Author Topic: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears  (Read 20055 times)

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #50 on: August 05, 2016, 12:03:52 AM »
I sometimes also worry that I'll misplace my scythe.

The Money Monk

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #51 on: August 05, 2016, 12:34:31 AM »
luckily I don't have many specific phobia type fears. If I had to name one, it would be fear of being weak, which actually helps overcome any other fears I might have. For example, not matter how afraid I might be of doing something, my fear of being a wussy overrides it so I can do it.

The 'fear' that probably has affected me the most though is an opportunity cost / choice paralysis thing. I am always worried about what I could be potentially missing out on. It's not a crippling or even significant anxiety, but it has caused me to be reluctant or slow to make some major decisions. Not because I am worried about negative consequences, but because I am worried about missing out on positive ones that I passed up. Very strange.

Hard to shake because it isn't even an illogical way to think, it's just not practical or helpful.

The Money Monk

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #52 on: August 05, 2016, 12:39:56 AM »
My most active irrational fear is somewhat rational because it could happen, but the chances are minuscule so it's mostly irrational, but I obsess about active shooter situations in our local schools. I have two elementary aged daughters and also recently became employed in the local school system. We have active shooter drills (like fire drills or tornado drills only way more fun) and then I have nightmares about my kids getting shot in the hallway at school and they are left to bleed in the hallway and die by themselves and then I wake up crying. It's awesome.   /sarcasm

Homeschool and carry your own guns.

Dezrah

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #53 on: August 05, 2016, 07:27:33 AM »
When I'm up in a high place I get this irrational fear that I will drop whatever it is I'm holding and it will fall, break, and be gone forever.  If you see me at the top of a scenic tower, I will have everything strapped around my body with a death grip on whatever's in my hand.

I get a similar sensation when I have a helium balloon on a string.  I can't relax unless it's tied to my wrist.

Papa Mustache

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #54 on: August 05, 2016, 07:31:57 AM »
Irrational fear: Pigeons! And other birds flying near me. I feel like they are going to crash straight into my face and get their wings and creepy little talons stuck in my hair. *shudder*

I've screamed and ducked out of the way in public at least three times in the last month as a result of a pigeon flying straight at or near me. To be fair, in one case another girl also screamed at the same time when a pigeon decided to fly very closely between us.

BF pokes lots of fun at me about this fear... I do feel quite ridiculous sometimes.

My eldest got hit in the face by a low flying bat. Last night riding a bike. Returned to the house wide eyed. Bat survived.

doingmybest

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #55 on: August 05, 2016, 11:28:06 AM »
Hippopotamuses, for real.

Reality:  I live in Pennsylvania.

GuitarStv

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #56 on: August 05, 2016, 12:58:22 PM »
Hippopotamuses, for real.

That's a valid fear.  Those things are scary motherfuckers.

YogiKitti

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #57 on: August 05, 2016, 09:55:27 PM »
Our friend had an irrational fear of rats coming up through his toilet in the basement. But then, he did see claw marks around the toilet. Ugh. This was so e years ago.


This can really happen!

doggyfizzle

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #58 on: August 05, 2016, 10:22:18 PM »
Black widow spiders, and now their brown widow cousins that are invading all of Southern California.

scrubbyfish

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #59 on: August 05, 2016, 11:40:34 PM »
This thread is helping me see how many phobias I've overcome (balloons, spiders, etc)! Maybe I can totally take on the bear and cougar one! But not heights and bungee jumping. Just no.

yourusernamehere

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #60 on: August 06, 2016, 10:14:15 AM »
This thread is helping me see how many phobias I've overcome (balloons, spiders, etc)! Maybe I can totally take on the bear and cougar one! But not heights and bungee jumping. Just no.
This thread is giving me new phobias I never thought of before. I think I'm doing it wrong!

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #61 on: August 06, 2016, 02:16:23 PM »
Hippopotamuses, for real.

Reality:  I live in Pennsylvania.

Don't go to the Camden Aquarium.

Astatine

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #62 on: August 12, 2016, 06:23:01 AM »
I don't think my fear of venomous spiders  is particularly irrational, although I do tend to overreact compared to the actual threat. However, I am a bit phobic of big but relatively harmless spiders and I do classify that as an irrational fear.


andy85

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #63 on: August 12, 2016, 06:28:21 AM »
Wasps. F those things.

Got stung by like 5 at once when i was like 8 years old...every since then i'm pretty sure i have a legit phobia of them. They terrifyyyyyyyyyy me.

CarrieWillard

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #64 on: August 12, 2016, 07:59:10 AM »
Sitting down on a toilet only to find there is a snake/rat/alligator/weasel/whatevs in there trying to get OUT as soon as I sit. This came after news reports that such things were actually happening. I checked before sitting for YEARS and have gotten lax lately.

Having my kids being a victim of violent crime. This motivated our move to a safer area in our state (GA), although if I had my way I would move much farther away. But family. :-/

The recent home invasion/torture/killing people for $20/setting elderly people on fire/raped for 5 days/immigrants who don't believe rape is wrong raping/rash of criminality has set this off. Irrational? Probably not.

Knives pointing towards me. Always gotta move 'em.

Having a needle (say, for an IV) break OFF inside my body.

Pit bulls. I grew up raising dogs and like them but pits just LOOK evil to me with those slanty eyes. They look like the Deliverance inbred creature. Plus their owners are often thugs and abusive.





« Last Edit: August 12, 2016, 08:03:59 AM by CarrieWillard »

Hall11235

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #65 on: August 12, 2016, 11:38:05 AM »
My irrational fear is that if I ride a road bike the skinny tire will get stuck in a crack and I will crash horribly.

This is me 100%. I actually stopped road biking because of that. Also, bombing the downhills in races terrified me. That tire is so damn skinny!

My irrational fear is bodies of water where I can't see the bottom. I refuse to swim in the ocean and lakes. Pools are fine. I am afraid there is a shark down there, even if it is freshwater (hence the irrational...)

Reason: Literally my earliest memory of Childhood is my daycare lady's son forcing me watch Jaws. I must have been 4 at the time. That F***** ruined open water swimming for me for the rest of my life.

Hall11235

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #66 on: August 12, 2016, 11:46:59 AM »
Ooops... Forgot one more.

I can't sleep in open rooms (I classify anything with an open door or where I can't see the entirety of as open). This last week has been particularly awful, as my GF is away and sleeping alone in a bed where I can't see the whole apartment is terrifying. For some reason, I don't have this issue when I sleep with someone. Probably because I am sure the monster will eat her first, and then I can defend myself (because I ALWAYS sleep against the wall).

patchyfacialhair

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #67 on: August 12, 2016, 12:10:46 PM »
That a doll will become alive and attack me.

Irrational because: When I was a wee lad, my babysitter's teenage son tricked me into watching "Child's Play," by asking me if I wanted to "see Chucky." 5-year old me is thinking Chucky from Rugrats the cartoon. Cue a couple decades of irrational fear. I actually watched Child's Play in high school, and it's a completely un-scary and silly movie, yet I still cringe when I see a doll in real life.

renaite

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #68 on: August 12, 2016, 04:59:36 PM »
...

My irrational fear is bodies of water where I can't see the bottom. I refuse to swim in the ocean and lakes. Pools are fine. I am afraid there is a shark down there, even if it is freshwater (hence the irrational...)

Reason: Literally my earliest memory of Childhood is my daycare lady's son forcing me watch Jaws. I must have been 4 at the time. That F***** ruined open water swimming for me for the rest of my life.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/07/0719_050719_bullsharks_2.html

"While bull sharks are commonly found along coastlines, bays, and harbors, they also frequent a most uncommon shark habitat—freshwater rivers.

The species has been spotted 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) up the Amazon River in South America and dwell in Lake Nicaragua, a freshwater lake in Central America. Bull sharks have traveled up the Mississippi River as far north as Illinois and are regularly spotted in India's Ganges."

This might not be better, but maybe less irrational?


Mesmoiselle

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #69 on: August 13, 2016, 04:14:13 AM »
I am so afraid of not feeling something that is being done to me that I decline numbing for my cavities to be drilled. The few times I do decide that the pain may actually be too much to breathe through, and accept anesthesia? My pulse shoots through the roof as I have a panic attack; all good, I'm soon knocked out.

I imagine zombie apocalypse while driving down the road. I expect to see cars suddenly swerve and crash and then running humans jumping...anyway. driving isn't relaxing for me.

I fear my husband dying so badly that I can see it happening at any given time for a variety of reasons and burst into tears. Even though he's very likely to outlive me. To be honest.

I also fear the nothing of death; the ending of me that I have tried so hard to learn and improve. All that effort wasted. But apparently not enough to lie to myself and take up a religion.

Papa Mustache

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #70 on: August 13, 2016, 09:19:23 AM »
Being taken advantage of.

GuitarStv

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #71 on: August 16, 2016, 06:49:40 AM »
I also fear the nothing of death; the ending of me that I have tried so hard to learn and improve. All that effort wasted. But apparently not enough to lie to myself and take up a religion.

I think that you're looking at death in the wrong light.

If God doesn't exist, and there is no heaven/hell then death is nothing to be feared.  The only thing that can hurt you is pain.  There is no pain after death - there is nothing.  Losing all that you've worked hard to learn and improve won't matter after death, so why let it negatively affect your time living by worrying about it?

Torran

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Re: Confess your irrational fears
« Reply #72 on: August 16, 2016, 06:58:48 AM »
Every plane flight I've been on for the past five years, I've been convinced we were about to crash at least once during the flight. As the engine noise goes away during preparation for landing, I have to say to myself "Gotta slow down to get down. Gotta slow down to get down."

I have exactly the same fear, and I mean, word-for-word what you said. Every time I'm on a plane I'm thinking 'this is the one that will crash', after people have told me the statistics on how rare plane crashes are. Every time the plane starts to change in sound/feel because the pilot is preparing for landing, I'm sitting there thinking 'we have to slow down before we can land... this is normal... it's not about to crash'.

It's awful.

I spoke to a pilot once about this and I could tell by his face that he felt kind of sorry for me, because he could see how utterly, utterly irrational my fear was. Like if someone told me they were too scared to ever get into a car (even though cars are SO MUCH MORE DANGEROUS than planes) I'd be thinking 'wow it must suck having your life controlled by such an irrational fear'.

Mississippi Mudstache

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #73 on: August 16, 2016, 07:23:50 AM »
Damnit. I was going to post to say that I don't have any irrational fears, but after reading through this thread, I'm afraid that I'm going to pick up on some of your irrational fears. Screw you all.

:)

Papa Mustache

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Re: Confess your irrational fears
« Reply #74 on: August 16, 2016, 08:18:33 AM »
Every plane flight I've been on for the past five years, I've been convinced we were about to crash at least once during the flight. As the engine noise goes away during preparation for landing, I have to say to myself "Gotta slow down to get down. Gotta slow down to get down."

I have exactly the same fear, and I mean, word-for-word what you said. Every time I'm on a plane I'm thinking 'this is the one that will crash', after people have told me the statistics on how rare plane crashes are. Every time the plane starts to change in sound/feel because the pilot is preparing for landing, I'm sitting there thinking 'we have to slow down before we can land... this is normal... it's not about to crash'.

It's awful.

I spoke to a pilot once about this and I could tell by his face that he felt kind of sorry for me, because he could see how utterly, utterly irrational my fear was. Like if someone told me they were too scared to ever get into a car (even though cars are SO MUCH MORE DANGEROUS than planes) I'd be thinking 'wow it must suck having your life controlled by such an irrational fear'.

I spend the rare flights I take analyzing all the things I don't understand. The last time the plane had two under wing engines. On one side was a normal sounding jet engine. The other side sounded like a big Briggs & Stratton go-cart / lawnmower engine. Kept wondering if that meant something was worn out or not adjusted correctly. 

greytbigdog

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #75 on: August 16, 2016, 08:57:58 AM »
Probably because I am sure the monster will eat her first, and then I can defend myself (because I ALWAYS sleep against the wall).

I make DH sleep on the side of the bed near the window, I want the side near the door.  Doesn't matter if it's the left or right side.  Because whatever is coming through the window is going to be way more terrifying that what is coming through the door.

House centipedes.  Threw the lights on last week while screaming "Get it!" to DH.  He freaked thinking it was something actually scary.  It was a centipede running across the living room floor.

Spork

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #76 on: August 16, 2016, 09:10:54 AM »
For me it is tight, enclosed spaces... but ONLY if it is hot.  I can handle cool tight places.  Add a little heat/humidity and my brain just turns into a paranoid going-to-die-real-soon engine.  Texas attics in the summer are fun.

scrubbyfish

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Re: Confess your irrational fears
« Reply #77 on: August 16, 2016, 09:42:49 AM »
...people have told me the statistics on how rare plane crashes are.

I know! Statistics never help me because I've been on the crap end of stats so many times. It's just never an assurance anymore. I'm not sure how they are for anyone. If you're the 1 in 100, why would it help that 99 weren't? Multiply that by the dozen times I've been the one.

After declaring a few weeks ago that I would ignore my irrational fear of bears and cougars, two people in BC were attacked by bears and one by a cougar. I think they, too, give not a whit about stats right now (two are fine, a child is in serious condition and this makes me crazy and I imagine her parents far moreso).

Hall11235

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #78 on: August 16, 2016, 09:54:42 AM »
Probably because I am sure the monster will eat her first, and then I can defend myself (because I ALWAYS sleep against the wall).

I make DH sleep on the side of the bed near the window, I want the side near the door.  Doesn't matter if it's the left or right side.  Because whatever is coming through the window is going to be way more terrifying that what is coming through the door.

House centipedes.  Threw the lights on last week while screaming "Get it!" to DH.  He freaked thinking it was something actually scary.  It was a centipede running across the living room floor.

That's why I prefer to sleep in dark, small, windowless spaces, like a closet.

Hall11235

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #79 on: August 16, 2016, 09:56:02 AM »
...

My irrational fear is bodies of water where I can't see the bottom. I refuse to swim in the ocean and lakes. Pools are fine. I am afraid there is a shark down there, even if it is freshwater (hence the irrational...)

Reason: Literally my earliest memory of Childhood is my daycare lady's son forcing me watch Jaws. I must have been 4 at the time. That F***** ruined open water swimming for me for the rest of my life.


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/07/0719_050719_bullsharks_2.html

"While bull sharks are commonly found along coastlines, bays, and harbors, they also frequent a most uncommon shark habitat—freshwater rivers.

The species has been spotted 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) up the Amazon River in South America and dwell in Lake Nicaragua, a freshwater lake in Central America. Bull sharks have traveled up the Mississippi River as far north as Illinois and are regularly spotted in India's Ganges."

This might not be better, but maybe less irrational?

Well, that's horrifying. Thanks! Now I have statistics to back up my insanity to my in-laws!

frugalnacho

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #80 on: August 16, 2016, 10:06:11 AM »
Having some component of my bike fail catastrophically sending me flying into the pavement.

Mesmoiselle

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #81 on: August 16, 2016, 10:42:22 AM »
I also fear the nothing of death; the ending of me that I have tried so hard to learn and improve. All that effort wasted. But apparently not enough to lie to myself and take up a religion.

I think that you're looking at death in the wrong light.

If God doesn't exist, and there is no heaven/hell then death is nothing to be feared.  The only thing that can hurt you is pain.  There is no pain after death - there is nothing.  Losing all that you've worked hard to learn and improve won't matter after death, so why let it negatively affect your time living by worrying about it?

I get all that. But I'm alive now and trying to conceptualize "nothing" is scary to me.

Spork

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #82 on: August 16, 2016, 11:07:27 AM »
Probably because I am sure the monster will eat her first, and then I can defend myself (because I ALWAYS sleep against the wall).

I make DH sleep on the side of the bed near the window, I want the side near the door.  Doesn't matter if it's the left or right side.  Because whatever is coming through the window is going to be way more terrifying that what is coming through the door.

House centipedes.  Threw the lights on last week while screaming "Get it!" to DH.  He freaked thinking it was something actually scary.  It was a centipede running across the living room floor.

You would hate it around here.  There are about 3 weeks at the end of summer/beginning of fall where we have thousands of millipedes.  Before our current house, we lived in a not-so-airtight metal workshop on the same property.   The entire 600 sqft floor would be 100% covered with them.  You could HEAR them moving.  You would start at one corner with a broom sweeping them up.  When you got to the opposite corner and turned around, the floor would have repopulated.

No Name Guy

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #83 on: August 16, 2016, 11:50:52 AM »
I get all that. But I'm alive now and trying to conceptualize "nothing" is scary to me.

Ever been under general anesthetic?  Closest experience I can imagine.  Wisdom teeth for me......

Tris Prior

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #84 on: August 16, 2016, 03:19:21 PM »
Anything that would result in a loss of independence, or otherwise having my choices taken away from me. (becoming a quadriplegic or losing limbs, brain injury, dementia, being forced to caregive, government takes away all women's rights a la "Handmaid's Tale," various dystopian scenarios like "Hunger Games," nuclear war, etc.)

Being shot, or Boyfriend being shot. (not out of the realm of possibility; my neighborhood has a lot of shootings and several bystanders have been hit accidentally during drive-bys this summer.)

Also, wasps and yellow jackets. Those assholes are mean.

AlwaysLearningToSave

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #85 on: August 16, 2016, 04:02:31 PM »
Having some component of my bike fail catastrophically sending me flying into the pavement.

I dare say that one is a completely rational fear given your experience.

Astatine

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #86 on: August 16, 2016, 04:37:38 PM »
Every plane flight I've been on for the past five years, I've been convinced we were about to crash at least once during the flight. As the engine noise goes away during preparation for landing, I have to say to myself "Gotta slow down to get down. Gotta slow down to get down."

I have exactly the same fear, and I mean, word-for-word what you said. Every time I'm on a plane I'm thinking 'this is the one that will crash', after people have told me the statistics on how rare plane crashes are. Every time the plane starts to change in sound/feel because the pilot is preparing for landing, I'm sitting there thinking 'we have to slow down before we can land... this is normal... it's not about to crash'.

It's awful.

I spoke to a pilot once about this and I could tell by his face that he felt kind of sorry for me, because he could see how utterly, utterly irrational my fear was. Like if someone told me they were too scared to ever get into a car (even though cars are SO MUCH MORE DANGEROUS than planes) I'd be thinking 'wow it must suck having your life controlled by such an irrational fear'.


I binge-watched all of the series of Aircrash Investigations a while ago (skipping the episodes about terrorism). Everyone I've told has said, so does that mean you're now nervous to fly? Nope. Not at all, as long as it's a plane that seats >20 people and the airline company is a large and well-known one. However, I'm not sure I will ever be able to bring myself to get on a small plane in remote areas run by small, run on the smell of an oily rag company. That seems to be where the risks are.

ck25

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Re: Confess your irrational fears
« Reply #87 on: August 16, 2016, 07:02:41 PM »
Vomiting. I've had a fear of it since I was old enough to remember. Irrational because I haven't done it myself in right around ten years and because it's probably not that bad and for sure not the worst thing that could happen. It's somewhat conducive to Mustachianism since I am very very tempted to avoid travel, things outside of my comfort zone, and all eating out. But then... it's also unconducive because I spend $400/month on therapy.

Every plane flight I've been on for the past five years, I've been convinced we were about to crash at least once during the flight. As the engine noise goes away during preparation for landing, I have to say to myself "Gotta slow down to get down. Gotta slow down to get down."

DH was at one point very very subconsciously anxious about flying. That is, he did not actively have thoughts like this, but he would vomit repeatedly from anxiety from origin to destination. We made quite a pair on flights...

driftwood

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #88 on: August 17, 2016, 06:33:44 AM »
That I will either spend spend most of my 'life force' making money at high-paying soul-sucking-family-destroying-suit-wearing-jobs to avoid the fear below,

Or that I'll spend the rest of my life poor (poor = lack of freedom & choices for me, less the inability to buy expensive things) and be worried about how to support my family.

Pre-kids I didn't have either fear.  I can camp out and eat ramen to survive or work 80-hour weeks for 'the man' at a high wage in a clown suit.  Either end of the spectrum wasn't an issue. Now I'm trying to balance having a feeling of financial security with focusing on spending quality time with my family.



greytbigdog

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #89 on: August 17, 2016, 07:49:20 AM »
House centipedes.  Threw the lights on last week while screaming "Get it!" to DH.  He freaked thinking it was something actually scary.  It was a centipede running across the living room floor.

You would hate it around here.  There are about 3 weeks at the end of summer/beginning of fall where we have thousands of millipedes.  Before our current house, we lived in a not-so-airtight metal workshop on the same property.   The entire 600 sqft floor would be 100% covered with them.  You could HEAR them moving.  You would start at one corner with a broom sweeping them up.  When you got to the opposite corner and turned around, the floor would have repopulated.

That sounds absolutely horrible. 

Thanks for giving me nightmares tonight.

GuitarStv

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Re: Confess your irrational fears
« Reply #90 on: August 17, 2016, 08:05:49 AM »
Vomiting. I've had a fear of it since I was old enough to remember. Irrational because I haven't done it myself in right around ten years and because it's probably not that bad and for sure not the worst thing that could happen.

Valid fear.

I've broken my jaw, my nose twice, most of the knuckles on both hands, my wrists, my ankle, and sprained or dislocated many of the major joints on my body over a lifetime of doing martial arts.  A day of constant vomiting and high fever from food poisoning was worse than all that.

Goldielocks

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #91 on: August 17, 2016, 08:17:17 PM »
When I am up on a roof, I fear that I will forget that I am on a roof and accidentally walk off of it. 

Dezrah

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #92 on: August 18, 2016, 07:15:21 AM »
I watched a documentary series following people as they struggled with various manifestations of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  We all tend to have these irrational "what if" fears and thoughts.  A healthy brain can laugh it off and let it float out of their mind.  Obsessive brains get stuck and fixated on all these irrational fears even as they rationally know how silly it is.  It looked like a very painful way to live.  Furthermore there isn't really a cure for it, just therapy techniques to try to calm down the worst of their reactions.

trailrated

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #93 on: August 18, 2016, 09:38:41 AM »
Sometimes when I lay on my side I get super intense vertigo and the whole room just spins and I feel like I am holding onto the floor to keep myself from falling up. It always goes away in about 5 seconds but it scares the shit out of me to think one day it might stay longer.

Cyaphas

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #94 on: August 19, 2016, 11:47:27 AM »
Last night I had a ridiculous abdominal cramp on my right side. Thus began the intense 'what if' health scenarios in my mind. Five minutes later I find myself on google, 10 minutes later, best case I have a disease, worst case, cancer.

katstache92

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #95 on: August 19, 2016, 12:28:06 PM »
I know this has been said already... but spiders.

Little tiny ones, giant hairy ones, medium brown ones, poisonous, non-poisonous, doesn't matter.  All have me running out of the room and other people wondering where I went in such a hurry.  Living by myself is interesting.

I heard that tidbit about people eating spiders in their sleep the day before an egg sac in my bedroom let out about a hundred tiny little spiders right before I went to bed.  I think I was 8 or 9.  It was over.

Oddly I'm not scared of daddy long legs?

Fear: spiders
Reality: they're everywhere

Cpa Cat

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #96 on: August 19, 2016, 01:19:50 PM »
Fear: Zombie Apocalypse - If this gets into my head, I ruminate and can't sleep. What if I wake up and my husband is a zombie? What would I do with my cats if there's a zombie apocalypse? Where would we go? What would we do? Eug... I hate it. And yet I feel compelled to watch zombie movies.

Reality: I think this fear is less about the zombies, and more about my desire to resolve my anxieties by creating plans. I just can't create a plan that resolves this anxiety, so I fixate on it and let it keep me awake at nights.


Fear: Being trapped in a small enclosed space with other people.

Reality: Last year, I was going through a haunted house in St Louis and there was this pitch black fabric tube that you had to walk through. People were crowded in front of me and behind me. Everything was fine until the people in front stopped moving and the people behind kept pushing forward. I had a full-on panic attack. The first I've ever had. Right in the middle of what I refer to as the Womb Tube. Thankfully, the chances of me encountering a Womb Tube in my every day life are limited.

But it does make me nervous about the possibility of being stuck in an evacuation scenario with people refusing to move. I could easily have hurt someone in order to escape the Womb Tube. The only thing that prevented me from doing so was that the person directly in front of me was my husband, and I didn't want to hurt him. If he'd been a faceless stranger? I totally would have punched him in the head to get him moving.

Fear: Turning corners in hotel/apartment hallways, because ghosts are around the bend.

Reality: My dad let me watch The Shining when I was 7 years old. I have yet to encounter a ghost around the bend.

Papa Mustache

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #97 on: August 19, 2016, 01:21:17 PM »
Spiders: that's what vacuum cleaners are for. Vacuum cleaners with five feet of nozzle extensions.

Ghosts: I get your worries about ghosts. Saw "Salem's Lot" by accident when I was really young. Marked me for years. ;)

Claustrophobia: once worked on a big machine and had to lay under it to do the work. Tons of weight above me. No escape if it blew up or fell off of it's motor mounts. I knew these things would never happen but still... Am glad to have sought an education so I don't have to be that guy climbing under or into big machines or washing out tanks that require all sorts of safety gear b/c of a lack of oxygen inside the tank.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2016, 01:26:04 PM by Joe Lucky »

norabird

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #98 on: August 19, 2016, 01:31:36 PM »
Thanks Indypendent! I related to your irrational-rational fears.

This week I've been having one too: that my friends don't actually like me that much (have been struggling to get the participation I want in invites and had a bad experience last month with one specific person, which is coloring things).

The reality is that: My current friends absolutely participate in things with me, and I've just this week re-connected with two old contacts who seem genuinely excited to hear from me, as well as having some new friends who are actively planning to do more with me. One offered to give me a ride to Philly to volunteer and said 'it'll be nice to see you again!'; another was so excited on a note I had sent her that I almost thought she had to have confused me for someone else. I have two events on the schedule that I was actively invited to, and some nice replies of enthusiasm for something I'm planning to do. My brain is not accepting any of this as proof but it is definitely proof brain! You can leave your fears here while I move on with my life!

canuck_24

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Re: Confess your irrational (or rational) fears
« Reply #99 on: August 19, 2016, 02:08:35 PM »
This thread is helping me see how many phobias I've overcome (balloons, spiders, etc)! Maybe I can totally take on the bear and cougar one! But not heights and bungee jumping. Just no.
This thread is giving me new phobias I never thought of before. I think I'm doing it wrong!

I think this is one of my most favourite threads found on the MMM forum yet!  I'm laughing along with you all as there are so many of these that I'm thinking oh my gosh, that's terrifying, I hadn't thought of that or similar sentiments.

Some of my personal fears in varying levels of rationality include:
On the more serious side:
- We travel quite a lot, and I can send myself into a tailspin convincing myself we are being kidnapped in certain situations. (eg. Last week we were on a dive boat in Panama, and I managed to convince myself that the dive shop was a cover story for a human trafficking or ransom type scenario.  It wasn't.  We had two good dives and saw tons of sharks!)  Thankfully this particular fear doesn't prevent me from traveling, but it does make me more cautious.
- Bearing an unhealthy child and not being able to mentally cope with the challenges that would pose is one of my biggest fears.

On the lighter side:
- Losing teeth, or my husband losing teeth.  The reality that one of us may lose a tooth (through contact sports, or with age, or whatever) is reasonable, but the level at which that bothers me is completely unreasonable.
- Still afraid of the dark (mostly what intruders may be lurking in the dark, especially if I am home alone)... this one is completely irrational and makes me laugh most of the time - which it obviously comes out as a squeaky, scared laugh generally, which only makes me laugh more, though does nothing to dispel my fear in the moment.  It can be quite comical.