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Getting Over Fears

The last time I went skiing was in 2001, and I haven’t wanted to go back since…

We went skiing for the long weekend, and it was my first time in over 20 years. The last time I went skiing was in 2001, and I haven’t wanted to go back since. On the last run of that trip in 2001, I decided to go down a side path which ended up being icier than I realized. I slipped, tumbled into the air, and landed…badly. I tore two ligaments in my knee and had 6 months of physical therapy during my last semester of college. It was a rough time, and my knee has never been the same since. I tried skiing again a couple more times after I healed up, and I was just scared after that. On the heels of that long recovery, I just couldn’t give it my all for fear that I’d have to go through all the pain and work again. So I wrote off skiing.

Since having kids, my husband (who loves snow sports) has been eagerly wanting to do a family trip. I kept pushing it off and not really entertaining any snow trips for our family in fear of another injury. But we finally got to the point where I realized that my fear meant that he was missing out on an activity he loved, and we were potentially missing an opportunity for us to create more memories together with a new family activity.

So, we spent the last six months planning for this long weekend trip with some friends, and I spent the last six months doing some extra strength-training to help protect my knee by being as strong as possible. As the “need to be in control” person that I am, I did whatever I could to prevent my worse fear from happening. And, you know what?

It was amazing! We had such a fun family trip! My kids got to learn how to ski for the first time, they saw their first snowfall, and experienced their first blizzard! And, I didn’t hurt myself! Wooo! Not only did I not get injured this time, but I felt more confident about it, less fearful, and actually had FUN!

This year for me is about getting over my fears AND focusing on fun—both of which this trip allowed me to do. Sometimes when we get older, we feel set in our ways and start to settle into what feels “safe” for us. But I learned a lot from this weekend, that it’s okay to push myself and not let old fear or old ways of being get in the way.

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