Fear vs. nerves?

[npgraphicdesign 2]

When I am sitting at the open door, ready to jump out, I get nervous and can't seem to relax. Not sure whether it's just my fear of heights (yes I am somewhat afraid of heights) or is it nervousness because of what I am about to do? I am sure that it disappears in time as I gain more experience and knowledge, but how do I conquer the nerves/fear short term?

For everyone else, was it fear or nerves that you experienced at the open door? How did you conquer it?

[airtwardo 6]

Call it whatever...it's your physical reaction to the mind processing the ingrained survival instinct.

it's gets conditioned out the more you execute the given task.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Scoop 0]

I still get nervous when trying new things, new gear or having not jumped for a while. I find a good way to calm myself and help focus is by controlling my breathing. The usual slow in-through-the-nose-out-through-the-mouth method. Works for me. Takes me to my happy place

[FallloutboyDAoC 0]

If you have the time, listen to Brian Germain's lecture on fear.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TranscendingFear

[LaRusic 0]

Just rememeber, you are about to jump out of a plane with a big piece of nylon there to save your life.....fucking rights its scary, especially for the first few times. Best thing i have found, not only in skydiving but in scuba and rock climbing, is trust in my gear, my training and the fact that there have been hundreds of thousands of people before me that have done it.

dont worry about conquering all right away, its a slow process, it wasnt until about jump 50 that i was comfortable with thought of diving out of a plane.if it wasnt scarey it wouldnt be fun

The Altitude above you, the runway behind you, and the fuel not in the plane are totally worthless
Dudeist Skydiver # 10

[AFFI 0]

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Call it whatever...it's your physical reaction to the mind processing the ingrained survival instinct.

it's gets conditioned out the more you execute the given task.

Well said WaDo

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[wolfriverjoe 1,354]

Mine still hasn't disappeared completely. I hope it never does. That would mean that I've gotten complacent to the point that I would be a danger to myself and others

It does get better with time. The slow, controlled breathing (in through the nose, out through the mouth) helps too.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[bikerxxuk 0]

Yes, what you are feeling is the adrenalin surge. Especially on the climb up to altitude as the oxygen thins out a bit.
Deep breaths, shake your arms out and give a massive smile to those around you. They will all be feeling the same thing. That's why we do this.

It's my Natural Arch !

It has nothing to do with pies whatsoever !

[DonTheGeek 0]

I still get the same thing although it has lessened a bit. Like others have said, controlled breathing helps. Smile! You'll start to relax. If I'm really nervous I'll crack some jokes.

On my first hop 'n' pop on the ride up one of the instructors was telling me how I needed to arch and watch the plane head away as I went out the door. Well, I was really nervous about the "low" jump as well as the fact that I was on the floor next to the door -- All of these very new things to this new jumper. He looked at me and said "I want you to tell me what's written on the bottom of the plane when we get down." I looked him straight in the eye and said "That's easy. Your mom's number!" Lame, I know. But I calmed right down.

[nomal2day 0]

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dont worry about conquering all right away, its a slow process, it wasnt until about jump 50 that i was comfortable with thought of diving out of a plane.if it wasnt scarey it wouldnt be fun

+1! Well said!

'To fly is heaven, to freefall is divine'

'You only need 2 tools. WD40 for when it doesn't move but should, and duct tape for when it moves but shouldn't'

[novacaine 0]

For me its simply fear! I am the type of guy that would rather drive somewhere then fly.
I was involve in a minor crash in my youth, and since then I prefer not to fly.
Though, I find that the walk to the aircaft to be the most troublesome thing I can do. So once that door opens at altitude I am more then looking forward t get the fuck out!!

Though, like mentioned here, a slow collective breathing works well to help maintian my composer inflight.

[Nukrites 0]

I still feel it on the way up, but as soon as the door opens......I know that I will be all right, I just let myself go, it disappears after I do more than couple jumps that day. I like that feeling, it lets me know that I`m really alive and the life is BEAUTiFUL!



ps. I had more than couple beers, so maybe I`m just exaggerating........or something

[TerminatorSRT4 0]

well I see that mainly low-number jumpers posted in here, so I feel comfortable

on some occasions I get more nervous than others, such as the first jump after not jumping for 2-3 weeks, but every single time I have ever been nervous, as soon as I get out the door all the nervousness goes away and then I'm just happy and excited and having the time of my life

on my first hop n pop I don't think I was ever more nervous in my life, seeing the ground that close and having a dozen people staring at you while you were getting ready to exit, but the second I jumped out and was staring at the guy staring at me all the nervousness went away and I deployed perfectly and had a great ride down

so I guess it's just the anticipation for me, after the time comes to jump my nervousness goes away

ok, I'll shut up now!

[jclalor 12]

First couple jumps sheer terror from jumpming out of a plane, next couple of jumps, major performance anxiety from having to perform AFF shit. Next 10 jumps still kind of jittery, and now nothing much. Take your pulse on the way to altitude every few jumps and I am sure it will go down in time.

[format 0]

The day I realize these feelings went away for good

is a day I'll find another sport.
Hope it never comes!

What goes around, comes later.

[Waldschrat 0]

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"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared."

Eddie Rickenbacker

[airathanas 0]

The flight-or-flight reaction is completely normal-
It is the body's way of getting ready for action.

How does that saying go?
"the trick is not getting rid of the butterflies, but getting them to fly in formation."

From take off to jump run, keep taking smooth breaths. And smile!

http://3ringnecklace.com/

[Tuna-Salad 0]

Took me 30-35 jumps to get over it. Mostly to get over the fact that when I dive out I'm not going to hit anything.
It's a fact most of our lives you have been taught to stay away from the edge of heights. Skydiving goes against everything you have been taught since birth. I got over it by 30 jumps but it still comes back on me every once in a while. Last jump I had the "what the fuck am I about to do?" go though my head.
Once you get over that skydiving becomes much easier and more fun.

Millions of my potential children died on your daughters' face last night.

[EXTremeWade 0]

I stil become VERY anxious and nervous until I leave the plane...it all goes away after that...I am glad I still get scared. It keeps you in check!

[denete 2]

Why conquer it? Unless it is keeping you from doing what you want/need to do, why not enjoy it. I personally love that feeling.

SCR #14809

"our attitude is the thing most capable of keeping us safe"
(look, grab, look, grab, peel, punch, punch, arch)

[maxmadmax 8]

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When I am sitting at the open door, ready to jump out, I get nervous and can't seem to relax. Not sure whether it's just my fear of heights (yes I am somewhat afraid of heights) or is it nervousness because of what I am about to do?

Greetings,

Your fear of heights is normal. I have a very healthy respect for ladders. I know too many folks that have screws and plates in their legs from ladder accidents.

I can't tell you when it will happen but you will lose your fear regarding the open door. In fact, with time, you will look forward to the door being opened!

And just remember there ain't very many folks that jump from a plane. You are among a very small number.

I guarannnnnntee it!
Ciao,
Mad Max

Don't go away mad....just go away!

[MarkM 0]

The nerve/fear response is biological. You can't not feel it. Evolution has made it a requirement. So anytime you do something your instincts associate as "dangerous", heights, speak in front of crowds, ask a pretty girl out, interview for a job, your body is going to react the same way until it learns doing that won't kill you(you do it enough times).

Brian Germain has some goods books on the subject. You can control the response by tricking your body into a less heightened state. Slow down, breathe deeply, focus, flow.

[LloydDobbler 2]

Lots of good advice here. I second the recommendation to check out Brian Germain's video.

Also, +1 to what Twardo said:

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Call it whatever...it's your physical reaction to the mind processing the ingrained survival instinct.

it's gets conditioned out the more you execute the given task.

I don't really think you should worry if it's 'nerves' OR 'fear' - either way, your adrenalin surges when that door opens. It's a normal, natural reaction. Just keep at it, and it will wear itself out over time.

In the meantime, you've got to find what works for you. For me, I reminded myself that 'once you get out the door, it's all going to be good.' Knowing that my fear of the door would be washed a way the second I got outside somehow made me calmer.

The other thing that worked was visualizing the dive. When that moment of anxiety hit as someone yelled 'DOOR!', I allowed myself a split second of 'oh shit', then forced myself back to breathing and concentrating on the dive at hand. Taking your mind off of it really helps...and visualizing the dive flow makes for a better jump, too.

Signatures are the new black.

[LyraM45 0]

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I stil become VERY anxious and nervous until I leave the plane...it all goes away after that...I am glad I still get scared. It keeps you in check!

I am exactly the same way. I'm nervous and anxious the night before I know I'm heading out to the dz, right up until the door opens on that first jump of the day. As soon as I'm out, I'm 75% better, and then when my canopy is opened and my airspace clear with the landing area in front of me, I'm just about 100% better. I'm a very anxious person to begin with, and sometimes I wonder if I'm so nervous and anxious about the jump that its to the point where it over takes the fun. But then again, if I didn't have that heart pounding, nervous about to throw up shaky feeling, would it be boring? I'd still think it were beautiful, but would it be as much of a rush? The nerves are also good, as somebody else pointed out already, because it keeps me on top of my shit and always on my toes; I'm a gear check Nazi and first person to sit out in high winds, etc.

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

[UDSkyJunkie 0]

Assuming your profile's accurate, at 11 jumps (or 20 or 30 anyway), it's probably still a mix of both, but probably mostly nerves.

nerves can hit the experienced too. I remember spending about 10 minutes on the ramp of a casa due to traffic and multiple go-arounds... after awhile, standing 2 feet from the door at 13k started to get to me. At 700+ jumps I did a balloon jump, and for no good reason, my heart was pumping like crazy... almost as much as at exit time at round 1 of my first nationals... by that time I was at 900+. Also during some of my AFF instructor eval dives... nerves were going full-force! though that was quickly out-stripped by the first few actual AFF's I had to do! I remember my first malfuction too... I reacted fairly calmly and did exactly what my training told me to do, but afterwards my heart was pounding and I fogged up my helmet, which never happens. was still shaking when I landed, even though everything went perfect.

To conquer it, you just have to keep at it. your mind and body will adjust. I will say that some slow, deep breathing shortly before walking to the door has and still does help me calm my mind a bit in the short term. Once you're out the door, it all goes away!

"Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."