Irrational Fears

[Yuki-Anne]

So, phobias and irrational fears are something I find quite interesting.

One of my huge irrational fears is smelling bad. This tends to surface when 1.) I'm sitting by a guy and 2.) I have a stuffy nose and I can't smell.

I mean... the thought of smelling bad freaks me out. I'm afraid that I smell bad when there's no logical reason why I should. What freaks me out even more is that some people have a smell that's not so great that hangs around them daily. It's just the way they smell. Their personal scent, if you will. And sometimes I feel afraid that my personal scent is repulsive. Specifically, to people of other ethnicities, because if you notice, sometimes people from other cultures or of ethnicities that differ from your own have a noticeably different scent (usually neither bad nor good. Just different). And living in another country, sometimes I'm afraid that my ethnic scent is repulsive to the people living here.

I have no rational reason for having these fears. I just have them.

What are your irrational (or rational) fears?

[Beau Soir]

Not to take anything away from you, but I completely agree. And when I pick up my clothes, I can notice that they actually smell quite good like my perfume, but then I can remember when I was wearing them that I was irrationally afraid that I smelled repulsive. But this just continues... and I don't know why. And the other stuff that you said apart from the part about Japan, I'm there with you, Yuki.

I have a strange fear of bees. I know they're helpful to the environment and such, but I can't watch anything on TV about them without being really disturbed. Ugh... I've never been stung by a bee though! And I have no idea of knowing whether I'm that 2% of the population allergic to bee stings, so that makes me even more afraid. But my guess is that this stemmed from recess in elementary school where a boy in my class always had to carry an EpiPen with him in case he was stung...

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Large dogs
Flying
Doing anything outside my comfort zone
Being in large groups
Tight spaces

[Hitomi]

spiders!!
being alone to long
people not understanding me and think of me as a dork or something
falling down the stairs
walking in the dark outside

[Furen]

Spiders
Dogs
Roller Coasters
Halloween anything past fun kid stuff

[Htom Sirveaux]

I have a fear of bees, but that's due to (a) a traumatic childhood experience in which I was attacked full-force by a whole nest of them, and (b) a little thing called anaphylactic shock, where as a result of one sting, my throat would swell up and close and I'd die.
But I don't think that's irrational.

An irrational fear (or perhaps a better word is "paranoia") of mine is that sometimes I suspect I unknowingly say things out loud that I think I'm only thinking. When someone else says something along the lines of which I'd just had a thought, I don't know if I should be embarrassed or count it as a bizarre coincidence.

[Midori]

I have always been very afraid of syringes (because they usually hurt!).

I can watch the grizzliest death on TV and not be overly disturbed but if someone's getting a shot I have to close or squint my eyes.

[Lynna]

Sleep talking and revealing horrible embarrassing secrets
Horror movie trailers
Offending people
Walking around he house in the dark...when I see red lights glowing on the telephone and stuff, it just makes my imagination go beserk

[FllMtl Novelist]

Offending people

Me, too. Not that I expect to get along with everybody in the world. I just have this fear I'll say something really obnoxious to somebody without realizing, the person will say, "Why would you say something so horrible to me?!?!?!" and I just won't realize I said something dumb. XD

As for other fears, I think most of them are rooted in messing up in some way...

[Htom Sirveaux]

Walking around he house in the dark...when I see red lights glowing on the telephone and stuff, it just makes my imagination go beserk

I wouldn't worry about it unless you see a small, circular, blue light about chest high. Then you should definitely run. Up some stairs, for preference.

[Atria35]

Heights
Loud noises (no, really- I hate these to the point that I have refused to go see fireworks because the noise hurts so bad and makes me afraid)

[Sheenar]

Spiders, roaches, crickets and other creepy-crawlies. Even though they are probably 1/1000th of my size (or less) and if I step on them, they'll die. Seeing one still makes me run away like a little girl. :/

I am also afraid of needles. Especially after my last hospitalization. I've had enough of those for a while. *shudders*

I'm scared of letting people down --of failing. I'm afraid of messing up with my dog in training or with grad school (I'm terrified that I'll get another C and have to go before the dreaded review board.) Some failure is inevitable and isn't bad necessarily, but sometimes I'm afraid to try as hard as I can because I'm afraid to fail.

[QtheQreater]

There's a bug-type thing called a wind scorpion back home in NM that I absolutely cannot stand. I spazz out even at pictures of these things, giving people a good laugh when I try to show them what one looks like.

I'm not a bug or critter-fearing person, normally. I have been known to catch and pet wild tarantulas, wrangle snakes, and pull mice out of feed buckets with my bare hands (all of which are not advised, kiddos). But wind scorpions are creepy! I'm now afraid of unrolling newspapers because I found one lounging on an article I wanted to read once.

[Yuki-Anne]

Wow. I grew up in NM but I've never seen a wind scorpion before...

Vinegaroons freak me out a lot, though. *shudder*

[QtheQreater]

Wow. I grew up in NM but I've never seen a wind scorpion before...

Vinegaroons freak me out a lot, though. *shudder*

Ah, vinegaroons. The great stinkbug of the southwest. And they say everything is bigger in Texas. Pfft.

[shooraijin]

I have to say, they are definitely a distinctive creature. Fortunately harmless, but still.

[Sheenar]

And they say everything is bigger in Texas. Pfft.

Palmetto Bugs. Those things that are often called flying cockroaches (which is incorrect --they are beetles like cockroaches, but aren't roaches.) Those things are HUGE. And they fly at you. That's all I have to say.

[QtheQreater]

Palmetto Bugs. Those things that are often called flying cockroaches (which is incorrect --they are beetles like cockroaches, but aren't roaches.) Those things are HUGE. And they fly at you. That's all I have to say.

Palmetto bug: 2 inches. Giant Vinegaroon (Texas has normal ones, but not NM!): 4-6 inches, plus it sprays vinegar-smelling garbage at you. While it doesn't fly, it does stink.

As for creepy things in Texas: raccoons. They are evil. I never knew camping could be a fight for survival (okay, bagels, but whatever)...I suffer from coon paranoia...

[Blacklight]

Gas inhalation. And, in a way, mouse droppings.

[ich1990]

Public Speaking.

I used to have a fear of heights and bees but working on a roof infested with hornets' nests for an entire summer kind of fixed those.

[Yuki-Anne]

Wow. If you had delivered motivational speeches from a roof infested with hornets' nests, then you'd be fearless.

[ShiroiHikari]

I hate just about any kind of insect, most especially moths, wasps, hornets, and roaches. If I never see another bug for the rest of my life, it'll be too soon.

I have all kinds of social hangups too, but to get into them all would just bring me down, so.

I also have this weird thing where I don't like closed shower curtains at other people's houses. Always gotta take a peek behind to make sure nothing is in there.

[ich1990]

Wow. If you had delivered motivational speeches from a roof infested with hornets' nests, then you'd be fearless.

Aw crap, I should have thought of that. If I ever find myself in that situation again I guess I will know what I have to do.

[GeneD]

Wasps -I am convinced that they are the embodiment of evil. They fly at you with their evil wings and evil legs all a-dangling,. Evilly do they fly at you.

I will also jump on the nearest raised surface if there is a wind scorpion, or a red roman as we know them, running around. Same with a parktown prawn. These things are like crickets made from steroids and nightmares.

[Midori]

For a long time I was afraid of bees and wasps since I had been stung several times when I was really little, but I eventually got over the bees part. Wasps are still scary though. Bees die when they sting you so they're reluctant to do so. Wasps don't die so they can just bully you around.

[Lilac#18]

[color="Plum"]Just like some of you, it's bees, wasps, any insect with a stinger and I've never been stung before either.
[/color]

[Okami]

I have a great fear of rejection. That as soon as anyone hears my testimony, they are going to pick up and walk away from me, even with knowing the great things God has in store through my testimony. I think it comes from my trying to reach out of my comfort zone in earlier days of schooling, and then having nothing come of it, or being turned away from by other children.

[Gala]

poison ivy (because I have a deadly allergy to it)
small dogs
and that I have major bad breath no matter how much I brush

[Atria35]

poison ivy (because I have a deadly allergy to it)

That's not an irrational fear- if you could die from just touching it, it's definitely not irrational! XD

[Gala]

That's not an irrational fear- if you could die from just touching it, it's definitely not irrational! XD

it is only because i think it's everywhere even when there is none! Sad thing is I love to camp but this fear makes it hard