Fears - what everyday things are people scared of

Clusters and public toilets. The old ones that had an overhead cistern used to make my blood run cold as a child.

I absolutely love walking my dog but am terrified of tripping over tree roots in the ground! I now walk like a very old person after having a huge trip/ fall 6 years ago! I dislocated my shoulder and had a broken arm 😩Have definitely lost my confidence and cannot just stride anymore!

For me it's driving up steep hills. Especially, but not limited to, hill starts. I have an irrational fear that that the car's engine will not be enough power to keep going, or we will somehow fall off the hill backwards.

I get this fear on cable cars. Also funicular railways.

@Mazzika I seriously fear courgettes. And marrows. I blame Roald Dahl / The BFG for snozcumbers. If they are in any form of “Mediterranean veg medley” I can’t have any. I am ok with cucumbers and pickles, strangely enough.

Not exactly scared of but when I see jars of pickled eggs it gives me the creeps. I imagine they're creatures waiting to hatch.
Thankfully I haven't seen a man with a bushy beard eating one yet. It would tip me over edge.

That's an arresting juxtaposition @LaLaLaLavaChChChChicken

For me it's driving up steep hills. Especially, but not limited to, hill starts. I have an irrational fear that that the car's engine will not be enough power to keep going, or we will somehow fall off the hill backwards.

I’m scared of how people are being radicalised without realising it, into hating one group of humans to the point that group are dehumanised and people are quite happy calling for their destruction like it’s normal or a game.

I am also scared of courgettes/zucchini.

Those spinning ceiling fans, I imagine them falling down and cutting me to pieces.

I’m glad I made you laugh, I think it’s more fear that pregnant women will hurt themselves somehow? 🤣 I think it stems from watching Twilight as a kid and the woman falling over and indeed hurting herself 🤣

@pinkpony88

(from blueshoes' post)

"Mirrors in a dark room. I cannot look into them. I am convinced I will see something reflected in there that is not in the physical world. I will not be able to sleep in a bed that faces a mirror."

See? We're not alone!

Cows!
They’re just so much bigger than I expect.
It’s not even that I worry they’ll stampede, it’s more that they could just decide to lie down and crush me.

Oh, yes, to an industrial freezer. And an industrial oven. Just putting "industrial" before standard household things makes them scarier. But a few years ago, there was a news story of a man being cooked to death in an industrial oven. Factories making jams as well. I'm sure factory workers have died falling into vats of jam or treacle. Hideous.

The UK government!

Mirrors in a dark room. I cannot look into them. I am convinced I will see something reflected in there that is not in the physical world. I will not be able to sleep in a bed that faces a mirror.

Deep dark water. The ocean. The scene from Titanic where Jack lets go and sinks down and down into the dark cold water taking hours before his body touches the ocean floor.

Floor that is wet with mushy paper and streaked with the dirt of people's shoes walking on it. For example, the side of a swimming pool or shower changing room or an airplane toilet. When I grew up, there were still wet markets. This is where I got it from.

Come to think of it, moss and algae or that white thing growing on the tiles of a swimming pool.

Hair around a plughole surrounded by scum.

Squashed snails. Under my foot.

Leftovers. Particularly in other people’s fridges.
(Legacy of growing up with a food hoarder who gave us all endless bouts of food poisoning)

Walking near the sea late at night.

I'm scared of anything that looks like it's dying. So won't have cut flowers in the house, or plants just incase they start dying without me noticing
No problem with bugs of any kind unless they look like they are dying
Vegetables have to be binned as soon as they aren't fully fresh.
Couldn't have a pet just incase.
It's been the bane of my adult life

Also men who cross dress. I am ok-ish with them on TV, but not in real life.

Anything that flaps, moths, butterflies, birds. I'm currently sweltering with every window firmly closed in case the flappy little fuckers get in!
Fear of heights, or rather a fear of falling from a height.
Fear of severe pain. I fear this more than death.
The dark.
Evil entities.
Massive spiders.
Not being safe, which covers a lot.
Living alone in my house.
I think that covers it.

I’m 36 weeks pregnant and this has just made me howl 😂 my poor little back can’t take anymore!

Big bushy beards on men. Short neat ones are fine. I used to work with a man who had a huge bushy beard he seemed proud of and it smelled awful. He probably didn't wash it. I had to sit with him sometimes while we did some paperwork. I'll never forget that smell.

Rats. Absolutely hate the CF’s who think they can break into houses and live for free causing chaos and with their horrible skinny tails.

Also seagulls who are very noisy and wake you up early in the morning but are actually protected.

I can tolerate seagulls but mostly find them annoying and resent the culprit that stole half a bacon sandwich from me in 2017. Rats terrify me and I can’t even look at a picture.

OMG I have this exact same thing! Terrified of my reflection in the dark even though I’ve never allowed myself to see it! I’ve never actually told anyone in case they think I’m a loony 😆

I hate buttons too. Horrible, nasty, slimy little bastards. My clothes are all either pull on or zip fastening, the sole exception being a cardigan I knitted for myself that has a single top unpolished wooden button, which is just about acceptable because it's not slimy. Otherwise no.

I’m Jewish and I’m genuinely scared how many people hate Jews. I’ve been in a state of constant anxiety since Oct 7. Sometimes I’ll be reading comments on social media about seemingly innocuous things and then, bam!, someone blames the Jews for something bad.

I’m also scared of spiders but they seem like a walk in the park for me at the moment in comparison!

Thr dark and wasps. If I didn't live with my partner, I'd still sleep with a nightlight on. And I don't think I need to explain wasps lol.