In my line of work, I spend a lot of time calming the fears of adolescent kids as they perseverate over seemingly small, insignificant things.  They fixate on their appearance, what they say, what others say about them, and what may happen if they make a mistake.  They get themselves so worked up sometimes, I feel like there is nothing I can say or do.  They are free falling and I’m trying to be their parachute; they just refuse to pull the ripcord.

Putting this into perspective, I think about when I recently went indoor skydiving with my family. This was not my idea. In fact, the whole way there I was dreading the idea of my middle aged, cellulite ridden body climbing into a wind vortex. However, my husband and children were excited, so I put on my best mom smile and pushed forward.

If you have never had the pleasure of engaging in this uncomfortable experience let me break it down. You suit up, helmet and all, and receive a five-minute training from this super fit instructor on how to fall into this 100mph wind and hold your body in a position that will catch the wind just right to prevent you from falling. Basically, do your best Superman, keep your chin up, and most importantly don’t freak out.

After basic training was done, we all got in line and sat on a bench. One by one we took turns jumping into this wind filled tunnel for a whopping minute. A staff member waited inside the cylinder carefully guiding and prompting people how to fly. The first four people go and do great, including a 6-year-old girl. (Cue immediate pressure when a 6-year-old fearlessly crushes it while you are freaking out.) Then a teenage boy stepped up and instantly demonstrated why the instructor’s whole “don’t freak out” mantra was kind of a big deal. 

The boy falls into the tunnel and the instructor secures his waist with his hand to keep him steady. Then the boy made one wrong move causing him to wobble. After that jolt of instability, the boy began to panic. Legs and arms go every which way. The instructor continues to simultaneously hold him, while cuing him with a sign that means “calm down”. The boy’s flailing body causes both the instructor and him to stumble and fall as if they had just been released out of the back hatch of an airplane without a parachute.

Everyone watching was sitting on the edge of their seats as the instructor had to use every muscle possible to push this kid out of the door frame of the wind tunnel. They finally both fall through the door onto the ground. The instructor, a bit frustrated, helped the teen up and said, “You HAVE to relax kiddo. You are gonna get us both hurt in there.”

In 25 seconds, this poor kid learned a powerful life lesson about the ramifications of self-doubt and what can go wrong when we let fear go unhinged. Others try and keep us safe and on track, but little can be done when we freak out and lose control.

The reality is we are all trying to fly through this world, at times feeling out of control.  We tense every muscle possible to hold ourselves upright, while attempting to swallow our fear as life hits us at 100 miles per hour.  Though we may look elsewhere to find our courage and save ourselves, we neglect to realize that we hold the power to break our fall and glide through this world with a little more grace. Your ability to tune into your body, calm your thoughts, and trust yourself is your parachute.  So friends… stay calm. Your are the one wearing the parachute, trust yourself to pull the ripcord. You got this!