[taurushead]

so..

i get that people (aka my friend

who's terrified of frogs and literally gets sweaty and dizzy even seeing those candy ones anywhere near her.) can have phobias of things that are COMPLETELY harmless, but is it ok to have one if its something dangerous? or..semi-dangerous?

ive been terrified by elevators for years. terrified enough to take 24 flights of stairs up certain buildings, and to once forced up onto the balcony of a hotel literally refuse to come down again (um..hello? rational thought? you can't live up there?!?! you HAVE to come down) for about 5 hours

the only time ive taken one in the last year was to see my grandma in hospital and i was so terrified that as soon as i got out of it a

. stupid huh?

anyway, new job started today. making coffee and the like in an extravagent office building. awesome job, like the manager, love making coffee, its all good. but..

for about an hour each morning my duties involve riding up and down the elevator taking orders and delivering coffees to those actually IN the building. sigh. when i was told that, i almost ran. BUT decided that was stupid and that it was FINALLY time to face this. so i did. survived the whole hour. barely. and one could say 'well now i know i can do it, this job will be a cinch' except thats just not the case. i figure the more times i do it, the danger doesn't reduce. it wasj ust luck that got me through. you know?

i know..i know..people travel in them all the time. thats the only thought that got me through. but people in the building just happened to comment (several seperate people?! ) about the dodginess of these ones and how they always get stuck etc etc ..and now that im home and thinking about it..i dont think i can do this.

do i force myself to? or just get another coffee job (lets face it, theyre easy to pick up, especially around melbourne) somewhere that doesn't involve daily hours of elevators??

i like the fact that i have the job NOW. but it wouldn't take long. sigh.

i just..i dont want to quit. but...i really..i dont know. i sound like such a baby. but im not talking 'oo i don't like these darn machines' im talking can't breathe, going to be sick, terrified each and every time. sigh.

advice (probably a knock on the noggin' and stern word about wasting employment, however replaceable) would be amazing..

 

[GhostUser]

You don't sound like a baby! My grandma is terrified of elevators, too. I don't really like them, either. I am slightly claustrophobic, so I can understand where you are coming from.

This is what I do. Try this: everytime you get in an elevator, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Remind yourself that the worse that can happen is the elevator gets stuck. But guess what? That's okay!! Because people can fix that. I read in the police blotter here at my University that a lot of the elevators get stuck (some of the building are pretty old), but it always always always says that everyone gets out okay, with no scratches! Just keep reminding yourself that nothing horrible is going to happen to you.

If I were you, I'd keep the job and show yourself that you are stronger than this fear of elevators. Look, you got through today!! I'm proud of you for that!!

And see, no harm was done. You are stronger than this, and this can be your opportunity to rise above your fear. I say stick with it, and see how it goes.

 

[taurushead]

'the worst that can happen is they get stuck"...they can't plummet? etc?

and yeah, your latter chunk there is what i thought would be wiser, and more deserving of any dignity. its just that it..i..yeah. can't formulate thoughts right now. ehe

 

[GhostUser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by taurushead

'the worst that can happen is they get stuck"...they can't plummet? etc?

and yeah, your latter chunk there is what i thought would be wiser, and more deserving of any dignity. its just that it..i..yeah. can't formulate thoughts right now. ehe

hehe

I don't think they can plummet.. I mean, I've never heard of that happening. Is it common? I've never seen it on the news before, and I watch/read the news often. Have you heard of it?

Elevators are inspected and certified regularly, ya know? So I doubt there is a significant chance of it falling. I think you're probably more likely to get chased down by a polar bear. (ok just kidding.

)

 

[Iria]

Have you ever sought treatment for this? It might be helpful, if you can afford it.

I get that way about thunderstorms (knew a girl who died from being hit by lightning). I've never actually seen a therapist or anything, but I'm having a hard time now at college because sometimes I have to walk outside in bad weather to get to class. Your phobia sounds a little more intense than mine, but I can see where it's coming from. Deep breathing helps, as does trying to distract yourself from your fear. The worst thing you can do is think "What if it stops, it's so small in here, etc." If you can get yourself distracted thinking about anything else (I know, that's hard), you won't remember to be scared.

I think if you keep the job, and keep doing it, it will be less scary. You've only been doing this one day, right? Eventually it will become more routine and as long as you don't fixate on the fear, you might stop being scared. It's worth a try.

 

[taurushead]

thanks to both

these were my sentiments also!!

its just the few other things that added to the negative job vibe, the fact that it triggers various ED things that have (til today) never been so close to being gone

and the fact that i could get a job paying the same, doing much less stuff, in a matter of a week. but i just..yeah. heads a mess today. but you're probably right. and im not gonna do the whole 'ohhh but i need to sort this out before i work' re: the ED thing coz it HAS been sorted, its FINE. ill just have to not let it come back.