On a daily basis, far too often, my anxiety gets the best of me.
That same anxiety crept up on me as I watched the way roller coasters climbed higher. This is one of many reasons that my attempts to face my fears of roller coasters have been to no avail.
Ever since I could remember, I have been terrified of roller coasters. From their tall drops to the upside down loop-the-loops, I have always been horrified — especially since everyone says the best roller coasters are ones with the biggest drops and most thrillingly fast speeds.
Additionally, horror stories of accidents occurring on the daunting rides kept me from attempting to face my fears. I know the chances are always very slim for anything terrible to happen, but that lingering fear stayed with me. I imagined that the one time I finally rode any roller coaster, something bad would inevitably happen.
Recently, I have finally conquered those fears through a trip to Six Flags during its Fright Fest event this past weekend. Going into the amusement park, I was void of all emotion as I saw the coasters that had previously terrorized me. I was still a bit nervous approaching my warm up ride of the “Judge Roy Scream,” even though it was one of the tamer rides. But that fear flew away just as the ride went by with its sets of repeated rises and falls.
Though that was only the warm up ride, the real challenge was still yet to come. I only had time for one more ride. That last ride was “The Batman,” one of the “scariest” rides at the park. Waiting in the line heightened my worries, but also my excitement to finally deal with the fear.
The shoulder restraints locked me into my seat. Then, the ride took off as my heart started racing for the thrills I was about to experience. It ended as quick as it started and, to my surprise, I was fine.
The realization of all those fears being in my head was one of the greatest reliefs I have experienced in a long while. In the end, it left me wanting to ride the next big, scary ride at the park and to get an even greater thrill than the last.
Just as all the anxiety built up on the rise, it finally disappeared — just like the fall. Maybe that anxiety in my head was simply a challenge waiting for me to overcome it, and like the roller coasters, much of my anxiety is waiting to be overcome. From the stresses of failing to the struggles of not being good enough, I need to face them, just like how I finally rode a roller coaster, to overcome those ideas haunting my mind.
