Phobias

You have all my sympathy - not as fearful as you but have always been unable to even think about touching a spider and have to get someone to remove the big ones for me. A few years ago I heard somewhere that putting conkers around the house would keep them out, so now each autumn I collect conkers (good fun with the grandkids) and put a few on each windowsill. Even in the past very cold winters we haven't had any of the big garden ones coming in for shelter, so I think it works.

My scientist son thinks I'll believe anything, but who cares

Have also heard the one about the conkers..and did see that someone was making a room spray or something with essence of horse chestnuts in it...or may have dreamt that....yes not sure if it works but conkering is fun!

I used to be a bit flaky around spiders - can remember having to get next door neighbour to come and help dispose of one really huge one years ago. Think I more or less got over it by realizing I was in danger of passing the fear onto children (I ran a nursery) by over reacting when I saw one. (children's fears can be really increased by them witnessing our reactions). So I steeled myself and sort of unlearned the fear. Really am not too bad.............but if I am faced with a really big one I just get the hoover out and thats that!

Top marks for moving the spider rather than soaking it in flyspray! I'd say rather than having a phobia you just have a practical respect for them. My daughter and son in law have a major dislike of anything creepy crawly, which annoys the hell out of me as when she was little we'd spend hours watching insects and spiders in the garden.

PoppaRob - I have never knowingly killed any creature. It isn't the creatures fault that I'm terrified...just a silly phobia that I'd love to cure myself of. Thank you HildaW and MrsJamJam, I've discovered the spray containing chestnut fragrance and will treat myself to a can...

You also have my sympathy, supanana. I turn into a quivering wreck when confronted by one of those huge garden spiders. I have a wonderful OH who comes to my rescue whenever I have an encounter with one of these mini-beasts (that's what they call insects now in my GC's school!) I dread the day when I'm confronted with one when OH is out. It has happened on occasions and I have just run out of the room and shut the door on the spider and then got OH to search the room to find it, which he very rarely ever does, and then I'm paranoid for a few days. He never kills them but uses a spider catcher and takes them for a little walk so they don't come back. (Well that's what he tells me anyway!)

I know exactly how you feel Supernana as I also suffer from arachnophobia. I sometimes feel so stupid becoming a quivering wreck around such a tiny thing....compared with us anyway. I can't even bear to see pictures of the 'little beasts' and as you have probably realised by now cannot even write down their name! I can cope as long as they don't creep up on me...and the vacuum gadget comes in very useful. All sorts of other creepy crawlies I have no problem with....just the 8 legged variety. But outside is a different matter and I have spent ages watching them spin their webs or sunning themselves on our rockery. Maybe its because I can get away .... I don't know
I have know come out in a hot sweat because I re-read the threads.......

That should have read now not know.....see I'm a quivering wreck......

Another true story from the time when I worked in the little shop in Cornwall. A lady stood in the doorway of the shop with a dog on a lead. She said that she couldn't come through door and I assumed it was because of the dog. I explained that she and her dog were welcome to browse. She stood fast and shook her head and murmered, thanks, but I'm scared of big spiders...and there is a huge one on your shoulder. I lost the plot and went bananas...ran past her into the street with my arms turning like a windmill. The nice man in the flat above the shop heard the kerfuffle and came down with a torch. He then spent some time crawling around on the shop floor looking under furniture for said creature. He didn't find it. I was in a state of red alert for some weeks thereafter

I have enjoyed your phobias of spiders but admit I only found them amusing because I can deal with them - the cup over them, the card underneath, then out into the garden, Many a time I've had to dispose of the beasts as they terrified my poor son (even now at 6ft tall and 25 years old!)
My phobia is of WORMS!!!
Not an enthusiastic gardener but happy to potter, weed and plant UNTIL I dig up a worm. Then it's down tools and straight in the kitchen for a cup of tea. I've had to be 'rescued' by neighbours too.
I know how useful they are, how completely harmless but just look at how they move!
In class a few years ago my kids were happily into the minibeasts project and I coped well until it was suggested we might like a wormery in our room. I knew my limitations and knew I couldn't keep up the brave face for weeks - so no wormery in my classroom I'm afraid.
I blame my sister!!

Mice - I'm terrified of them, even if they are in the garden. My house has solid floors but I'm still scared they will get in somehow and have banned my husband from leaving the back door open...and as for rats! Sorry I'll have to go, I've gone all weak at the thought!

em...when I next come across a spider, I shall yell for you...and, when you dig up a worm, you may call for me. When out on walks I'll go out of my to relocate stranded worms [moving them out of harm's way to a safer spot]...have been known to rescue a sloe worm that I found in the gutter beside a busy road, put it into my pocket and re-housed it an hour later in our garden.

Oh supernana - even the thought of picking up a worm and putting it in my pocket has made the hairs on the back of neck prickle!! This is how I know it is a real phobia. I have a distinct physical reaction but my brain tells me that worms are a real asset - it is totally irrational.
By the way, it all stems from the time (I was 7ish) and my 5ish sister, who was more of a tomboy than I was, dropped a couple of worms down the neck of my dress. I've never got over it!.

em...and when I was 7ish, a boy lifted the lid of an old chest in a pig stye, scooped out an ENORMOUS spider plus some of it's web [on the end of a long stick] and chased me to what seemed like the ends of the earth!

my eldest DD is terrified of butterflies!! to the extent that if one flies in while her DH is in work dad has to go and get it!!! out luckily we don"t live to far away, it seems so irrational but she is really terrified! any suggestions on coping strategies?

I can just about type the words mice and rats. Beyond nightmares.

I worked with a lady some years ago who was terrified of feathers. I had to remove one from the shop window because she was so distressed.

Talking of spiders, a colleague of mine was terrified of them and went on a de-sensitising course at London Zoo [I think it was there]. She still doesn't like them, but is now brave enough to remove them. I admit to not liking them at all, especially the little black ones which really move. If my husband is not available out comes the vac but I have a vision of opening it up to remove the dustbag and it'll be crawling!!! My husband is great with the cup and card process but I think the wretched creatures just tell their friends and family that our house is an ideal location - "as long just as you don't get caught!!"

I don't like glass balconies or banisters. I just feel so unsafe and wobbly. The trouble is so many architects seem to go for them these days in 'modern' buildings. If you see someone edging along a wall near one of these designs, it could well be me!

Birds indoors. Horrific, horrific, horrific!

Birds are just so Alien!! With those feathered wings, and the fact that they can fly!

Spiders I'm fine with, my daughter goes ashen at the sight of one. I love gardening but go shrieking in the house if I touch a worm - so I wear surgical gloves when gardening. I hate heights as I get terrible vertigo if I look over a high building or something similar.

jangly Cannot bear to think of you being afraid...meet you in the quiet corner sometime

Right-o supernana

Jangly - I came home late one evening to find a starling fluttering around my sitting-room in a panic. Opened all the windows - 6 of them - and used an open umbrella to 'persuade' it to leave. which it did after a few minutes. Had several splatters to clear up! The only way it could have got in was via the chimney and my flat is on the ground floor of a 4 storey block! Birds (and spiders) I handle but oooooh WORMS!!

I used to work with a lady who was terrified of buttons, especially the ones with visible holes. She used to get her mother to replace all her fastenings with poppers, zips or Velcro. I used to keep a sewing kit at work containing spare buttons and when she saw it one day she freaked out and had to explain her phobia, so I moved it to my car. Apparently a therapist had thought it had sexual connotations! Why does every problem have to boil down to sex?