What is...

[Benway]

As long as I'm not looking UP, I'm good. The other thing I cannot do...simply CANNOT....is watch someone swinging on a swing. Nope. I get nauseous and have a giant panic attack. I can't even think it...my stomach is turning now. My children had a deprived swingless life!

That's really extreme! The ferris wheel must really have taken courage!
I was the opposite. I was one of those kids who used to go really high on swings standing up and then leap off. And also scare the hell out of teachers at junior school (age 7-11) by climbing onto the top of the fold out stuff in the gym with the poles and climbing ropes attached and then once I calmly walked up and down on the top on a wooden beam about two inches thick while casually chatting to the other kids and the teacher was going into fits of panic. I had no fear of heights. If I could do it at ground level why not up there?

The cathedral night cured me of that! I now have a healthy fear of heights like normal people.

Edit: I just remembered that it didn't. When I first moved into this building in 1999- 2000 I used to climb out of the fourth story balcony and use the roof as a shortcut to get to my friend who lived in an adjacent wing of the building. I have no idea how I became normally scared of heights. Though I was on that night at the cathedral!!!!

 

[Charleh]

That's really extreme! The ferris wheel must really have taken courage!
I was the opposite. I was one of those kids who used to go really high on swings standing up and then leap off. And also scare the hell out of teachers at junior school by climbing onto the top of the fold out stuff in the gym with the poles and climbing ropes attached and then once I calmly walked up and down on the top on a wooden beam about two inches thick while casually chatting to the other kids and the teacher was going into fits of panic. I had no fear of heights. If I could do it at ground level why not up there?

The cathedral night cured me of that! I now have a healthy fear of heights like normal people.

Did I tell you the recent time I almost fell off a roof on a construction site? Not intentional thought

 

[Benway]

Did I tell you the recent time I almost fell off a roof on a construction site? Not intentional thought

No you didn't! Go ahead!

 

[Seahunter]

Here's where I was stuck:
View attachment 12586
I was on the top of the archway and had to climb around the back and side (no view that I could find) so I could reach the gap between buildings where a roof slopes down to about 8ft off the ground. The building wasn't a damn Starbucks then so at least I didn't have to be embarrassed as well as scared. You can just make out somebody standing in the archway so you can judge the height.

 

[Seahunter]

Swam through 75 foot long, completely submerged tunnel. It was about 3 feet across but had plant matter on all surfaces so kind of like tentacle reaching out for me.

It left me with a life long mild case of claustrophobia.

I did it because it was...a dare by older kids. I was 15 years old and stupid envious of the older guys.

I have dreams (nightmares) of drowning or suffocating. I can really relate to this.

 

[Seahunter]

I was trapped on the top of a building and as I couldn't get anyone on the ground to notice me (believe me I tried), I (despite having almost fallen to my death shortly before) gave up safety and went out onto a narrow ledge with only the front of my feet able to fit and hugging the wall and tried to reach a way down. It hadn't seemed windy until I was out there and I have never been so conscious of the balance of weight in my own body. Of course I looked down! I'd guess it was about forty feet up with a drop onto hard stone. That was bad enough and then I got to the corner of the tower... Going around that corner is the most terrifying thing I ever did on purpose.

This was the same night I had my experience with the consciousness of everyone. I should really write about the whole night. The fact that there were people on the ground who didn't acknowledge I existed no matter how much I screamed and shouted for help was part of the weirdness of that night and the only reason I went out onto the ledge.

I see the photo! That arch is waaaaaay up there!!

 

[Seahunter]

Mine was to get on a Ferris Wheel. Now, I know...that sounds like it should be fun, right? My fear of heights is phobic level and this thing was HUGE. My sister challenged me to face my fears. Welp, let me tell ya! The man running the darn thing let me do one round up and down and stopped it to let me off as I fainted on the "down" trip. I guess he was a little afraid of me sliding right out of the thing. My sister was zero help...she was laughing too hard.

I agree with Wands, people that use your own fear against you are some of the meanest, most dangerous people on the planet when they literally risk your life!

 

[Seahunter]

WHAT IS THE SCARIEST THING YOU'VE EVER DONE ON PURPOSE? AND WHY DID YOU DO IT?

 

[Charleh]

No you didn't! Go ahead!

Ok this December I had a temp construction job. And one day we were boarding up the roof. So we got on the jack. And once we got to the top, it was pretty windy and we were at about 30 feet up. And when those things tilt the thing doesn’t lie you go up or down lest the damn thing tip over. So my supervisor had 3 more people on the lift, and he kept going a foot up, a foot down, etc. And I thought he said “let’s get off” so when we were still, i jumped. At that instand he jerked the thing down 3 feet. I jumped just in time to grab the side of the roof. And i already unhooked my fall harness from the lift. So took my supervisor a second to finally lift the jack so I could back on. That was a scary few seconds because below me was some rebar........

 

[Benway]

Ok this December I had a temp construction job. And one day we were boarding up the roof. So we got on the jack. And once we got to the top, it was pretty windy and we were at about 30 feet up. And when those things tilt the thing doesn’t lie you go up or down lest the damn thing tip over. So my supervisor had 3 more people on the lift, and he kept going a foot up, a foot down, etc. And I thought he said “let’s get off” so when we were still, i jumped. At that instand he jerked the thing down 3 feet. I jumped just in time to grab the side of the roof. And i already unhooked my fall harness from the lift. So took my supervisor a second to finally lift the jack so I could back on. That was a scary few seconds because below me was some rebar........

That is scary. I can imagine the feeling of stomach lurching up and nearly falling... It's hard to describe isn't it? I'm so glad you made it!