Bravest greetings everyone! | A truly spooky week is creeping in — Halloween is just around the corner. |
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Neighbors are already decorating their homes with rustling ghosts; friends are picking their costumes (we are looking forward to the sea of pink jumpsuits with triangle masks); and the social media feed is filling up with slightly scary content. |
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But we decided to do things differently. Instead of scaring you, we’ll talk about how to enjoy the experience you might lose out of fear. |
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Important notice: For serious phobias, see a mental health professional. The suggestions below may help you deal with your fears, but you shouldn't follow them if your phobia might trigger a panic attack. |
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Acrophobia, a scientific name for the fear of heights, is a very common phenomenon. This phobia affects from 2 to 5 percent of the world's population, and even more people simply feel scared, standing on the edge of the abyss. So how can you defeat it? |
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To do this, it’s enough to climb up to a great height and allow yourself to get used to it. But how can one do that? Climbing a rock seems too easy and not as scary — you are still on solid ground after all. And parachuting is too radical. |
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The most interesting way to conquer the fear of heights is to go on a hot air balloon flight. By the way, Turkey is famous for its hot air balloon rides. Just imagine, you and your friends are rising above the ground in a flying basket, while dozens of other brightly colored hot air balloons are floating in the sky around you. The feeling of fear will be quickly replaced by the magical feeling of freedom. |
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We inherited the habit of being afraid of the dark from our ancestors — from a time when fierce predators roamed around, ready to attack us under the cover of night, and human vision was unable to distinguish their silhouettes. Times have changed, but nyctophobia decided to stick around. Even the bravest person sometimes gets chills in the dark. |
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The best way to overcome this fear is to go to a place which the sun doesn’t grace with its presence all day. We are talking about the Arctic: it’s here, among the snow and ice, that you’ll find out what the green and violet northern lights are hiding in the dark. They will flash, linger for a moment and then disappear. |
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And you’ll be surrounded by cool people, whose company will feel warmer than a flask of the hottest tea. |
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Thanatophobia is a completely natural fear of death. Of course, no one can avoid it, but reducing its impact on your life is much easier if you try to look at it from a different angle. |
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Mexico is best suited for it, as the Day of the Dead is the main holiday and cultural symbol of the country. Skulls entwined with flowers, unusual treats, and graveyard gatherings can change your view of death. |
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If the thought of caves and narrow corridors in castles makes you anxious, you may be suffering from a mild form of claustrophobia, a fear of confined spaces. |
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We came up with a great way to overcome it — a descent into a cave. But not just the first one that you come across. Choose light, well-ventilated, and frequently visited ones. You can find a cave like that in Slovenia — Postojna Cave with its karst tunnels and their curves and bends. |
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If the thought of meeting a big wild animal sends shivers down your spine, try to get to know some of them better. |  | Feed breakfast to a long-necked giraffe: it's insanely cute. |
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