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Do you have an Irrational fear?......?

(171 Posts)
Shinamae Wed 20-Jan-21 14:11:17

Mine is and always has been since I was a small girl deep,dark ponds. Obviously as it’s irrational I have no idea where this came from but I have been to ponds when my ex used to go fishing for pike,used to go to a pond in the middle of nowhere big trees all around it and this deep dark pond and I could feel my heart beginning to race just looking at it. Also there is one on Exmoor again right in the middle of nowhere and it is quite famous locally I believe, we went for a picnic there years ago to take the children and my then husband wanted to see it and I had to stay about 50 yards away from it and I can guarantee if you had offered me £1000 to swim from one end of that pond to the other there was no way I would do it....???‍♀️.....

Chewbacca Wed 20-Jan-21 20:27:12

Moths. Can't bear to be in a room with one. I was about to go into my office building one morning and suddenly spotted a huge hawk moth clinging to the brickwork, right by the door. Couldn't go in! I had to phone a colleague to come out and get rid of it before I could go in. Urrgghh.

Oldbat1 Wed 20-Jan-21 20:27:16

Vomiting! Last time was 1984 when Torvill and Dean got all the top scores. Stupid isn’t it!

Easypeasylemonsqueezy Wed 20-Jan-21 20:32:28

Woods and forests. When I was a little girl I had this fear that if I went into the middle of a wood/forest I would never find my way out again. I still feel that fear when we go deep into a woodland.

nadateturbe Thu 21-Jan-21 00:08:33

We have a few tunnels under our local railway. I have to run through in case they collapse. My husband walks calmly behind me.

rascal Thu 21-Jan-21 00:50:47

Yes dead animals and birds. I can't walk past them. I have been known to inadvertently scream! confused

welbeck Thu 21-Jan-21 01:06:03

some ugly or massive buildings, and structures seen close up eg a viaduct from underneath. i kind of shudder at the ugliness of it, worse if verdigris etc. esp if made from small bricks.
there is an ugly victorian disused church that i could hardly go past, had to avert my eyes. but i've needed to go to that location, next to hosp, so often that i've got over it now.
i also had a funny turn on first entering the brompton oratory as a teenager. it's not ugly, but overwhelming in baroque intensity. intimidating.

welbeck Thu 21-Jan-21 01:08:18

OP, and some others, do not sound irrational fears, more a heightened sensitivity to possible hazards.

GrannyRose15 Thu 21-Jan-21 01:48:29

GillT57 - I'm with you on that one. Find it difficult to get to the end of piers.

Claudiaclaws Thu 21-Jan-21 01:59:30

I too hate moths. And I know it's childish but I'm afraid of the dark.

emmasnan Thu 21-Jan-21 08:16:34

Moths, can't be in the same room as one.

Viridian Thu 21-Jan-21 08:54:53

Swimming near boats, like Woodmouse. We had a boat once and anchored in a river and when I tried to climb back on from a swim my body kept being pulled underneath it, although the current was very gentle. Gross.

Nell8 Thu 21-Jan-21 09:02:25

When it gets dark I hate being in a lit room with the curtains open. I imagine someone lurking in a shrubbery outside with the crosshairs of a gun focussed on my head. I've obviously watched too many films!

Greyduster Thu 21-Jan-21 09:12:25

Driving on bridges over large bodies of water frightens the life out of me. I’m also afraid of heights now though I never used to be. Climbed a bit in my youth.
I don’t mind standing up to my thighs in the middle of a river, fishing, but put me in a stationary small boat on a large deep reservoir and I would scream the place down!

Froglady Thu 21-Jan-21 09:18:22

When I'm watching something on TV and either the camera films over the edge of a precipice or something similar or one of the characters stand on the edge of a long drop. I feel physically sick when I see this and it seems to be getting worse. There's an advert with Lego workmen perched on a steel girder eating their lunches. This is taken from a picture of real workmen doing the same thing (I presume with the men that's trick photography? I hope) and I can't even watch the advert or think about it as I feel sick with the fear of falling of the girder.

Iam64 Thu 21-Jan-21 09:20:51

Rats. If I’m in a country that has them, I’d add snakes to the list.

Newatthis Thu 21-Jan-21 09:32:27

Cockroaches which cause me to hyperventilate and run.

Sussexgran Thu 21-Jan-21 09:35:20

Same as you Oldbat1 - I wish there were a cure.

Jamcee Thu 21-Jan-21 09:37:37

Birds-especially pigeons and hens. Absolutely terrified!?

susieboo Thu 21-Jan-21 09:38:06

Enclosed spaces of any kind , I feel my throat tighten and my breathing quickens

Kate1949 Thu 21-Jan-21 09:39:30

I'm afraid of most things as I suffer with General Anxiety Disorder but my main one is going to see a doctor or anyone medical. I go to pieces and my BP shoots through the roof.

jenni123 Thu 21-Jan-21 09:39:39

I am OK with mice, don't want them in my home but if there was one I could sleep OK but if I saw a largish spider there is no way I could sleep until I knew it had been 'dealt with'. i have 2 phobias, one is dentists and the other is water, I cannot swim and would love too but now I am 79 its too late for that. not been to a dentist in over 30 years. The other irrational fear is claustrophobia i cannot be in a room with the door shut

DanniRae Thu 21-Jan-21 09:41:16

Froglady - I believe that picture of the men eating their lunch sitting, high up, on a girder is genuine..........sorry!

I cannot stand sn*kes and hate even typing the word. I hate Motorway travel - even as a passenger and I hate getting on trains because of the gap.......but had to get on one on Sunday to travel to a clinic for my vaccine (it was the best way, by far, to get there.)

Nannapat1 Thu 21-Jan-21 09:41:58

Same as Jaxjacky. I almost didn't read this thread in case someone wrote the word! When I saw it, it made me cringe. Same reaction if I hear the word. If I see them (mercifully very rare), takes me hours to get over it.

Daffydilly Thu 21-Jan-21 09:42:05

Mine is of getting stuck when taking something off in a shop changing room. I get all hot and sweaty just thinking about it.
The dread is of being stuck with a dress or top over my face, arms in the air unable to breathe or move or call for help.

It's a real fear that's stopped me trying things on but I can't remember it actually ever happening ?

Gelisajams Thu 21-Jan-21 09:42:13

Caterpillars for me. It’s ridiculous as I’m a professional gardener! I’m always covered up from head to toe so I don’t touch one. I was clearing a bed once talking to the owner at the same time. Suddenly I screamed. She thought I’d snipped my finger but I’d just noticed a green caterpillar crawling up my jacket!