Your Phobias and fears

[TheyCallMeBruce]

I'm terrified of ghosts. I think being born and raised in an asian country has something to do with it.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Not a coward at all... most of the things mentioned in this thread are regular fears or at least not things to be comfortable with.

Except I would try and get that swimming thing sorted out if I were you. You just never know when you'll need to keep your head above water. It reminds me of last weekend where my friends and I all went camping. My one friend doesn't know how to swim, and told us that. We were out in the lake and he seemed to be doing just fine. We swam to a dock in the middle of the lake and he made it just fine. Everyone started telling him "see? its not that hard you just doggypaddle". Then on the way back in, I was swimming right next to him, and his head kept getting lower... lower... lower... by the time I made it over there his mouth was just BARELY above water!

Its a fair point but I would never put myself in that type of situation. I can honestly say except for the one incident when I was a very young child i"ve never been in danger of drowning.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Spiders
Swimming in open water (lakes, ocean) - you just don't know what's in there, what's swimming around your legs...

[DuffMan]

I was put under when I got my wisdom teeth removed.

Another one I just thought of is when I put thumbtacks into the wall too hang something up I always think of the little spike breaking through the end, and into my thumb.

Snakes, spiders, bees wasps don't bug me at all.
Rats, a little bit.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I'm terrified of the unknown, if I can't reasonably predict and outcome, or even it's possiblities I avoid it at all cost.

ie: I'm terrified to just walk up to people I don't know and start talking. Unless I'm at work and it's my job to sell them something (which I did for years) then that's ok because I'm doing my job and the outcome is either "yes I have a question" or "no not now". But just mingle chit-chat, I get ill.

I have a fear of sending off job applications as well, as I don't know how they're going about looking at it, if I'm exactly what they're looking for, etc. If I don't know I get really freaked out.

It's not that I'm a control freak, I just like to be able to ... I dunno ... roll with the punches? People say "nothing stresses you out" which is very untrue, but when it comes to school/work/etc I'm cool, but when it's something that I seriously don't know what can happen, I get weirded out/scared.

[Buff]

I'm scared of people finding out my real phobias and using them against me.

[Eastern Girl]

Originally Posted by Buff

I'm scared of people finding out my real phobias and using them against me.

Same here. On top of the others that I mentioned, I have one main phobia that I didn't mention because whenever anyone finds out about it, they mercilessly make fun of me and taunt me with it.

[Patek23]

I got one that nobody else has mentioned. I'm am extremely afraid of getting old. Not afraid of dying the least bit it's just a natural part of life, but I'm worried that something won't happen to bump me off when I'm getting into my senior years and I'll have to live till 80+. I have friends who admit to laying at night and scaring themselves spitless over the fact that when they die they're done and that's it, me I have the same thing about getting old. For myself a perfect life would be to die just as soon as there are things that start to limit me off such as losing the ability to drive etc.

[Weiser Wonder]

Heights. Or being under big buildings makes me uneasy.

[CaramonLS]

Water where I cannot see the bottom.

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Water where I cannot see the bottom.

here, here, the cover of Jaws always pops into my head when I think about it

also: Mike Flatley Lord of the dance...scares the bejesus out of me

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by ken0042

OK, I have to ask. How does somebody not learn how to swim? I've only ever met one other person who couldn't swim, and it turns out he's a 1st generation Canadian.

Myself, I don't even recall being taught how to swim. I know we used to go to the pool when I was in nursery school, and I was able to swim then.

Or is it just that you aren't a good swimmer? I know myself I am a classic dog paddler. When I got my scuba certification we had to prove we could swim 20 laps without stopping. My instructer got mad because I was taking so long.

I cant swim but I think alot of it has to do with my disability. I have very weak ankle support and my calf muscles are either dead or too weak to grow so it's hard moving my legs while in water. I've never tried taking lessons though so there's a chance I could learn but when I was younger my dad tried teaching me but was unsuccessful.

As far as what I'm afraid of I cant really think of anything right now. I do remember I was deathly afraid of needles when I was a kid. Then when I was a teenager I got a flu shot and finally got over it. The doctor told me I looked like I was going to pass out though.

[PYroMaNiaC]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

Rollercoasters I just always have that fear of flying out of my seat.

I love rollercoasters, particularly the old wooden ones that seem to leave the rails occasionally (although they probably don't.) Those new ones that shoot you like a bullet aren't that much fun to tell you the truth.

Cowperson

A man after my own heart. Just got back from a wooden coaster tour. Amazing!!

The only thing that makes me jumpy is bears. Specifically, dying at the paws of one. You can't out run them, you can't out climb them. The only option is to play dead. Nice. Just lay there, not screaming, not moving while it's ferocious, razor-like claws and teeth maul you while it decides if you're really dead. I'm shaking just thinking about it.

And people tease me about having three large dogs around and how much they must cost to feed and keep healthy. Let me just say that when you live in bear country, there is nothing I wouldn't pay for my piece of mind. Plus I get three best friends out of the deal!

[PYroMaNiaC]

Originally Posted by fotze

Yes but what if you and then all three of them die from the bear attack. Did you ever think of that smartypants?

But I'm dead. Horribly. I probably breathed my last breath through a mangled lung and a face with no lips, but nonetheless, still dead. Who cares about who has to dig the graves.

[Regulator75]

Clowns.
Birds.
Wasps / insects.

[FireFly]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

Rollercoasters I just always have that fear of flying out of my seat.

I love rollercoasters, particularly the old wooden ones that seem to leave the rails occasionally (although they probably don't.) Those new ones that shoot you like a bullet aren't that much fun to tell you the truth.

Cowperson

I should tell you about the wooden rollercoaster tour my sister and I just went on then. It was a BLAST! 12 woodies in 9 days, we threw in a steelie for the heck of it. You have GOT to go to Holiday World in Indiana... 3 award winning wooden coasters, and FREE UNLIMITED PEPSI BEVERAGES ALL DAY! That's right! No $4 bottle of water, you just walk over to the beverage island and fill yourself right up! My sister and I ate a whole meal for less than $10 at a theme park!

Anyways, you have questions about a wooden coaster tour, let me know. I'll set you right up with the best to go on.

[FireFly]

I shoulda read my sister's reply first... lol. Well, anyways, on to my fears.

Rollercoasters. Lol. My sister can vouch for me that before every single one I would ask why we were doing this, and be a big baby, but after we were done, I said 'WOO! LET'S DO THAT AGAIN!' I both love and fear them, especially after hearing about recent accidents on coasters we rode less than a month ago. It's all related to point number two.

Dying a painful death. Notably on the list is being shot in a drive by and getting an incurable cancer. But really, I'm scared of any form of painful death. Not the death itself, just the pain leading up to it.

Bugs weird me out and I'll likely yelp at the site of them, but I'm not 'afraid' of them.

Heights. I don't mind high heights, it's when I'm on a ladder or stool it bother me.

I think that's about it.

[Eastern Girl]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

Clowns.

One of my really good friends is terrified of clowns. We used to work at Walmart and one day they had a family day and they brought in about ten clowns to entertain the kiddies. My friend managed to avoid them all day but when we were walking out of the employee lounge at the end of the day, a clown walked up to him and asked where the bathroom was. He just decked him in the face and ran like the wind out of the store. Quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen, this giant 230 pound guy running for his life out of Walmart. I felt quite bad for the clown though, he was bleeding and completely confused. I had to help him clean up and explain that he has a phobia. Clown said it was quite common, and that he gets lots of people frightened of him but he had never been hit before. He was pretty understanding come to think of it.
Is yours that bad? Ever decked a clown?

[Red Mile Style]

Originally Posted by undergradflame

I have a small fear of deep water (over a 1000 feet deep) it just freaks me out, and I can swim like a fish.

YES!!! I am not crazy! This thread has totally made me feel normal! Some of you are real freaks!

Seriously, deep water is the worst thing ever! Sometimes at the gym when I'm doing laps, they move the dividers for the long course so it's 50m instead of 25, but you have to swim over the deep end! I can't even get into the water because as soon as I am over the deep end I start panic paddling!

An interesting thing about phobias I learned in psychology. Blood phobias are different than all other phobias because they have the opposite effect on your brains. Whereas you usually pass out from the sight of blood (for those who are afraid) but with all other phobias people panic. Apparently it affects a different part of your brain. So, if you are afraid of blood, you are supposed to remember to breathe but for all other phobias you are supposed to relax and slow down your breathing.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by return to the red

here, here, the cover of Jaws always pops into my head when I think about it

Off-topic: I see "here here"a lot on message boards. Is that right, or it is "hear hear"? I always thought it was the latter.