Do you have any irrational fears?

[Fly Girl]

I can''t think of any irrational fears. Not afraid of bugs, wear a life jacket around water, no problems with flying. I''d love to sign up for glider lessons.

In fact, I''m going flying tomorrow in a small plane.

I''m in control. If the weather is bad, I simply stay on the ground.

whitby - that was a serously bad situation you were in years ago. So sorry that it happened to you, but glad that you made it safely back to earth.

 

[Shopaholic]

Looking down into dark, murky waters.....and to go along with that....deep sea creatures! Not a lot of things scare me but those make my heart beat so fast and loud, I can''t even hear myself speak! Don''t get me wrong, I still go out on boats and go deep sea fishing, but whenever I look down into the waters or the time I fished up horseshoe crabs....oye, not fun!

 

[Luckyeshe]

I don''t do too well with frogs....

 

[katebar]

Birds!
I love to watch them fly but if one landed on me I would sh** myself.
Her in my part of Australia we have lots of colourful parrots and many attractions encourage the birds to sit on you as you fee them. I avoid these like the plague.
My cat ate my budgie when I was little and I think it stems from seeing the dead body but shouldn''t I fear cats?
As a psychologist I tried to desensitise myself and used the emu enclosure at the zoo! Now that is very hard core an emus are very large a make this ticking throat noise and at the zoo roam freely around you.
I did it and survived and it pretty much got rid of a lot of my fear but I still would never willingly touch a bird

 

[lulu]

Date: 7/18/2009 10:23:50 PM
Author: whitby_2773
Date: 7/18/2009 10:03:08 PM
Author: luluDate: 7/18/2009 1:31:45 PM

Author: whitby_2773

''being caught in a plane in an electrical storm and getting knocked out of the sky...oh - wait - that''s already happened to me....

took me the best part of 20 years to get over a deep, deep fear of flying.''


Whitby, did you really get hit by lightening in an airplane? The rest of it is hysterical. I have the image of your eyeballs looking around from a jar on the mantel.



hi lulu

i wasn''t hit by lightning, no, but i was on a plane that got caught in an electrical storm. it was a prop, too, as opposed to a jet, and only seated about 28 people, so we were getting completely battered around and the pilot couldnt land. we didn''t have sufficient fuel to go to another airport (this was in regional NSW in australia, so think ''back of beyond'' a trifle), and he kept circling and circling, trying to land. when it first started getting bumpy, i looked over at tim (who is the sort of flyer who finds turbulence soothing!), and he was reading his book, totally unperturbed. i looked again 5 minutes later as the turbulence got out of control, and he was gripping the arm rails, his lips dead white. i asked him later what he thought was going to happen and he said that he thought we were all going to die. it was so bumpy that you couldn''t keep one leg crossed over the other - the bumps and plummets would throw the upper leg up into the air...

people were screaming and at least half the people on the flight threw up. the stewardesses were yelling down the aisle telling people to tighten their seat belts and hold on (NOT comforting!). we circled, and circled, trying to land, but every time we did, we''d hit a hard down draft that thrust us down towards the ground, making us far too close to do an approach to the runway. the pilot circled 8 times, and every time we were pushed down out of the sky. the wings were rocking wildly up and down - there was no stability to it and it was clear that the pilot was barely in control of the plane.

in the end he landed - somewhat short of the runway. we were on tarmac, but not on runway as such. the stewardesses spoke ot us on the way out, and they both said, without question, that this was the worst flight they''d ever been on.

it was absolutely, utterly terrifying.

Just read this Whitby. Not sure I would have ever flown again.(flown"?)

 

[jewelerman]

I have a thing about getting gasoline, bleach or rust on my hands or jewelry. I also fear fire.When I was young a gas can blew up in my face and a few years ago my house caught fire when i was unable to walk and in a wheel chair.

 

[cindygenit]

I have an irrational fear of horror movies/shows.

I don''t watch them, and when there is a scary movie preview on TV i have to turn the TV off because it would scare me.

After being forced to watch "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" by my bestfriend, i woke up at 3 am every day for about a month. The first time it happened, i stayed completely still for one hour and breathed really quietly so that the evil spirit won''t get to me. Oh, and I also prayed to god for dear life for that whole hour.

I also watch "Nip/Tuck", not exactly a horror movie (more like a drama series) but after The Carver episodes, i have an OCD with locking windows, doors, etc. No window will be open unless absolutely necessary. I am also afraid when my FI goes to work at night, and I have to leave the radio on for noise.

I HAVE to realise one of these days that these horrow shows are fictional and the chances of me dying a horrific, and spectacular death like a horror movie scene is unlikely. *touch wood*

 

[Moh 10]

I can not watch anyone getting an injection or surgery.

 

[cindygenit]

Date: 8/4/2009 1:06:40 AM
Author: Moh 10
I can not watch anyone getting an injection or surgery.

Why Moh?

I had to watch my two little brothers getting surgery and hold their hands. Not the best feeling emotionally but the surgery itself doesn''t scare me. (As long as its not me being operated on)

 

[Moh 10]

I don't know.
These are irrationals fears.

I have to look away.

Oddly I don't mind shots in my mouth from the dentist.
But anywhere else on my body freaks me out.

 

[cindygenit]

i want to add another one: Snails. The thought of the slime they leave and their disgusting skin makes me

. If i see one, i will scream. (no joke)

 

[AdiS]

Clowns. I guess it''s all because of this huge clown rag doll I had when I was like 3 years old. Someone gave it to me as a gift and my parents thought it was cool and hung it over my bed. I remember waking up at night and finding it staring at me in the dark. It happened three or four times until my parents realized why I was screaming and crying and the doll was gone but the damage was done. I can''t stand clowns now, I hate their huge shoes and red noses, and... Ugh!
Also, spiders. No plausible explanation as to why, I just hate them. Big, small, tiny, makes no difference. I hate them all equally.

 

[Lynnie]

Seagulls. Stems from an incident I had with a pack of them when I was about 5. I was on the beach with my family, and I was eating some Cheeze-its. I threw one to a seagull. All of a sudden, I was swarmed by a pack of them. I ran (with the box of Cheeze-its). They followed. I was scared sh**less. My mom finally caught up with me enough to yell "THROW THE BOX!", and I did, and they relented. I was in hysterics for a good hour or so.
Does that make it rational??

I also have a bit of OCD when it comes to my keys. I''ll check my purse 3 or 4 times before getting out of the car. I need to know where they are at all times.

Moh, my MIL has that fear of shots. I went with her to the hospital (her sister had cancer). The nurse came in to give her sister a shot, and MIL passed out, just from watching!

 

[CNOS128]

Date: 7/20/2009 1:59:29 AM
Author: Kaleigh
9/11 wrecked me.

For well over a year after 9/11, whenever a plane flew overhead I would start trembling and hyperventilating, and sometimes crying. Oddly, I wasn''t afraid to fly on a plane, I was just terrified that a plane was going to crash into a building I was in, or walking by. Now it doesn''t happen anymore, but it was a long time before that feeling of panic faded.

Also, since starting law school I''ve developed new fears. I know many people who have worked on scaffolding collapse lawsuits, and I''m terrified of getting crushed by scaffolding (apparently it happens quite a bit). And I''m afraid of falling through grates on the sidewalk, so I try to avoid walking on them (I also hate the warm dirty air that blows up from them). I also have this fear of being pushed onto the subway tracks by a crazy person (but many of my friends share this fear, strangely enough).

 

[cammy85]

Date: 7/18/2009 5:47:08 PM
Author: HollyS
Irrational?

I''m always rational. Therefore, my fears are perfectly normal. They are.

There are things I wouldn''t do. Bungee jump. Skydive. Other dangerous sports/activities. Not into life-threatening hobbies.

Living in TX, and having spent my youth in IL, I''m very aware and very cautious about tornadoes. Storm chasing would not be exhilerating for me; it would scare the crap out of me. I watch the radar very carefully during the spring.

I fear a house fire. Or car fire. Being trapped by fire. Or just losing my house to it. I don''t obsess over it, but it comes to mind often. I have many candles, but I don''t often light them. Again, living in TX, where we have been more dry than wet most of the last decade, wildfires are a concern. And with darn good reason; we had a big one last summer within a quarter mile of the house. Scary.

But I think those are all rational fears. The only ''phobia'' I ever had is long gone, banished forever, and I don''t share it with anyone who didn''t know me when I had it.

When I was younger, I always used to be anxious going away for vacation, because I''d fear every time we get home our house will be gone - as in burnt down or something. I have no idea where that fear came from, but I do remember that last turn to our street and I''d be peering out the window trying to see if our house was still there.

i loathe clowns. scared of scuba diving (but may still try it one day). and tornados. I''m a recent transplant to illinois, and i liked it better when i didn''t know that the tornado siren was for a real warning. I thought they were just testing it. now i get panicked when I see news reports of tornado-favorable weather. ugh.

 

[MonkeyPie]

I doubt it''s irrational, but I have a bee phobia. It''s gotten better over the years, though. I was attacked by a whole hive, which flew into my hair and stung my scalp MANY times over, when I was about 12. It was horrible.

 

[Moh 10]

Date: 8/4/2009 10:10:55 AM
Author: MonkeyPie
I doubt it''s irrational, but I have a bee phobia. It''s gotten better over the years, though. I was attacked by a whole hive, which flew into my hair and stung my scalp MANY times over, when I was about 12. It was horrible.

That''s awful.

So do you now have an irrational fear of beehive hairdos too?

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 8/4/2009 10:19:16 AM
Author: Moh 10

Date: 8/4/2009 10:10:55 AM

Author: MonkeyPie

I doubt it''s irrational, but I have a bee phobia. It''s gotten better over the years, though. I was attacked by a whole hive, which flew into my hair and stung my scalp MANY times over, when I was about 12. It was horrible.

That''s awful.

So do you now have an irrational fear of beehive hairdos too?

I do of THAT one! Ugh, it looks like it might eat me!

 

[gemgirl]

Date: 8/4/2009 2:14:21 AM
Author: cindygenit
i want to add another one: Snails. The thought of the slime they leave and their disgusting skin makes me

. If i see one, i will scream. (no joke)

I can appreciate the ughck factor there. We have slugs on Long Island, lots and lots of slime trailing slugs and I don''t like them at all, and I HATE when one of my dogs goes near one to sniff it. I''m a meany. As soon as I see one, I run for the salt. It''s kind of like the Wicked Witch of the West being hit with water.

 

[Lilac]

Date: 8/4/2009 9:42:07 AM
Author: TheBigT

Date: 7/20/2009 1:59:29 AM

Author: Kaleigh

9/11 wrecked me.

For well over a year after 9/11, whenever a plane flew overhead I would start trembling and hyperventilating, and sometimes crying. Oddly, I wasn''t afraid to fly on a plane, I was just terrified that a plane was going to crash into a building I was in, or walking by. Now it doesn''t happen anymore, but it was a long time before that feeling of panic faded.

Also, since starting law school I''ve developed new fears. I know many people who have worked on scaffolding collapse lawsuits, and I''m terrified of getting crushed by scaffolding (apparently it happens quite a bit). And I''m afraid of falling through grates on the sidewalk, so I try to avoid walking on them (I also hate the warm dirty air that blows up from them). I also have this fear of being pushed onto the subway tracks by a crazy person (but many of my friends share this fear, strangely enough).

It''s still like this for me. Every time I see a low-flying plane I start shaking and my heart drops. And on planes whenever I see someone get up in the middle of the flight I start panicking and shaking and watching their every move. I was never scared before 9/11 of planes or flying but now I''m terrified.

 

[lovewhitediamonds]

Rollercoasters going off the track

 

[purselover]

fish -they just freak me out I have no idea why

I''m also afraid to be outside during storms I''m terrified of being struck by lightening

 

[4ever]

Do I ever!

Fear of crunching on a pip while eating fruit or on egg shell while eating omlete (Working on this one, not so bad now- i will eat an omlete, i'll just try not to let my bottem and top teeth meet to much).

Fear of forgetting how to drive while driving- forgetting how to stop or rolling backwards down a hill.

My most major irrational fear is fear of unfamiliar places and social situations. I'm get very anxious if I'm somewhere with no people I know well or in a place I don't know well. For example: I like to eat out at places I've been before and am fearful of those I have not because I don't know what it will be like, what kind of people will be there, do I order at the counter/bar or is it table service, where the toilets are etc. All this = much anxiety and great aversion to unfamilar places. I could never go somewhere I han't been before by my self but every so offen I let my BF take me somewhere new if I can handel it that day.

I also find it difficult to talk to strangers.....down to I won't go into a shop for somthing I need if I don't think I can talk to the sales assistant to ask for it.

I have "issues". lol

ETA: Also I'm scared of being hit by a train. My first primary school was near train tracks and to teach us not to cross them, as new entrents we were shown a video of a dumbie being hit and dragged along under a train while spirting blood. I don't mind being in a train but I do NOT not waiting on the platform or getting on/off. When my BF and I first met in London he would make a joke like he was going to fall onto the tracks of the undergroud- I was fairly hysterical and he has since learnt not to eff with my fear of trains.

 

[cindygenit]

Date: 8/4/2009 12:54:04 PM
Author: gemgirl

Date: 8/4/2009 2:14:21 AM
Author: cindygenit
i want to add another one: Snails. The thought of the slime they leave and their disgusting skin makes me

. If i see one, i will scream. (no joke)

I can appreciate the ughck factor there. We have slugs on Long Island, lots and lots of slime trailing slugs and I don''t like them at all, and I HATE when one of my dogs goes near one to sniff it. I''m a meany. As soon as I see one, I run for the salt. It''s kind of like the Wicked Witch of the West being hit with water.

LOL

 

[Porridge]

Nothing here, well I hate wasps and bees, but they sting you...

However my best friend has a humdinger of an irrational fear: Buttons. She is largely one of the most rational people I know, and tries very hard to hide it, but she just becomes extremely uncomfortable around buttons. Especially ones that are just there for decoration. Her mum says she''s had this since she was a baby, just hated being near buttons. If she touches one she also has to wash her hands later.
I met one other person who has the same fear, and have seen it once on tv as part of a strange phobias documentary.

I also know two people that will not touch fruit. One is way worse than the other, can''t have it on the table he''s sitting at or anything. One night, years ago, his roomates at college hid some oranges in his bed and he didn''t sleep there for nearly 2 weeks!!

 

[4ever]

I also HATE making phone calls to the point I''d call it a fear. I get anxious and my palms sweat, my mouth gets dry and my heart rate goes nuts, it''s worse the less I know the person. If it''s a complete stranger somtimes I just can''t do it.....
I have less of a reaction to calling friends but get more anxious if I think some one else might answer the phone.

I also don''t like answering the phone if I can help it, the sound of a ringing phone that I may be expected to answer makes my heart rate shoot up. I''d realy rather people didn''t ring me.

 

[cellososweet]

Nuns. Hate ''em. They freak me out to the point that if I see one I have to turn around and breathe deeply for a few seconds.

 

[y2kitty]

I''m afraid of Dalmations... a couple of years ago I worked at animal shelter and one mauled someone while I was standing 5 feet away in front of them (taking a picture for the website).