Fears - irrational, silly or otherwise.

BEES - When I was a child I was in a park playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with a friend. One of us managed to step on a nest. We were swarmed by these insects and they managed to even fly up my shorts so I had stings on EVERY part of my body, even in my mouth . I had to spend the night in hospital, could barely walk for a few days, and had to take disgusting oatmeal baths for about 10 days. I am now an adult male and will run and scream like a little girl if one of those spawns of satan gets near me and I do not care who sees.   

Forgot to mention latex balloons.  I'm TERRIFIED of them.  Don't like the noise they make when people rub them or twist them and am always scared of the loud bang when they pop.  I've had too many pop in my face when blowing them up or near my ears at parties growing up.  Mylar, I can handle...just not latex.

I am severely claustrophobic and agoraphobic as well. Several months of CBT later and I still have problems getting the train to work every day. 

On a lesser note: I am scared of anything that can sting as well as spiders. I'm not a huge fan of heights, bridges or bodies of water - more so being on/in them as I'm perfectly happy on the shore. And ventriloquists disturb me (it's not natural being able to throw your voice like that!).

Spiders. I am arachnophobic. I will scream bloody murder if I see one... Spider eggs hatched in my bedroom, above my head when I was about 13. I looked up and there were hundreds of tiny baby spiders... The thought still makes my skin crawl.    As if that's not bad enough, it happened to me again. I was in the bathroom and looked up and there they were again!

This totally just grossed me out. I'm not a big fan of spiders either. My zombie-fearing niece, who also isn't a fan of spiders, likes to pull up pictures with spiders and their baby spider sacs on my computer every morning. Eww, I'm going to make myself sick now.

I also don't like wide open spaces like the ocean. No idea how I was able to get my scuba diving certification.

And ferris wheels. NO WAY!

Forgot to mention latex balloons.  I'm TERRIFIED of them.  Don't like the noise they make when people rub them or twist them and am always scared of the loud bang when they pop.  I've had too many pop in my face when blowing them up or near my ears at parties growing up.  Mylar, I can handle...just not latex.

I worked with a woman who hated them, its more common than you think.
We used to cover her desk in balloons to wind her up as she was a nasty cow.

I have a very odd one for you all.  I get creeped out by little People.  I didn't always have a problem with them but many years ago my room mates at the time were friends with one.  They had him over one night getting drunk.  I had enough fun for the night so I went to bed and the next thing I know he was crawling in to bed with me.  He started rubbing my butt and all I could think of was that it was like a 5 year old's hand and that was all it took.  I feel so dumb and bad about it.   I just can't get over it.   

I am now an adult male and will run and scream like a little girl if one of those spawns of satan gets near me and I do not care who sees.   

Hilarious! That would definitely scar me for life!

Ooh those Yaktrax look cool but they seem to come in very large sizes only?

Irrational fears:
I fear strangers (especially men) touching me. Even if someone just accidentally bumps into me. I have a major freak out in my head and think about it all day long.

I'm also incredibly scared of germs.

That's all thanks to OCD. Pain in the ass!

I worked with a woman who hated them, its more common than you think.
We used to cover her desk in balloons to wind her up as she was a nasty cow.

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one.  Just remind me not to get on your bad side. 

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one.  Just remind me not to get on your bad side. 

hahaha
No I'd never do that to a fellow American

hahaha
No I'd never do that to a fellow American

Good to know.   

Irrational fears:
I fear strangers (especially men) touching me. Even if someone just accidentally bumps into me. I have a major freak out in my head and think about it all day long.

I'm also incredibly scared of germs.

That's all thanks to OCD. Pain in the ass!

You don't take the underground during rush hour I take it. Lol.

Hilarious! That would definitely scar me for life!

Thank you for recognizing my pain  .

Thank you Phatbeetle and BostonDiner for the info on Yak Trax and overshoes. I will definitely be looking into those options, as I am dreading the walk up (and down) the steep hill that leads into town when/if it ices over.

Has anyone read someone else's fears on this thread that thought "oh that's silly!"?  I might chuckle, and poke a little fun, but I can never discredit someone else's phobias when I have several myself.

My DF thinks my severe fear of ice is a bit ridiculous. I asked him what he would think if the pavement was covered in spiders? That 'brought it home' for him!

Another vote for Yak Trax - I bought a pair last year & will probably be (unfortunately) trotting them out again this year!  I didn't find them difficult to put on/off, etc.

I have two principal fears - one is sort of a fear of heights, but in a qualified way.  I actually like being up high places as long as I am reasonably confident of not falling off whatever it is - like there is a barrier or a rail or something to keep me from falling from a height.  So ferris wheels & skyscrapers, the Eiffel Tower, many many things like those examples are all A-ok!  Narrow path along the side of a hill or mountain with a steep dropoff - not okay, sends me into a panic attack.  I have had this qualified fear of heights for as early as I can remember, because I had it when I was five years old in the Colorado mountains & I was climbing up a trail from the Cottonwood Pass (elev 12,126 feet) with my brothers.  And like a big fool, I still go hiking with DH sometimes in areas that put me into situations where I encounter this (narrow paths, steep dropoffs, etc) - so I really do try to confront it...usually I have to have DH in front of me, coaching me along, and me not looking down. 

And (like I think someone else mentioned this fear already?) - I have a big fear of falling, just generally.  I think this stems from that my mother had a neurological condition with which she fell down & hurt herself all the time - and I was still young when she got it, so I was constantly witnessing the trauma & the injuries, etc that ensued from her falls.  Toward the end of her life, it was determined (via MRI) that she had considerable brain injury from the accumulation of falls she had sustained over the course of 30+ years.

I also have a thing about spiders too but this has been tempering somewhat since knowing DH because he loves them so much, and knowing that they are helpful creatures - eating other less desirable pests, etc.  I freak out less now when I see one unless it completely takes me by surprise - like when it's super-huge and suddenly races out onto the living room floor when the nights start drawing in.  If I'm by myself, I have been known to squish them.    If DH is here, we 'rehome' them outside, although he maintains they are house spiders & we are rendering them homeless.    They can be really pretty & I enjoy seeing a spiderweb outside all covered with dew, that sort of thing.