#1
I can watch gory horror scenes, but the second eyes are involved I'm a total baby.
#2
Most people claiming arachnophobia simply don't like spiders, or worry about their bite, or slightly fear them.
I am truly phobic. There's no logic or reason. I am not scared of bites, even tho I grew up knowing multiple people who lost large amounts of tissue from brown recluses, & black widow bites are VERY common.
The only thing I fear regarding the bits is the fact they'd be TOUCHING ME.
And I actually try to avoid saying anything about it, b/c people think I don't like the creepy crawlers & so they WILL purposely put a daddy longlegs or harmless house spider on me as a joke.
But I've been trapped in a room, helpless & crying, because a spider is between me the door. I want to throw up when I see a larger one.
And the hypervigilance means I see so many more spiders than other people. I'm constantly terrorized.
I envy rare or even most others. You can easily avoid most fears like heights, clowns, drowning, etc. Other creature fears like snakes are rare. Spiders? I know exactly where 5 are in my home right now. 🥺.
#3
I've had this reaction since i was a small child. In kindergarten they used to have a cookie tin full of buttons for crafts. I couldn't touch them.
Verywell Mind points out that, as per the American Psychological Association, there are 3 main categories of phobias:
- Social phobias, which revolve around the fear of social situations that are potentially embarrassing
- Agoraphobia, the irrational fear of being in places that are difficult to escape from, like crowded places
- Specific phobias
The latter, specific phobias, can be further subcategorized. They typically fall into 1 of 4 types, including:
- Fears of the natural environment
- Animal-related fears
- Fears linked to medical treatments or issues
- Fears related to specific situations
#4
#5
#6
People think I don't have it because I'll never put myself in any situation that might induce it.
So I generally ask them who they think they are to think I'd put myself in any position to feel stuck in my phobia, just to lift their doubts. And then I avoid them like the plague.
If people don't believe it and ask you to prove it, they're a piece of s**t. If you're someone that doesn't believe someone has a phobia of something, simply because they've never been exposed to it in front of you to see their reaction, stop. You're an a*****e. Find a *healthier* hobby than making everyone else miserable.
The Anxiety & Depression Association of America notes that, based on data from the National Institute of Mental Health, specific phobias affect around 9.1% of the United States adult population.
On average, phobia symptoms generally begin in childhood, when the person is around 7 years of age. Roughly 1 in 8 (12.5%) American adults experience a specific phobia at some point in their lives.
#7
Like, an actual needle phobia. Stop telling me it doesn't hurt that much, I'm well aware, that's not what a phobia is. When I was 12 I had a perfectly healthy tooth pulled without anaesthetic, and the dentist had to twist. It's not the pain. .
#8
bUt My DoG iS nIcE, hE tEh BeStEsT gOoD bOi, AdoRaBlE lItTlE fLuFfBaLl
No.
Just… no.
#9
He isolated me for a whole year. I did not know at the time, but he told my friends I didn't like them or wasn't interested in being their friends and some of them believed him.
I am healing, and I do my best to go just a little further every time I leave the house (if im capable of leaving).
People refuse to believe it because I used to be so outgoing and spontaneous. I used to travel the world and hit the road for road trips on whims. In 2021, Google maps timeline yearly review feature reported that I'd driven 1.5 times around the world, in terms of mileage.
My husband had never even heard of agoraphobia when we met, so he struggles to understand sometimes. Don't get me wrong! He really tries. Same with my best friends. I imagine its just hard to understand because I am still very much not who I was.
Therapy has done wonders for me. I recently started going in person and my therapist told me how proud she is of me.
Some of the most common symptoms of someone suffering from a phobia include increased blood pressure, sweating, and nausea, as well as chest pains, chills, hot flashes, shaking, dizziness, a dry mouth, confusion, and a choking sensation.
According to Verywell Mind, some of the most common phobias around the world are:
- Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders
- Ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes
- Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking (guilty as charged)
- Acrophobia, the fear of heights (hi!)
- And social phobia, the fear of social interactions
#10
Edit to add: what a revelation and relief to find out I’m not the only weirdo who would genuinely scream and p**e if someone touched me with a random hair off a chair or something 🥹🤣.
#11
One time for my birthday my gf at the time had arranged for my housemate to let her in 2 friends in and they spent a few hours blowing up balloons and filling my bedroom.
The next day my neighbour (the friend in question) asked me about the surprise my friends left in my bedroom, told her to go check.
She screamed and ran back home crying which I did find odd. Wasn't until an hour later that her bf called me a c**t for making her go into a balloon filled room. Only after I looked very confused did he ask if I knew about her phobia, I did not.
#12
In fact, being scared of public speaking is so incredibly common that, by some estimations, the vast majority of people (77%) have this fear at least to some extent.
Meanwhile, some of the rarest phobias include the likes of spectrophobia (the fear of mirrors), chiclephobia (the fear of chewing gum), and the long-winded and aptly named hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia (the fear of long words).
#13
There are very few people who can touch me and not make my skin crawl.
When someone walks by and grazes your arm, I feel the sensation for about an hour exactly where I was touched. Cashier gives you change and their finger tip barely touches your hand? I feel the lingering burn of stranger on my skin. I realize it isn't real, but ugh please don't touch people.
#14
#15
The author was over the moon that their post got so popular. It was an unexpected surprise, and they said that they're "super happy" that it resonated with so many people.
"I’ve always been fascinated by weird phobias, especially the ones that sound absurd to others but are very real to the people dealing with them. I myself had the phobia of dandelion seeds in childhood, and I'm still scared of centipedes," u/nitin_is_me opened up to Bored Panda.
"One day, I just thought, 'What if I ask Reddit about the rarest, most unbelievable fears people have?' and the responses were way more intense, hilarious, and heartfelt than I expected," they said.
"I think it [the question] resonated [with the internet] because everyone’s got something irrational they’re scared of, and it feels good to know you’re not alone, even if your fear is cotton b***s or submerged pool drains," u/nitin_is_me told us.
#16
#17
#18
"Some comments genuinely caught me off guard. Like, someone said they panic at the idea of man-made stuff underwater, like buoys or pool ladders. Another person's friend had the fear of inflated party balloons. Stuff you’d never think about, but it’s all so real for them."
According to the author of the thread, if you have a phobia, you shouldn't let anyone gaslight you into thinking that your fear isn't valid because it's uncommon or sounds silly.
"If it’s affecting your daily life, it’s real. I’d say talk to someone. Whether it’s a therapist, friend, or even just strangers online (Reddit’s great for that, honestly), a lot of people find that just putting a name to the fear and hearing 'me too' makes it a bit easier to cope."
Internet user u/nitin_is_me said that they're very grateful to everyone who shared their story. "I think posts like these show that we all have our weird wiring, and that’s okay."
#19
#20
