Poll: Weird Phobias

flamingo.love

I have an irrational fear of stagnant water. example: I paid rent on two apartments for a month because I refused to live in an apartment by a retention pond because the water isn't moving. -I won't go into a lake for the same reason, yet the ocean is perfectly okay.-When FI and I first started dating he picked me up and placed me in a puddle, standing upright on both feet, and I instantly started crying and wouldn't move until he picked me up, then I refused to go anywhere until I went home and showered to wash the "microbes" off of me.

Brie2010

Ketchup.  It makes me nervous and sweaty and I have to avoid it.When I was little, I just didn't like ketchup and all the kids at school thought it was weird so they'd torment me by throwing ketchup packets at me.Oddly enough, I react better to some forms of ketchup than others.  Ketchup packets or ketchup on a hot dog is the worst.  I don't really like it out of a squeeze bottle on a plate.  I am more okay with it if it comes from a glass bottle.

[Deleted User]

I can't walk on grates on sidewalks. I will wait for other people to get out of the way so I can walk on the sidewalk and avoid the grates.

ggmae

Latex balloons. Mylar are fine though.

temerityjane

Paper. Most especially wet paper. But paper of any variety, crumpled, is horrifying to me. Thankfully, it's a known (if little known) phobia so I don't feel like a total freak.Other than paper, my top 3 fears:1. Getting hit in the back of the ankles with a shopping cart (I am NOT even a little bit joking)2. Bears (again, not even a little bit joking)3. Getting drunk and somehow ending up in a cheesey tourist restaurant in Scotland and going in the door that says "Laddies" instead of "Ladies." (mostly joking. mostly.)

[Deleted User]

Bathrooms. Even my own. It has to be spotless at all times and it still creeps me out real bad to be in it. Don't even get me started on public restrooms. I'm also weird about hair. If I see a stray hair, I will fixate on it and it will ruin my life for a few minutes.

fangsiting

Large ships.  I will never be able to go on a cruise. 

[Deleted User]

Paper. Most especially wet paper. But paper of any variety, crumpled, is horrifying to me. Thankfully, it's a known (if little known) phobia so I don't feel like a total freak.My sister has this too. Gum wrappers make her especially crazy.

[Deleted User]

Also I HAVE to put my left shoe first, I will search for the left one if I find the right one first. If I am at a shoe store and the sales person gives me the right show first I get all sweaty and panic a bit. So I avoid shoe sales people.

flamingo.love

Ketchup totally grosses me out too...Sometimes people give me dirty looks because I'll make a noise when they put a ton of it on their food.I HATE olives. Ick, and the red palmento, pimento, however you spell it, things in the middle gross me out even more

Brie2010

It's not a gross out thing though.  It's an actual fear reaction.  My heart starts pounding, my hands get clammy and I have to go to the other side of the room.

EmmaBride2B

The sound of tearing cardboard freaks me the heck out.

temerityjane

I agree with Brie - I don't find paper/crumpled paper/wet paper to be gross. I find it to be horrifying. I can't look at it. I can't do anything but fixate on wet or crumpled straw papers on the table. They MUST be removed from my site or I just completely panic. It doesn't make sense, of course, but that's what a phobia is - an irrational fear. Emphasis on fear. Oh, and irrational. Emphasis on the whole thing.

mrsLesGrossman

The basement doors on restaurants?  I fear stepping on one and falling through to break something. 

bbyckes

When I was little, I just didn't like ketchup and all the kids at school thought it was weird so they'd torment me by throwing ketchup packets at me.This totally reminds of the tampon-throwing scene in Carrie.  Brie, that sucks.

lyndausvi

Phobias - nope.  I actually don't get how people can have such fears of things.Odd habits - yes.  When I come in to my condo I HAVE to go to the bathroom.  Always.    I also have to have a 'final pee' before I go to bed.  I could have gone to the bathroom 15 minutes before hand, but I will still have a 'final pee' before I get into bed. If I don't I can't go to sleep until I do.My DH is has a phobia of cotton.  It's awful.  I can't even  have Q-tips out on the counter.  If he gets a Advil or something and he opens it and sees cotton he quickly closes it and hands it to me (or anyone else around).  I just laugh.  He is getting his 4 widom teeth out in a 10 days.. it should be interesting.

mocha beans

Frost on windows.  It seriously makes my teeth shiver.  Especially the fingernails on the frosty glass too, kinda like fingernails on chalkboards.  I felt really silly about it until FI's cousin's girlfriend said the same thing.  Now we can joke about it.

Brie2010

Kids can be cruel, dude.

tmm140

I am ridiculously afraid of wax museums. 

bbyckes

Lake water, river water - any water really that I can't see  all through.  I get weirded out and start thinking of all the horrific things swimming around in the water. Only pool water for me.I'm okay with the ocean, but I get freaked out abut the continental shelf.  Yes, I fear that I will walk right up to it and fall into the deep blue abyss.  I know that the continental shelf extends miles and miles from the shore, but to me - I'm about 10 quick steps from it.I also hate and fear seaweed. I'll eat it, but I cry, literally cry if it touches me.

lauralaur

Spiders. I know a lot of people are afraid of spiders, but if I see even a picture of one I shudder and I just. can't. look. The shudder is completely involuntary, I have no way of stopping it. I freak the heck out, and it's not even a real spider in the room. I don't know what I'm going to do when we go to Costa Rica for the honeymoon...When I was little I was terrified of fire. I couldn't even be in the same room as a lit candle. If we were at a restaurant that had a candle on the table, I would cover my mouth with my hands (don't ask me why I thought this helped), and refuse to move until the waiter came and blew it out. I think at one point my father told me to be careful around candles because I could burn the house down. Freaked me the hell out. I couldn't be anywhere near it. I grew out of that though, and now I'm fine with candles, bonfires, etc.

mrsLesGrossman

Capri = diva haha! 

nda_roxybabe

Hair. I hate it. I make the girls at work come over and get it off my desk. I can't even stand my own hair...it grosses me out so much. And if I find hair in my food (even my own) I won't eat it...I also hate cotton...I think its gross, same with tissues. I'll use them but it makes me shudder

mandysmear

BearsSnakesHeights (i can't even stand on my counter-top and then look down.  I get really scared, get into the fetile position and slowly slide off the counter.  Good thing I'm only 5'1"Caterpillars, slugs, wormsJune BugsBig dogs that I don't knowI get really nervous if we have less than 1L of milk in the fridge. There's a 24 hour qwik-e-mart a block from my house. 

3plus2=5

My only real fear is one that many people have of heights.  But only from stationary objects.  I have been a pilot for 18 years, no problems.  Sky diving, no problem.  I've hung out the back of a hercules at 7000', no problem.  But put me or my kids on the balcony at my parent's place on the 17th floor and get too close to the railing and I start to hyperventilate.I also have a dream a couple of times a week of one of my kids, usually my son, falling from a tall building.  Those dreams when you don't quite grab the person, or if you do you lose your grip on them.  They always wake me up in a complete panic.

kkchisholm

Black bears- even though people constantly tell me they are afraid of humans.I am a hiker/climber, and set up camp, anywhere and everywhere, in common bear areas. I can't sleep! it makes my hobby hard sometimes.oh- in the day time I can hike all through the trails and woods and think I am invincible.. but at night.. I cry like a baby.

baystateapple

Lobsters and crabs.

Loopyseven

kk - We hike and camp too.  I'm fine during the day.  All last week in New Hamshire I took the dog to the bathroom with me after dark.  Like my wussy dog is going to protect me from a bear .

steverani

CaCoffer...that is too funny! i thought I was the only one terrified of the continental shelf!! In college I took Oceanography and ever since I have had a weird terrifying fascination with the shelf and trenches...weird! I cannot be in the same room with a balloon being blown up. And even once it is blown up if it is bobbing around on the ground it freaks me out...when i was younger my mom would always have to take me home early from kid's bday parties like when the balloon animals were being made I would start screaming...I just get so anxious about the loud sudden noise... Clowns also scare me...it started with the movie Poltergeist and ever since I cannot even listen to the circus music or see a pic of a clown...I have also never been to a circus!

BubbleJ

Haircuts. I have a trim every couple of years for split ends and even that is hard. I haven't had a haircut in 6+ years. I blame my mother and nana for for home haircuts and bobs.My hair is nearly down to to bum and is too long to do much with...

bonniebelle33

Ferris wheels. Not rollercoasters - i love them. i'll go on ANY ride. excpet Ferris wheels.