Student Anxiety Issues

[imthegerm 0]

hello, im having a serious problem right now, I am trying to make my jump #14 and I think that I have waited too long, last jump was dec.31st. due to DZO change ups (skydive san diego) and other menial hassles, i am having trouble with anxiousness. i went to my DZ twice this weekend and both times could not even make it to the equipment rental area. i feel very anxious and scared to death. my 13th jump was a little scary, pulled upside down at 3500 ft. at least i didnt compromise stability for altitude! ? I dont know why i'm suddenly scared, but does anyone have any advise on how to deal with this? once i'm out the door i'm in heaven, normally...just very hesitant out of nowhere..help me...

[labrys 0]

I can't offer much advice, but I'll tell you about my first recurrency jump. I had about 50 jumps at the time and had been unable to jump for about 3-4 months because of cold weather.

I was scared as hell when I got to the DZ. Just something short of terrified, honestly. I didn't feel so scared that I couldn't get into the plane, though.

At about 10,000 feet after a lot of deep breathing I started to smell the air at altitude...that wonderful, clean smell.
It made me feel relaxed and reminded me how much fun I was about to have. I didn't feel worried at all.

So maybe get prepared and let yourself get on the load with permission (from yourself) to ride the plane down if you feel you can't go through with it.

Maybe just being on the load will work for you. Good Luck!

Owned by Remi #?

[steveorino 7]

What method of instruction are you using? I began with IAD. I was not arching enough or dearched at pull time a few times. I too had 13 jumps and was thinking after a on-my-side pull "I have over 100 military jumps, I haven't nothing to prove. I don't need this!" I told another friend of mine who was jumping at a different DZ about this. He recommended I come there I did. The primary method Skydive Airtight uses is AFF. I switched to AFF and never had a serious problem or anxiety after that. The low altitude learning (IAD) was not for me.

steveOrino

[Feeblemind 1]

Quote

hello, im having a serious problem right now, I am trying to make my jump #14 and I think that I have waited too long, last jump was dec.31st. due to DZO change ups (skydive san diego) and other menial hassles, i am having trouble with anxiousness. i went to my DZ twice this weekend and both times could not even make it to the equipment rental area. i feel very anxious and scared to death. my 13th jump was a little scary, pulled upside down at 3500 ft. at least i didnt compromise stability for altitude! ? I dont know why i'm suddenly scared, but does anyone have any advise on how to deal with this? once i'm out the door i'm in heaven, normally...just very hesitant out of nowhere..help me...

According to the Sim section 5-2:

1. All students who have not jumped in 30 days or more should receive refresher training:


a. Review all standard procedures which were-or should have been-previously acquired.


(1) physical skills

(2) theoretical knowledge

b. Practice emergency procedures in a harness simulator under the guidance of a rated USPA Coach, Instructor, or Instructor Examiner.

c. A student should repeat reserve deployment training once each month until obtaining a USPA A License, including the use of a harness simulator and the pull of an actual reserve ripcord while in the training harness.

2. IAD or static-line method students on freefall status but not yet cleared for freefall self-supervision who have not jumped within the preceding 30 days should make at least one satisfactory jump in their initial training method, with a successful practice deployment, under the direct supervision of an appropriately rated USPA Instructor, before returning to freefall status.


3. IAD and static-line method students cleared to self-supervise in freefall but who have not jumped in the preceding--


(1) 30 days: should make at least one jump under the direct supervision of a USPA Instructor until demonstrating the ability to start and stop turns, maintain altitude awareness, and maintain stability during deployment

(2) 60 days: should make at least one satisfactory jump in their initial training method, with a successful practice deployment, under the direct supervision of an appropriately rated USPA Instructor, before returning to freefall status

4. AFF students cleared to self-supervise in freefall but who have not jumped in the preceding 30 days should make at least one jump and demonstrate the ability to start and stop turns, maintain altitude awareness, and the ability to maintain stability during deployment, with a currently rated AFF Instructor.

Schedule your jump and get back into the air with an AFF-I you trust. We have all made mistakes during our training that grab our attention. Even though it sounds like jump 13 went a little bad you stopped the sky dive and are here to discuss it and your concerns.

Good Luck,

Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked

[calledisrael 0]

hey - i know exactly how you feel. i had an accident on aff 6, and the jump that followed it was excruciating. (actually, the jump was great - the anticipation of it and the plane to altitude were what sucked.) we trained and trained and trained for that jump, and the guy who jumped with me was so confident. (he yelled at me alot in the plane. 'are you a skydiver?' 'yes, i'm a skydiver!' i had to own it.)

i was a slightly nervous student... and instruction was hard for me. i wanted more encouragement than i was actually getting. my original affi was incredibly technically competent and a really amazing flyer - he just wasn't that emotional about his jumping, and i needed a bit more of that, especially after my incident. i gave myself the space to need that and ended up finding an instructor who i trusted so much, he was very qualified but also a very good teacher and encourager, and he was as committed to me being a good skydiver as i was.

i haven't jumped in six months because i had to get my shoulder repaired, and i have moved across the state in the interim. but i can tell you for sure that in three weeks and six days when i can jump again i am headed right back to that dz because i trust these guys and know they will help me get back in and be well-trained. i would do pretty much anything mark wanted me to, because i know he is with me. and that (for me at least) is the sort of environment i learn well in.

so good luck to you. take space when you need it. if you don't feel good about jumping, don't do it. but train, visualize, stay current and familiar, and find an instructor who you really do feel completely safe with.

life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.
(helen keller)

[Trae 1]

in reply to "just very hesitant out of nowhere..help me... "
.......................
Sometimes fear is worth listening to.
If it's that bad perhaps you should take a look at the people you're jumping with.
Do you trust the instructors? does the gear look good?
Are you being treated well at the DZ? eg are people friendly or is it like death warmed up?

Some warped skydivers delight in scaring the bejeezers out of students/novices. This can seriously affect a persons feelings of being in safe hands.
If this is the case then perhaps you should hunt around a bit and find a DZ more professional where the intructors and skydivers present exude more of a sense of trust and responsibility.

If it's more your own created anxiety just be careful that you don't put yourself into a situation beyond your control. Long slow breaths can help and positive affirmations also have their place. If you can , look out the window a lot on the climb to height . It's often (always ) beautiful out there and looking at the ground gets you orientated and can help you adjust to what you're about to do.

Do you get anxious crossing a busy road.? .. perhaps not . This is heaps more dangerous than skydiving. perhaps you can get your confidence up by doing this but hey be careful

[rasmack 0]

Just about everyone goes through a phase of fear. I was scared s**tless on jumps 5 and 6 and then I sort of got over it.

There is no shame in asking an instructor for advice and help. They have seen it a thousand times before.

HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227
“I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.”
- Not quite Oscar Wilde...

[Hawkins121 0]

I felt the same as you up to jump #20. Not counting 37 military static line (gogo 82nd). Then it clicked. Do everything you need to do. Check your gear, know the emergency procedures etc... and then just "Let Go." For me it was more along the lines of "Fuck it" but you know what i mean. I know it sounds easier than it is. It took me a while and i'm sure on some days i'll still feel it. and quite honestly I hope I always feel some part of the anxiety to keep me sharp. I dont want to get into "auto" mode and get to confident. Thats when you forget to check your hackey and end up riding your reserve in.

[Hawkins121 0]

I just noticed that you said you pulled at 3500 upside down. Maybe some time in the tunnel will help. Take a trip up to perris and get a coach. (80 miles from SD) If you are more confident in freefall maybe alot of your fears will disapate. The tunnel helped me get rid of the anxiety of losing stability etc.

[nate_1979 9]

I was scared to death of every jump I did, until my 19th jump.. I went to the DZ (san diego) many times without jumping through out those jumps, and every time I did go up I literally had to force myself.. I hated going up, but I just couldnt get away from it either.. Just think of getting gear , getting in the plane, and jumping and force yourself to smile, it's amazing what a smile can do with your fears

Were you the one hanging out by the mock-ups saturday talking about renting gear?

As far as above comment about tunnel, a few of us carpool up to perris / elsinore every weekend for the most part, if you dont wanna drive there.

FGF #???
I miss the sky...
There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't.

[Jackpunx 0]

come up to Perris next weekend.. Lets meet.. we'll support you

[MattFallsFast 0]

Quote

hello, having a serious problem right now, i am having trouble with anxiousness.
could not even make it to the equipment rental area. i feel very anxious and scared to death...little scary, pulled upside down at 3500 ft.

What, all this coming from "The Germ"? I don't believe it. Your profile clearly states you have 6 Freestyle jumps under your belt and from your story you can even deploy upside down! I think this is all a gag and we're collectively being Punk'd.
If it is any consolation, some people actually lose control of bodily functions due to the fear and you've never done that (have you?!).
Don't fret, it'll be alright. Just go and do it. Or just don't do it and regret it for the rest of your life. Either way, you'll still get an issue of Parachutist magazine delivered to your home each month.

[Jackpunx 0]

Quote

Quote

hello, having a serious problem right now, i am having trouble with anxiousness.
could not even make it to the equipment rental area. i feel very anxious and scared to death...little scary, pulled upside down at 3500 ft.

What, all this coming from "The Germ"? I don't believe it. Your profile clearly states you have 6 Freestyle jumps under your belt and from your story you can even deploy upside down! I think this is all a gag and we're collectively being Punk'd.
If it is any consolation, some people actually lose control of bodily functions due to the fear and you've never done that (have you?!).
Don't fret, it'll be alright. Just go and do it. Or just don't do it and regret it for the rest of your life. Either way, you'll still get an issue of Parachutist magazine delivered to your home each month.

thats funny right there... LOL.. I dont care who you are LMAO

[mattyblast 0]

Indeed a longer-than-usual break between jumps for us students can make the next jump following that break more scary than usual. And I can only imagine how much more horrifying it can seem whenn that last jump had something go wrong to shake you up.

Training, reviewing, asking questions, etc., is most important, in my humble opinion. If I'm still feeling extra nervous, what has worked for me is if I listen to a soothing song in the car on the way to the DZ, or while on the ground waiting to be called. Then, while you're in the plane, pretend you're still listening to the song (obviously you're not bringing any sort of music player with you--just so everyone's 100% clear that's not what I'm suggesting).

Take deep breaths and use your recollection to continue to "hear" the song in your head...try to "hear" it as clearly and accurately as you can. Not only will the effort you're putting into recollecting the song relax you a bit, but the song itself will relax you, too. It will work especially well if you're a dork like me who likes the occassional Bach chorale or Beethoven symphony.

Go back and forth between:
- Thinking about the song.
- Looking out the window and locate the airport & take an inventory of surroundings, and of course:
- Going over, in your head, the jump, its objectives, and the execution of those objectives.
- Going over the jump with your jumpmaster.

(In other words, don't let this think-about-a-song method work so well that you forget about the important things you're supposed to be doing as a student).

Here's another idea: some time between now and the day of the jump, agree to give yourself a reward for going through with it successfully. New pair of jeans, new CD, steak dinner,...anything. Something to make you say to yourself, "Yes, this is scary, but when I make it through, I'm going to treat myself to....

Or tell a cheesy joke to somebody else on the plane.

Or shake your hands out and then deliberately make your wrists go limp to show yourself how relaxed you are.

Be the first one to do the "slap me some skin" motion with the other jumpers on the plane, wishing them a good skydive. I love the way jumpers do that--it's corny (in a good way) and gets me pumped.

Good luck, my friend. If you still are too horror-stricken to jump, then listen to your body and don't jump. If you do conquer your fears and make it, post an update on this thread, will ya? I'll be glad to hear the news.

"DOOR!!!"

[Jackpunx 0]

Or you can get yourself a camera and strap it on your head.. You'll forget all about the jump

Just kidding... Gosh!

[mattyblast 0]

LOL! I deserved that. (Good one.)

"DOOR!!!"

[skr 1]

> I dont know why i'm suddenly scared,

Ha! It's probably because we're mammals
and we're not supposed to be doing this
kind of stuff.

The advice so far in this thread is good.

The sports psychology stuff - breathing
and relaxing, focusing on and practicing
all the stuff you know how to do right, the
wind tunnel for practicing technique.

Even more powerful may be the suggestion
to find some experienced jumpers to hang
out with and tune into their states of mind.

How come they're not scared?

Well probably some of them are feeling a
little anxiety in one form or another but they're
just not showing it, and you're comparing your
insides with their outsides.


I don't know if the fear ever goes away.

The fear of the unknown gradually goes
away as you gain experience and competence
and find your place in the jump world, but the
root fear, falling and hitting the ground, doesn't.

Sometimes it's so far in the background that I
don't notice it. Other times, like if I haven't jumped
in a while it's more noticable.

I don't really like the feeling, but I just accept that
it's one of the less pleasant parts of jumping, like
the long drive to the drop zone, or the checkbook
with a two digit balance.


At your stage I'm guessing that it's the feeling of
competence in freefall, you know, like:

"What are you so scared of?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'm just in a lethal environment,
a life and death situation, and I'm not sure I know
how to do all the right moves."

Before tunnels came along the best approach was
to find a good instructor/mentor/coach and make
20 or 40 jumps really close together, but these days
a good instructor/mentor/coach and a tunnel could
be an even better answer.

Skr

[bob.dino 1]

Quote

Well probably some of them are feeling a
little anxiety in one form or another but they're
just not showing it, and you're comparing your
insides with their outsides.

One of the best things about doing 4-way: you don't have time to be scared. And the gloves hide the fact that your palms are all sweaty!

[Darryn 0]

from everyone ive talked to, they have all gone through the same thing. And all around the same jump #. I had the same issues around jump 15 or so. You start questioning wheater it's worth it or not. The very next jump i did, the split sec. the last part of my body left the plane I realised why I jump. All anxiety went away intantly......ahhhhhh..... no one to answer to for the next couple of min. except yourself and God!!!!!! After awhile, you will have anxiety from not having the opportunity to jump. It all goes away man, just go jump!!!

[Airman1270 0]

23 years and I'm still scared most of the time. Not the crippling, first-jump kind of scared, but there is usually a healthy dose of anxiety. In addition, my whole jump career has been a series of long layoffs between jumps. My longest was about ten months between jumps #1 & 2 after my broken ankle healed, then a seven-month layoff when I had fewer than 150 jumps. During my student days it was not unusual to go 3-4 weeks or more between DZ trips. But back then nobody made a big deal about it. I just picked up where I had left off.

Last year I took four months off, then had a wierd experience: On the way to altitude I felt NO fear at all. VERY unusual.

Don't worry about the fear; It proves you're one of us.

Cheers,
Jon S.

[tbrown 26]

Ha! It's probably because we're mammals
and we're not supposed to be doing this
kind of stuff.

I don't know if the fear ever goes away.

The fear of the unknown gradually goes
away as you gain experience and competence
and find your place in the jump world, but the
root fear, falling and hitting the ground, doesn't.

Before tunnels came along the best approach was
to find a good instructor/mentor/coach and make
20 or 40 jumps really close together, but these days
a good instructor/mentor/coach and a tunnel could
be an even better answer.

[skydivermom 0]

Man, on my first five SL jumps, it's amazing I could even hang onto the strut at all because I shook so bad. That "crippling" fear vanished once I got off of the static line.

I still experience climb/door fear, but I too am okay once I'm outside the plane. I really think the fear is your mind's way of telling you "this is your last chance to back out". Once you are out the door, your mind knows there is no turning back. I believe it's a survival skill, and it is actually part of the fun!

Every experienced jumper has told me that some fear is normal....and that if there ever comes a day when there is NO fear or anxiety, it's time to quit!

Mrs. WaltAppel

All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

[steveorino 7]

Quote

Or you can get yourself a camera and strap it on your head.. You'll forget all about the jump

Just kidding... Gosh!

Still smarting from your spanking, eh?

steveOrino

[Jackpunx 0]

Quote

Quote

Or you can get yourself a camera and strap it on your head.. You'll forget all about the jump

Just kidding... Gosh!

Still smarting from your spanking, eh?

LOL.. Im ok man.. (sniff sniff) (turns around and kicks rocks as he walks away)...LOL