Phobia

[still kicking]

So, I had 2 broken ankles and now I am scared about steps or escalators. Even so I walk ok. But I am worried about steps I know it is all in my mind but how can I change it? Any advice?

[scubascuba3]

Only way to get over something like that is to do it many times, go up steps and escalators

[CharlieH]

Gentle progressive ankle exercises to increase strength in the ankles coupled with balance exercises daily.As we age balance is often the issue.

This will support you better and  make the probabiliity of issue less likely thereby increasing your overall  confidence

[dddave]

Until you get your confidence back, use a cane or trekking pole to help with support.  I have bad knees which makes descending stairs difficult, especially if there is no handrail.  Handrails are surprisingly scarce in Thailand, even on the steep steps of some major banks.  A cane or other support really helps.

"Trekking Poles" look like ski poles.  They are very lightweight and most fold into 3 sections for easy storage.  Many available on Lazada.

Edited February 27, 2023 by dddave

[h90]

Focus on the handrail...Think about: If you have a firm grip on the handrail nothing too bad can happen. That may help to overcome that phobia....

[Sheryl]

This is a very common reaction. I have had similiar responses twice: once long ago after an assault at gunpoint and then 3 years ago after I was rammed into by a motorcycle at high speed while crossing an initially empty street.

 

In both  cases it resolved with time.  But it took a fair while and the resolution was quite gradual. I was initially very, very spooked. How long has it been since your accident?

 

Just yesterday for the first time I was able to cross the same street at the same place where my accident occurred almost 3 years ago without any anxiety. I've been pretty OK crossing streets in general for about a year now (difficulty lasted about 18 months but with steady gradual decrease in intensity) but that specific spot remained hard until yesterday.

 

For me at least, what I found was that after something like this happens there is a heightened awareness of one's physical vulnerability and also the illusion of safety that we all have and need to function gets shattered (it is an illusion, since the truth is that accidents and violent attacks  can happen at any time and our bodies are very fragile.. but to function in life, we need to be able to go around assuming that they aren't going to happen).

 

Tincture of Time, is my prescription for you. It is nto fast, but it works.

[still kicking]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

This is a very common reaction. I have had similiar responses twice: once long ago after an assault at gunpoint and then 3 years ago after I was rammed into by a motorcycle at high speed while crossing an initially empty street.

 

In both  cases it resolved with time.  But it took a fair while and the resolution was quite gradual. I was initially very, very spooked. How long has it been since your accident?

 

Just yesterday for the first time I was able to cross the same street at the same place where my accident occurred almost 3 years ago without any anxiety. I've been pretty OK crossing streets in general for about a year now (difficulty lasted about 18 months but with steady gradual decrease in intensity) but that specific spot remained hard until yesterday.

 

For me at least, what I found was that after something like this happens there is a heightened awareness of one's physical vulnerability and also the illusion of safety that we all have and need to function gets shattered (it is an illusion, since the truth is that accidents and violent attacks  can happen at any time and our bodies are very fragile.. but to function in life, we need to be able to go around assuming that they aren't going to happen).

 

Tincture of Time, is my prescription for you. It is nto fast, but it works.

Thanks for your reply Sheryl, I do walk OK but ones I have to take steps I am getting scared, 

now I am trying to use a lift whenever possible but sometimes there is no lift and I have to take some steps, after living in Thailand for a number of years and spending my holidays twice a year in Thailand so I do book different hotels but it is hard to work out which hotel has steps( I know most big hotels have a lift for upper stories ) but sometimes I still have to take some steps to get into the hotel and most of them got no handrails. I am about to come to Pattaya again end of May and I booked the same hotel again which was accessible for wheelchairs because it had no steps to get in. My last broken ankle was about 12 months ago. 

[simon43]

I maybe missed it, but how did your broken ankles occur?  What was the situation?

[still kicking]

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

I maybe missed it, but how did your broken ankles occur?  What was the situation?

The first time I tripped over a garden hose and the second time I slipped on a round seed of a tree outside my house