Fears & Phobias...

I'm sure we're ALL scared of one thing or another in life. So out of curiousity, what fears or phobias do all of you have?



For Starters here's a few mine that come to mind:

Fears:

*Maybe the career path i'm choosing may not the be the best one for me or that i will not find the career path that i'm good at and makes me happy.

*Not being able to be a success in life in general. (this includes emotional, financial and social)

*Not being able to find the perfect person for me. (i guess some refer to it as soul mate.)


Phobias: (sort of)

*Swimming too far in the ocean because of sharks. i realize this is strange considering attacks are rare.

*Alienation. No one likes to be alone.

*Death.


Oh yeah...and the thought that one day AgelessLove might become uninteresting or wose permanently shut down one day:p.

LOL


So here's a few of mine...what are yours?:D




P.S. ~Guinavere, Jannie, and anyone else feel free to notify me of any misSpellings.:cool:

I'm not afraid of death or dying, but I AM deathly afraid of heights!!!! I guess it would be considered a phobia if you start hyperventilating and your palms get clammy and your heart pounds when you're wayyyyyyy up high, say in a hotel and look out onto the balcony, but ya just cant quite step out onto it!!!! :eek:

I'm also mildly claustrophobic - in fact, I ALWAYS take the stairs instead of riding in elevators!! I just dont like being closed up in those things lol, nor the feeling when they take off and stop.

I'm not crazy about flying, but its usually never as bad as I anticipate. Once I'm up in the air, I'm ok.

As far as fears in my life, I really dont have any. I like my job, I've raised my kids the best way I knew how and the rest is up to them, I've come to grips with the fact that I'll never be a millionnaire and will probably never get to retire :p

Manofmisteree, you just need to decide what DOES make you happy as far as work is concerned and follow that path. I'd say most of us have to work anyway, so why not do something that makes you happy? And as far as worrying about being a success in life - that is a measurement each person has to make on their own. It depends on your own definition of success. What I'm saying is that YOU can be a success in YOUR own way. Its basically accomplishing what YOU want to accomplish, not what someone else thinks you should accomplish. And dont stress too much about finding the right person, she'll probably come into your life when you're least expecting it!!

Good luck,
SG

Not afraid of dying, but afraid of dying alone...

phobia...I have a fear of bridges...I know it's weird...

And manofmisteree.....there are a few typos....but I won't pounce on them:D

no fears or phobias except things that are rational.

There is a trail by my house that I walk my dog or ride my bike on everyday. It is VERY isolated. TOTALLY isolated. There is a bridge on this trail that is painted in graffitti. Some of the messages are satanic. I refer to it in my mind as "Hell Bridge" like Bosco we are only going as far as Hell Bridge. If when I approach Hell Bridge I see people there, I turn and go the other way.

Other than that nothing weird, just lions and tigers and bears, OH MY.

I think I am scared of death, most likely the fear of the unknown, as I'm not religious.

After quite a few operations in my lifetime, I still <B>hate</B> needles :D I always ask them to tell me, when they're going to insert the needle!

I think I've started to become more cautious of my personal safety in the last couple of years, it was due to a big crash I had into a car on my bicycle, I smashed his wind screen and lacerated my back, it taught me how hard hitting a car really is :D in my teenage years I really had little fear of anything, and I'm probably very lucky not to have injured myself.

The next thing I need to do is parachuting, it’s one of those things that I just have to do once in my life, ohh and I have a fascination for snakes and spiders. . .

Maria certainly doesn't seem to have too many fears about Scotland, she's out having dinner and drinking wine with her friends this evening (is a little bit tipsey:D) and is learning how to become a true Scot !

my biggest fear but I am afraid of jinxing myself if i do. :P

Kind of like when you fake call in sick at work and you don't want to say something like "My son is sick" cause then you worry he will get sick?

OK, guess that mean I have a phobia of things I say coming true....lol

Wait..if that is true then...shouldn't I say good things? Like I will probably end up a millionaire?

Tru I don't think you are actually off the mark with that fear, maybe not to the extent that by saying your son is sick he will be sick but I TRULY believe that we create our own reality with our thinking. If you think you will be a millionaire you have a better chance of being one than if you think you will be poor forever. For an example, athletes picture making a goal, or putt or whatever, they visualize it. What you visualize can become reality. Our minds have more power than you can imagine. I have books on the subject if you want to read them. Heck, minds have cured people of their illnesses.
So be careful what you think. This I believe.

I'm afraid to die. I can't imagine the concept of eternity. I have layed in bed, paralyzed by fear, trying to conceptualize eternity. Even more scary, I ponder the thought of no existence at all after death. People say to me, "What does it matter, you'll be dead and not know the difference?" Yeah, that's the point!

I'm afraid something might happen to me and my children will be left to get through life without me. I don't believe anyone would love them and be as good to them as I am.

I'm afraid I'll never get out of this financial mess, and never become successful and financially comfortable. I'm afraid that my children will see me as a failure.

I have a phobia about heights. I get dizzy in high places when I look down.

I can't take escalators. When I do, I feel like I'm going to fall back (if I'm going up) or fall forward (if I'm going down).

I have a phobia about swimming in the ocean. I still do, I especially love to snorkel, but I only swim in the ocean when I have a few other people with me.

Originally posted by Polly
I'm afraid to die. I can't imagine the concept of eternity. I have layed in bed, paralyzed by fear, trying to conceptualize eternity. Even more scary, I ponder the thought of no existence at all after death. People say to me, "What does it matter, you'll be dead and not know the difference?" Yeah, that's the point!

\

OH god Polly, you just described my daughter here. Paralyzed is a good word for it.

Swan, the only comfort I have lately, is a book I'm reading called, "Manifest Your Destiny" by Dr. Wayne Dyer. It might be a bit much for your daughter, some pretty heavy concepts in there, but the spiritual aspect is uplifting. "God", instead of being some big vending machine in the sky that we pray to ("Dear God, please give me X, Y, and Z, I'm a good person) is actually an energy that connects us all. Energy never dies, and the soul that defines us is energy, the thing that connects us, like branches connect to a tree, to God. So we are temporarily human, but our energy has other levels to transcend.

I've been trying to instill this concept into my brain, so I'm not so paralyzed with fear over death. I've had anxiety attacks since I was a teenager over this stuff (I think it's because of my grandmother's death when I was a teen) so I think I'm finally making some progress.

Another problem I have is living too much in the past or in the future, but not enough in the present. Paying attention to the present, and giving all of your energy to that, helps alleviate the anxiety that comes with too much worrying about the unknown future or the past, that as of a minute ago, might as well have been a dream.

Polly, when you are done with that try The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav, or basically anything by Gary Zukav.

My daughter is 25 by the way, so I'm sure your book is not beyond her.

Ugh, phobias. I am constantly afraid something is going to happen to one of my children.

Its really annoying for them, and I can't control it. Even now that they are older, I literally have a panic attack if they walk too close to deep water, if they lean over the railing of a bridge or even lean over the railing at the top floor of the mall....I used to worry about them choking on meat so much I would not feed them steak....

I bet this all sounds absolutely ridiculous, but it is a true phobia. Even before I had my children, I was like this about my little brother. *sigh*

Originally posted by joannalee
Ugh, phobias. I am constantly afraid something is going to happen to one of my children.

Its really annoying for them, and I can't control it. Even now that they are older, I literally have a panic attack if they walk too close to deep water, if they lean over the railing of a bridge or even lean over the railing at the top floor of the mall....I used to worry about them choking on meat so much I would not feed them steak....

I bet this all sounds absolutely ridiculous, but it is a true phobia. Even before I had my children, I was like this about my little brother. *sigh*
Jody, this is exactly, well almost what I was going to say.
Especially now that we live in an area where we not only have lakeside property, we live in an area that has 6 lakes within bycycling range.
I am just a nut job here, I am exactly how my Grandma was when she used to bring us swimming, except I let them go deepr than their waists.
We also live near a State Park with rock climbing, cliffs and all, after a few times with the boys thats it, I am so paranoid, I am a nervous wreck.
And riding bike through the town, Oh Gosh I forbid it! One of our main highways is Minnesota worst Highway, last year a 13 year old boy from my sons school was killed on it walking to school.
Terrible things race through my mind ALL the time when I am not with them, I am always saying "buckle up, be in before dark, check in every half hour, "
I watch some of these other moms around here, their kids are always biking miles away, staying out real late and past dark,coming to my house to swim and their moms never even call to see if it's ok or check on them.

My mom worked and I basically raised my little brother, I wouldn't let him out of my site.
The good thing is my oldest son is 20, so I am not like that with him anymore, but whenver I hear a siren on that highway I just cringe if I think he is on the road at that time.
Yes, that is my biggest fear.
2nd fear is of confined spaces, I could NEVER go into one of those house of glass or mirror things at a carnival!

The things that I scare me are chickens, snakes, spiders and looking at myself in the mirror in the morning lol

this is off-topic but i think
Julianne looks like julia roberts, bet u get that one alot huh ?

Mark, what scares you about chickens? I have 7 of 'em. They are my little babies. They come running to me, their fat little feathery bodies waddling all over the place, clamoring to see what kind of a treat I have for them (they get pissed if I don't have anything). They perch on my neighbor's wall by his back door, because he gives them treats too. I tell him they're his "groupies"! :D

Julianne DOES look like Julia Roberts! She kind of reminds me of Andie McDowell too.

My friend Kim lived up the road with her husband and had chickens. We were there for a cookout one day, when my kids were little, and before I knew it (I was in the house with Kim) her husband was outside chopping a chicken's head off, and it hopped off the tree stump and started chasing one of the kids around! The kid was running from it and it was running right after the kid! Well, the other kids screamed and screamed, and I was thinking OMG! They'll have nightmares for weeks! Nope. The chicken was plucked and roasted, and the kids ate it, no problem! Buncha little heatherns! :D

Swan, you have a daughter 25? No way! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like your daughter was illiterate or anything...I assumed she was like, 10 or something, from looking at your pic! :)

Mark...chickens??? like were you attacked by one as a youngin? I do know that when I see tons of birds migrating here to Florida, my heart does skip a beat as I think of Hitch****'s movie, The Birds....

I guess I have a real phobia regarding heights, and like the others I hyperventilate and think I will fall, as well.

I had 3 fears, like Snow, fear that one of my children would not come home, but that has since passed since they are all now young adults. I do fear dying alone....and not really getting older, but becoming perhaps debilated in some manner as the years creep up (even though I am in perfect health now, take care of myself, and also seem to have pretty good genes, but still... one l never knows). The thought of losing my independence (like no more driving!) and failing health, where someone woukld have to take care of me like I was a baby again, gives me pause. Therefore, I would love to die of a heart attack after making love to my younger significant other!!! Thus those two fears gone at the same time and problem solved!
:D

I have a fear of water, whether its the pool and definitely the ocean. when I was 13/14 years old 2 classmates drown at a lake for their senior trip and I have never been able to go into large bodies of water.

I love to cruise though, but if something were to happen at sea, I will be the one having puppies.

In the last few years, I've had a fear of heights and I hate water bugs, spiders, mesquitos, snakes, lizards, or any other creepy bug. That scene in Indianiana Jones, the 2nd one, when she walks amoung all those bugs...there's just no amount of money you could've given me to do that.

I don't fear dying, but of dying alone. When my father died a few years ago and I was sitting by his bedside, he kept seeing something above our heads, some kind of manisfestation was unrolling before his eyes and he kept asking me if I could see it, I cried, not because he was dying, but because I could not see this apparently wonderful appearance set before him, but he said it was amazingly wonderful, nothing he's ever felt in this life, not even with the birth of children could compare what he was feeling and seeing at that moment and it gave him such peace that when he did pass away I was comforted, I'm so grateful I got to see that.

I hate flying too,but once I'm in the air, I'm kind of ok...I tend to pee alot, though...lol

Paris

Yes chicken and roosters scare me let me lie down first so I can talk about my fear. It all started backe when I was in the second or thrid grade I belive I can picture it like it happen yesterday! We went on a field trip to some farm and the job they gave me was to feed the chickens when I walked in the chicken coop all of a sudden all the chicken came running and flying at me sqwaking and chriping and making these awlfull sounds I got so scared I just went face down on the ground crying till someone came and got me out of the coop and tho this day when I see a chicken around I always go the other way or grab a baseball bat so if the chicken decides to attack me I will be ready this time!

:mad: P.S stop laughing at me ya'll know I am a senstive guy;)

Priceless Mark...oh shot...gotta peel myself off the floor,wait a sec.

Nope, its not happening today...lol

Paris

ROFLMAO!!! Sorry, but this is funny! :D

Okay, seriously though, chickens WILL be aggressive with small children. My rooster trys to "spur" my little neighbors. He runs up to them sideways, then jumps back and forth a few times, and then flies up at them! He chases one girl all the time! He's protecting his hens, is what he's doing. For some reason, he sees children as a threat (probably because they're the ones who like to chase the chickens). He doesn't do it to adults at all. He'll sit in my lap and fall asleep while I pet him.

I am afraid of height: I have a horrible vertigo. I am also terrified by ****roaches. :(

Hey Maria I got some pills that will clear that Vertigo of yours right up:D

Manofmisteree....thanks, good to hear others who are
AS IRRATIONAL AS I AM !! :D
Just kidding of course....SWAN: find a new path, PLEASE. I got the creeps just reading about that bridge....stay safe,k?
Jody...I had phobias about my kids when they were young too! I always was afraid they were going to be kidnapped. One of my sons has that risk-taker personality and always wandered off exploring. Let's just say, he wore one of those dreaded harnesses whenever we went to Disneyland. Now, FINALLY, both of my boys are over 6 ft. tall, so the kidnapping phobia has subsided a bit.
But:
1. I don't really like heights, and have to meditate during take off if I want to be able to fly anywhere
2. Dying alone....yeah, that's got to be one for me too
3. Getting heart disease or diabetes...since I have a genetic history of it in my family. My mom died way too young from a heart attack; however, she had smoked for 25 years...my dad is diabetic (but so is my ym, so that has been a plus for us with my understanding of the disease). I'm as healthy as possible-and don't smoke; but I do have this constant nagging fear that my arteries are silently clogging. Weird, I know. I even had one of those tests last year where they chemically stress your heart, shoot you with radioactive dye, then do a CAT scan to see how your heart held up (I apologize to the health industry professionals here for that feeble explanation). They said everything looked fine, yet I still worry about it. AND...great, so now I'm on orhto evra (the contraceptive patch). Reading the warnings on the leaflet inside it said : MAY CAUSE INCREASED RISK OF HEART ATTACK AND STROKE. AGhhhhhhh!!!

:confused: :eek:

Originally posted by Mark_Texas
Hey Maria I got some pills that will clear that Vertigo of yours right up:D

:eek: Oh, doctor Mark, please tell me what it is! :D

And couldn't we change that expression to clear down, since up may give me vertigo? ;)

Originally posted by Fae
Phobia ... spiders!

Now here is the freaky thing, once it has been killed it MUST be crushed, smushed and flushed ... I don't get over the fear until all three things have been done.


Fae, its nice to see you posting!
We loved your post!

someone told me that i have a fear of intimacy. . .

Well, I guess if the therapists had to depend on me to make a living, they would all be homeless, because I can't think of anything I have a fear of.

Not even dying . . . when it's my time to go, I'm ready.

I don't like bugs, but I don't have a phobic fear of them.

And I'm certainly not afraid of chickens!!

So, that means I'm perfectly normal?? :confused: :rolleyes:

I have a phobia about ****roaches (the little ones--not the big tropical flying ones), big cats (I adore the little ones) and bears (excluding teddies and my honey, who is very hairy--don't tell him I told you!).

Swimming - if the water goes past my shoulders I tend to freak.

Afraid of heights and deep water too. If my feet don't touch the bottom... yikes.. :eek:

I have a phobia that is technically called hypochondria. My grandmother had it as well. It means that you constantly worry about getting sick. I had to take anti anxiety meds for it for a while, but I got tired of taking them.
Those posts about thinking something into happening make me nervous too, because I can't stop thinking about getting sick. If I have a bad headache, I worry I have a brain tumor, that sort of thing. My mom has said the same thing about self fullfilling prophecies.
Oh, and Patricia, those big flying ****roaches are SCARY, lol. I used to live in San Antonio, and they were EVERYWHERE. Once one ran across my pillow toward my face, and that was it for sleep THAT night!