Phobias

LuckyAloha · June 2013

Does anybody have any strange phobias? Personally I am terrified of bees. I know it doesn't make sense, but even if I'm at a nice quiet dinner in public I will freak out and make a scene, if I'm driving I would have to pull over to the side of the road. Heights as well, even driving over bridges make me hyperventilate a little.

Not much else bothers me, snake, spiders, needles, etc.

Does anybody else have an irrational phobias?

WinstonsGirl · June 2013

Mostly painful ways of dying for me. Drowning and being stabbed are right up there. For some strange reason, my mind thinks getting shot would hurt less than getting stabbed.

MaryGraceRich · June 2013

I have a a horrible insect phobia. I dont like any of them. Even butterflies and lady bugs freak me out. I run away screaming. Its a completely illogical fear to me because they are so small and usually wont hurt me and yet I am terrified.

harper0813 · June 2013

smp - you're the first person I've ever met who's had a fear of a food, let alone peanut butter! Can you do peanuts? Or almond butter?

I am afraid of planes, but I'm hesitant to call it a "phobia" because I still use them. I love traveling. But whenever the plane hits turbulence (which lately has been EVERY flight - has is always been like that?) I burst into tears. I think it's linked to my fear of death, especially since I feel so out of control and helpless on a plane - like, if something goes amiss, you're dead. Boom. So scary. So because of this, I tend to also burst into tears when FI and I aren't sitting next to one another on a plane. No one's ever offered to switch seats, probably because they think I'm a lunatic and/or they like the seat they're in. So I don't blame them.

Oh and I don't like roller coasters one bit.

thejucheidea · June 2013

Cotton balls, condiments (ketchup, mayonnaise, et cetera), toilet tanks, moths.

LuckyAloha · June 2013

Wow it makes me feel better that I'm not the only one who has these phobias. Was it a traumatic event that triggered them, or have you always been terrified?

thejucheidea · June 2013

I've always been terrified by mine, especially mayonnaise and cotton balls.

easilyunamused · June 2013

Cardboard. I hate it. The smell of it makes me nauseous, the touch it make my skin crawl.

buddysmom80 · June 2013

I don't think I have a "phobia" per se. But, I hate snakes. I'm okay with boa constrictors, they don't bother me, but any other type of snake I freak out. I can't even watch them on TV.

Second one is flying, but I'm linking that to the fact that I don't have control over the aircraft.

Last flight I was on was JetBlue where everyone has their own TVs. The person sitting in front of me was watching a TV shows about snakes. I asked him to turn it over since I was getting anxious and he obliged. So I'd rather be on an airplane than watching a TV show with snakes.

kerbohl · June 2013

I love dogs, really big ones, small yappy ones . . . but I cannot be in the vicinity of a Dalmatian without having some kind of reaction. I've actually been working on it for the past number of years, so I no longer have panic attacks if I see one. I still react weird if I see them unexpectedly on tv, but no panic attacks.

My next door neighbour from when I was growing up was not all mentally there and thought it was appropriate to sick her two dalmatians on me when I was little every time I walked out of my house. I didn't stop carrying a big stick with me until I was 16. And she was best friends with the dog catcher, so nothing was ever done.

kerbohl · June 2013

@zobird I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I was reading an article about the effects of climate change and that the changing air temperatures are resulting in more frequent turbulence. So you are right to suspect that it has not always been like that - it's a recent development that they expect to continue.

Peaseblossom55 · June 2013

Snakes. most bugs, spiders and bees. I'm afraid of being stung.

I have a phobia of the word moist too..... I cringe when hearing it...

wittykitty14 · June 2013

I know I've got some weird ones, but for some reason, I can't think of them right now. But I can share a few stories though

@StageManager14-I get the fear of spiders. I'm not like that, but I know someone who is. She once had a small-ish spider on her front porch/entry way into her apartment, and she had to leave to go somewhere. She was unable to leave her apartment because her fear is very crippling. She ended up calling a friend, and waited about 30 minutes for him to come and take it away so she could leave.

Here's another one that's about food phobias. My cousin used to be absolutely terrified of strawberries. When she was about 3 years old, she was eating some strawberry shortcake outside on a paper plate. It was windy. The wind came along and blew the plate in her face, covering her with the shortcake. She was afraid of strawberries for years. I think she eventually got over that in her 20s or so.

I know I've got some phobias, but I'll have to come back and update later once I think of them!

Blue & White · June 2013

Needles, dehydration (leads to needles...)

I was in the hospital several times this month which made my anxiety worse so now driving causes anxiety and flying is terrifying. I'm getting counseling to bring the anxiety back down to normal

bunni727 · June 2013

My H is afraid of glitter. I have to open all of his birthday/Christmas/whatever cards and read them to him, so he doesn't risk running across any. I also decorate for holidays and vacuum immediately afterward. In theory, he can be in the same room as it, but can't touch it, but we all know glitter isn't easily contained, so we avoid having it in the house.

I'm full on agoraphobic. It's an absolute biiiiiitch.

Stage, I'm the "Love it" you have. I don't love that you have a phobia (they suck), I love that you take the time to make the distinction between fear or hate and a phobia.

jarednmegan · June 2013

Any bug with a stinger, but specifically wasps. I got stung twice as a kid...both times I was caught totally by surprise, so now whenever I see one I can't help freaking out.

elizabetheleven · June 2013

thejucheidea said:
Cotton balls, condiments (ketchup, mayonnaise, et cetera), toilet tanks, moths.

Moths!!!! I get made fun of constantly about it but those things are creepy man. They fly so haphazardly... It's not natural.

Also, you know those blow up tall men-balloon things they have outside of car dealerships or stores having a sale? Yeah, they terrify me.

wittykitty14 · June 2013

Ok, I thought of some more

Again, another one that's not mine. One of my friends has a phobia of fish. She is afraid to go near fish, either alive and swimming or if she sees them as food. When she was little, her dad brought a fish into her room that he just caught. I can't remember if it was alive or dead-she could tell you. Anyway, he held it in front of her face to gross her out, then he dropped it and it got on her bed. Yeah, I'd be afraid of fish too!

But here's what I remembered for me. Currently, I don't have any phobias. There are definitely things I'm afraid of-losing FI, drowning/running out of air, being home alone at night. I'd hardly call them phobias though. Just things I have a strong fear/dislike of and will avoid if possible.

When I was little though, there were a couple of irrational phobias I had, and I still have no idea why. Here they are: The William Tell Overature, USA Today (yeah, the newspaper) and the Batman symbol. I would RUN from these things if I saw/heard them.

harper0813 · June 2013

LuckyLucke said:
Wow it makes me feel better that I'm not the only one who has these phobias. Was it a traumatic event that triggered them, or have you always been terrified?

The descent into Quito's airport triggered it for me. I've been flying my whole life without any issues. But the Andes make the descent into Quito very steep and sudden, and even after eight years, my heart still races on planes and I cry uncontrollably during turbulence.

But again, I don't think it's a phobia. Because it doesn't override my desire to travel. In the end, it's always worth it.

jarednmegan · June 2013

wittykitty14 said:

Ok, I thought of some more
Again, another one that's not mine. One of my friends has a phobia of fish. She is afraid to go near fish, either alive and swimming or if she sees them as food. When she was little, her dad brought a fish into her room that he just caught. I can't remember if it was alive or dead-she could tell you. Anyway, he held it in front of her face to gross her out, then he dropped it and it got on her bed. Yeah, I'd be afraid of fish too!
But here's what I remembered for me. Currently, I don't have any phobias. There are definitely things I'm afraid of-losing FI, drowning/running out of air, being home alone at night. I'd hardly call them phobias though. Just things I have a strong fear/dislike of and will avoid if possible.
When I was little though, there were a couple of irrational phobias I had, and I still have no idea why. Here they are: The William Tell Overature, USA Today (yeah, the newspaper) and the Batman symbol. I would RUN from these things if I saw/heard them.

My parents used to let me watch "Unsolved Mysteries" with them, and it freaked me out. I got to the point that, whenever I heard the theme song, I'd run out of the room.

Same with the scene in "My Girl" when Thomas Jay gets stung. It was my favorite movie as a little kid, but I could never watch that part.

sdg2502 · June 2013

I've always had a phobia of needles. I totally freaked out throughout my childhood if I needed an injection or blood test, crying, fighting, hyperventilating. I had to get an injection or something once when I was a teenager and they had put numbing cream on my arm. I freaked out so much that at one point the nurse was willing to give the needle to my mum to see if I would react better to that. When they finally managed to do it, the cream had worn off.

I wanted a tattoo for ages and probably for the last ten years I have been convincing myself that a tattoo is totally different to a jag. I got my tattoo two years ago and was totally fine throughout so I appear to have managed to convince myself that a tattoo gun is different. It's weird though, it proves to me my problem isn't the pain or sting of a jag so I have no idea how to deal with it. If I'm watching something on TV and it shows a jag I have to hide my face, I feel sick and I feel my breath catching.

When I was little, I convinced myself that ladybirds had poisonous knees and so went from loving them to being terrified in case they kneed me

harper0813 · June 2013

kerbohl said:
@zobird I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I was reading an article about the effects of climate change and that the changing air temperatures are resulting in more frequent turbulence. So you are right to suspect that it has not always been like that - it's a recent development that they expect to continue.

Really! This is actually reassuring to me - I thought maybe my fear had made me notice turbulence I hadn't noticed before or that I irrationally believed that turbulent flights were once few and far between and I was slowly going mad. But I'm not looking forward to a increasingly more turbulent future!

ravenray · June 2013

I don't think I have any phobias per Stage's definition. But I do have a lot of fears.

I'm terrified of heights. The top of Jungfrau was the worst things ever, since they had this mental mesh operation deck that I was convinced was going to break. I hyperventilated on the way up the Eiffel tower too. Oddly though, I have no fear of flying.

I am becoming more and more afraid of deep water. I mostly ignored this as a kid but now it's hard for me to swim in deep water since I am convinced something is going to come up and eat me.

I'm terrified of dying but I don't think that is that big of a deal.

elizabetheleven · June 2013

jarednmegan said:

wittykitty14 said:

Ok, I thought of some more
Again, another one that's not mine. One of my friends has a phobia of fish. She is afraid to go near fish, either alive and swimming or if she sees them as food. When she was little, her dad brought a fish into her room that he just caught. I can't remember if it was alive or dead-she could tell you. Anyway, he held it in front of her face to gross her out, then he dropped it and it got on her bed. Yeah, I'd be afraid of fish too!
But here's what I remembered for me. Currently, I don't have any phobias. There are definitely things I'm afraid of-losing FI, drowning/running out of air, being home alone at night. I'd hardly call them phobias though. Just things I have a strong fear/dislike of and will avoid if possible.
When I was little though, there were a couple of irrational phobias I had, and I still have no idea why. Here they are: The William Tell Overature, USA Today (yeah, the newspaper) and the Batman symbol. I would RUN from these things if I saw/heard them.

My parents used to let me watch "Unsolved Mysteries" with them, and it freaked me out. I got to the point that, whenever I heard the theme song, I'd run out of the room.

Same with the scene in "My Girl" when Thomas Jay gets stung. It was my favorite movie as a little kid, but I could never watch that part.

I thought I was the only one! I have no fear of bees but I cannot watch the end of "My Girl"! I cry uncontrollably... and I'm usually not a cryer.

Peledreamsofrain · June 2013

Post removed due to GBCK

SapphireCounselor · June 2013

smp87 said:

Peanut butter.

Not kidding.

Don't put it anywhere near me, don't try to shove it in my mouth or force-feed it to me, don't make me look at it. I'll actually run away from you and start freaking out. I'm not sure if this is an aversion or a phobia. FI made me to eat peanut butter slathered on an apple when we were in college because he didn't realize how much I can't stand it (I'm gagging right now just thinking about it) and I started crying.

And I refuse to wash any dishes/utensils with peanut butter on them.

Replace the words "peanut butter" with "beans" and there's a good description of my random phobia. It's not my fault...I wish I liked them, I really do. And I am marrying a man of Mexican descent who believes that a meal isn't complete without beans. It's going to be a long lifetime, lol. JK

sdg2502 · June 2013

Peledreamsofrain said:

sdg2502 said:
I've always had a phobia of needles. I totally freaked out throughout my childhood if I needed an injection or blood test, crying, fighting, hyperventilating. I had to get an injection or something once when I was a teenager and they had put numbing cream on my arm. I freaked out so much that at one point the nurse was willing to give the needle to my mum to see if I would react better to that. When they finally managed to do it, the cream had worn off.

I wanted a tattoo for ages and probably for the last ten years I have been convincing myself that a tattoo is totally different to a jag. I got my tattoo two years ago and was totally fine throughout so I appear to have managed to convince myself that a tattoo gun is different. It's weird though, it proves to me my problem isn't the pain or sting of a jag so I have no idea how to deal with it. If I'm watching something on TV and it shows a jag I have to hide my face, I feel sick and I feel my breath catching.

When I was little, I convinced myself that ladybirds had poisonous knees and so went from loving them to being terrified in case they kneed me
My phobia is needles too, and you're right about the tat gun not triggering the fear. For me, it's the depth. 1/4 an inch is totally different than shoving through 3 inches of muscle and cartilage to place an unknown substance deep inside.

I recently had to get an epidural steroid injection and I almost lost my shit even though I was on TWO Xanex. The one part of my body I can't heal being at the mercy of a needle was beyond terrifying. I shook like a leaf for an hour afterwards, and the nurse was concerned about how grey I was after the procedure.
Worst part? I might have to do it again.

I can't imagine having to get an epidural injection, I can barely type it. I hate how when you try and explain this is your phobia people try and justify it by saying it won't hurt that much or whatever. I know it won't be life threatening but I still can't help myself. You have my total sympathy and I wish I had something to say that could actually help you. I've always wondered if hypnosis would help, I mean if I (and you) have managed to distinguish between needles for jags and needles for tats, maybe hypnosis could recreate that same mental disassociation in our brains?

CLoGreenEyes · June 2013

I'm part of the club who's terrified of being in planes. It's ridiculous, I managed to fly across the Atlantic and back - twice - and slept like a baby on those flights three or four years ago for study abroad trips. Then BF and I flew not even two hours to a wedding, and all of a sudden I was freaked and thinking of all the things that could go wrong. It didn't help that BF started geeking out about all the things that could go wrong on a plane and telling me his assessment of the particular plane we were on - must be the engineer in him, because he seemed totally oblivious to how afraid I was.

I also get irrationally freaked out by horror movies and crime dramas on TV. I used to LOVE that stuff and could watch all kinds of stuff, especially about serial killers (used to find them fascinating), and be able to sleep. Now movies or shows I saw years ago really bother me to the point where I can't sleep. It's actually getting a little bit ridiculous, now that I think about it.

Ajuliana · June 2013

@sdg2502 @peledreamsofrain The last time they drew blood to check my thyroid, I accidentally looked over and saw the blood in the vial and fainted.

I also have a phobia of adhesives, which has mostly subsided into a specific fear of stickers, but sometimes I just can't deal. I can touch stamps, but not registration stickers (I work with cars and face this often). Anyone have a weirder fear?

bethsmiles · June 2013

I'm terrified of birds. I hate them. It started as a fear of just chickens and has now escalated to most birds. When I was little my friend told me the chickens on his farm would peck my eyes out and then a few years later my dog killed a crow in our backyard and apparently that upset all the other crows because our backyard was a like a scene from the movie The Birds (which I've never actually seen but people always think that's why I'm afraid of them). Also I was almost attacked my a bird on a trip to D.C. once. I just can't be anywhere near birds at all anymore.

Also, I'm terrified of heights. This fear I try to overcome though. I'll go on roller-coasters and stuff. Although one time I did try when I was on a roller-coaster that broke down at pretty much it's highest point - I was older than I would like to admit.

I used to be afraid of needles but after being in the hospital for a week I got over it because I was around them so much.

Peledreamsofrain · June 2013

Post removed due to GBCK

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