I am afraid of roller coasters. Now, before you are going to make fun of me, I do want to say I have a valid reason. I am terrified of heights. This would not be a problem if I did not visit theme parks or anything, but the problem is that there is not anyone who never visits theme parks. I am not just bringing this up out of thin air, trust me.
I am going to a theme park in exactly five days from now and I have never been there before, but what I do know is that the place is 90% made up of roller coasters (this is not factual at all, but it seems about right). Me, being the scaredy-cat that I am, asked my friend who has already been here, if there are any roller coasters with crazy heights; to which she replied, and I quote: ‘’Yes almost all of them, which is why I am surprised that you are going.’’ Hearing this was not great for the pulse of my heart which immediately started going crazy. This is when I came to the realisation that I only have one option left: the internet.
I am not joking when I am telling you that I actually looked up ways to get over your fear of roller coasters. Apparently, according to Google, repetition is key in eliminating your fear for roller coasters completely. Besides the fact that this is absolutely amazing, calming and nerve easing news for me, it is also not very helpful. Does my dear friend Google actually think I will walk up to a roller coaster that looks like it will turn my insides inside out, with the intention of going on it more than once?
I do have to say that taking the first step is the most difficult and that everything after that becomes fairly easy. Therefore the notion that riding a rollercoaster one time makes it easier to ride it again is not completely off.
If the problem lies with taking the first step, I should probably start with that and so my research continued. I eventually stumbled upon this site that talked about the ‘underlying fear’ a person who is afraid of roller coasters might have. It actually made some good points and said to bring a friend who is also scared of roller coasters so you can conquer your fears together. Then the article made a complete 180 as it proceeded to list a bunch of phobias, which according to the writer are all ‘very common’, yet the article closes off with a paragraph titled ‘Seek professional help’……
Before anybody thinks that I really have a severe problem, I have been on many roller coasters before and most of them I really enjoyed. I just do not love the ones with loops or droppings from great heights. All in all, I think I will just stick to the “bringing a friend” option. Because even if that does not work, it is always good to know that there is someone as annoying to the rest of the group as I am.
Author: Gauri Ghisai
Editor: Phoebe Elliott
Visuals by: Gabi Olenicz