the sky. I looked down for the first time ever, kept total altitude awareness, looked around and felt myself smiling in freefall.

After I pulled and saw the canopy, I played around a bit, as I usually do, and again, for the first time ever, saw my shadow in a what tiny bit of industrial haze there was in an otherwise flawless sky. Again, I smiled a huge smile and remembered why I want to continue doing this.

Landing still leaves a lot to be desired, but I'll work on that. My jumps in general still leave a lot to be desired, but as I told someone last night, while part of me regrets that I've waited this late in life to discover the sport, a larger part of me is so excited because I know that I have the rest of my life to do nothing but learn more.

I'm so looking forward to learning more.

Thank you all, again.
a.j.



Thanks for the replay :)I am SOOO happy you have found that Freedom in the sky...
I (finally) found mine weekend before last....

Sadly, I may not be jumping for a while B|
(you think you had a bad landing... I can tell you about a bad landing ... and a chest mount altimeter :S)

KEEP enjoying the sky and keep telling us about it... so I can live it through you, for a while :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
earthbound misfit

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Your feelings are mutual, I am at my 76th jump and still feel quite of bit of apprehesion. Each skydive presents a different experience. To me skydiving becomes more complex with each jump hence it also
makes me become more Sharp in my thinking process therefore learn from it. Its normal to think
"WHAT IF" but I think of my self to be smarter than the average bear because I have to use my God given smarts to endure this extreme sport. I dont want to sound pompus but hey "we gotta think". I think you are at a very safe level in skydiving because of your post.. DON'T become complacent.
Stay alert and once your confidence light lites, your
skydiving will become a ton of fun.


Stay with it & blue skies

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Just yesterday, someone told me that I’m now entering the most dangerous phase of the sport, jump-number wise. This added just a bit to my level of apprehension.



Just as a side note....the most dangerous time in a skydiving career is not at 25 jumps, if I remember correctly, its more like at 1000. I could be off, but its def up there in jump numbers.


-Evo
Zoo Crew

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Concentration is a fantastic antidote for anxiety.

As some one who suffers from an anxiety disorder (I've had the whole panic till I cant breathe, hyperventilate till I passed out, genuinely believed I was dying from it, just from lying on my bed one night), skydiving for me is not a trigger for this, it is a CURE.

I spent 7 years of my life as a professional athlete in the sport of Freestyle Motocross performing with the Crusty Demons etc, and yet my anxiety prevents me from simply getting in an elevator. I cant do it.

I dunno bout you, but when im at 13k and that door opens and everybody looks at you like 'ok you first', im sure as hell not stressing about the fact that my girlfriend just broke up with me, or that my boss yelled at me yesterday, or that my rent is due and i my bank balance is negative. These are things that are triggers for anxiety. All I'm thinking about is what im about to do, which is possibly the coolest thing any body can do. To put all of your mental power into this one task that takes less than 6 minutes to complete is a powerful, rewarding thing that few sports demand from you.

Dont be scared of this fact, embrace it.

There are many things in life more dangerous than skydiving, things that have no back up and no amazing instructors and other talented people offering advice. What your doing is calculated, practiced, and incredibly rewarding.

I bet all your friends look at you and think ' I wish I had the balls to do what you do every weekend'

Your living life, be proud of that. Smile and scream.
A CHHHEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

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