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Original poster

Phobias - what's yours?

121 replies

Ilovesweatybollocks · 02/08/2019 14:43

Just wondered if anyone has any unusual phobias?

Mine is glitter, can't stand it anywhere near me so buying birthday cards isn't easy and I have to wear latex gloves to open my birthday and Christmas cards.

I also hate the m word (m*t) and if you don't know what I'm on about it's often used to describe a cake that isn't dry.

This is my first post so you could say I'm a virgin but only on here so be kind if I cock this up Smile

OP posts:
mrspotatohed · 03/08/2019 10:01

@allymcn I got stung last year for the first time since I was a kid, and it bloody hurt but was nowhere near as painful as I remember. I never seen the wasp just felt something really hurting my arm and seen it buzzing around on the floor, it lived for another 0.2 seconds then got smushed into the carpet with a flip flop. Did it make my phobia better? NO it just confirmed to me that I must scream and run because they sting for fun! I can't even enjoy the garden in the summer because I'm up and down screaming like a mad woman. Sunbathing? Absolute no no. My ears are constantly moving around listening for the buzzes. It's probably why I prefer winter Grin x

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 03/08/2019 13:53

@GirlFliesHome, OMG. That's so weird. I'm exactly the same about cigarettes. I actually could have written every word of your post.
I can't even say the word. I suppose it is a phobia really, isn't it

Phew999 · 03/08/2019 13:59

Fish 🐠 Going to an aquarium is my idea of hell.
Also bobbly sheets.

Aposterhasnoname · 03/08/2019 14:02

Cant believe there’s at least two others who share my cigarette aversion. I can barely bring myself write the word, never mind say it. Can’t touch a packet, can’t sit on a bench if there’s ends on the floor near it.

Feeling sick just sat here writing About them.

HeyThoughIWalk · 03/08/2019 14:13

Vomiting (emetophobia). It controlled my life for years, as I would avoid any situation where people might be sick (eg planes, boats, doctor's surgery). If I heard there was a bug going round, I would keep thinking about it, obsessing over catching it, reading news articles about it etc.

I've had therapy and am much better now, but still terrified if it actually happens (eg if one of the kids is sick). I don't obsess so much if it's non-contagious (eg was fine helping a friend when she had morning sickness recently).

HazelBite · 03/08/2019 14:17

I'm frightened of the dark, I cannot breathe if I am in total darkness.
On holiday in my teens on a boat in the Norfolk Broads I awoke in the night, and promptly passed out as it was pitch black!
When the Dc's were small we visied some caves in Wales, the guide turned the lights off to demonstrate how it was pitch black, I was in a bad way when they turned the lights back on.

Funghi · 03/08/2019 14:30

Wow some of these sound like they could make every day life very difficult.

I used to have a pretty bad germ phobia, most involved me avoiding touching things I feared other people had also touched - which turns out to be just about everything. I’d wear gloves constantly and only felt calm when I was in the comfort of my own home. Then when I moved in with DH I had to adapt to the change so have improved a lot.

DingleyDells · 03/08/2019 14:33

Car washes. Can't even bear to watch someone else's car in one, let alone drive my car in there.

fudgesmummy · 03/08/2019 14:56

@crosser62
My DS had a serious dog phobia from when he was about 4 until his mid 20’s.
It affected every area of his life, from where he could go on holiday to who he could be friends with.
After an incident involving a dog that ment he could no longer get in a car to drive to work he had CBT and hypnotherapy, he is no longer afraid and goes out of his way to find dogs to spend time with! 😮

MrsBosh · 03/08/2019 15:01

Squash (the drink) especially orange.

I get really, really uneasy and anxious around people drinking it. Have to hold my breath etc. Couldn't stand to touch or make it. I couldn't drink it if I was offered a large sum of money.

GirlFliesHome · 03/08/2019 15:23

I thought I was alone on the cigarette front!

Going into the office each morning i have to hold my breath and shut my eyes because there is one of those cigarette thingies that people stub out on. It reeks.

And I can't sit in pub gardens with an ashtray near me. I have to get someone to move the ashtray and then I need to wipe the table.

It genuinely makes me shudder and feel vomity.

Lindormilk · 03/08/2019 15:40

Usual heights and spiders.

billhubbard · 03/08/2019 15:50

Mine is tyres ... Not even so much the tyres themselves it's more about the weight of a vehicle supported by tyres .
My phobia is worse in summer with the sun shining on tyres increasing pressure .
I do need help as this does make me so anxious 😟
Mind you I do have an issue also with weight in general , can't watch anyone riding a horse or donkey , have felt like this for years and I am 50 now .
I can remember riding horses as a child and worried about my weight on them , also with bicycles don't like the weight on 2 tyres .
Thank you for thread it feels good but hard to explain my anxiety.
Funny that my phobia has always been about weight but I have always been an average sort of weight so it's not like being overweight that started it .

PillBox101 · 03/08/2019 15:51

Butterflies and moths, because the thought of them flying near me or worst still into my hair and face Sad

Rooms that have more than one window, especially if the windows are directly opposite to each other. I have absolutely no idea why!

Repetitive noises or just long lasting noise like a horn being pressed for a long period of time. The noises actually make me feel ill and I have thrown up many times because of them!

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 03/08/2019 16:55

Rats - evil creatures

I will dream about them when I am anxious. I will spit them in parks etc more so when I am anxious as I am note alert

I used to put books onto the the loo seat as I had read about them crawling up toilets

I am more relaxed about it now

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 03/08/2019 16:56

I will spot them
Not spit them - or at them would be afraid of what they might do Sad

TooGood2BeFalse · 03/08/2019 16:58

Polystyrene.Hate it so much, makes me feel sick and dizzy

WatchingTheWheels85 · 03/08/2019 16:59

Wasps I freeze and start shaking they absolutely terrify me. I'm fine with bees and often rescue exhausted ones but I dread summer because of wasps.

tinkerbellsays · 03/08/2019 17:03

Needles - as in injections and especially blood test type ones into the veins - to the point where I can't even watch it on tv let alone have an injection 🙈 even talking about it makes my chest go tight

Balloons popping - eugh get so anxious at kids parties!!

ComfortablyGlum · 03/08/2019 17:07

Tea - the smell of it, the look of it bleughhhhh. Cannot bear it. In the old days when you went on a plane and they’d wheel the tea urn round - I’d have to go and hide in the toilets until it was gone.

Also to a lesser extent, milk. I can tolerate it being in my fridge (just) for the rest of the family but I can’t touch the carton or pour it out. I think it stems from a vivid memory when I was a toddler - my mum accidentally poured off milk on my cereal and it’s haunted me ever since. I don’t eat cereal either but not phobic about that Grin

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 03/08/2019 20:52

@BarrytheFatcat.
I think it's called Meglaphobia.

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 03/08/2019 20:53

@AbbyNormal. Yours in Thalasasophobia
(If my spelling is correct)

PartridgeJoan · 03/08/2019 21:01

@Fairylightsandwine I used to suffer with this, I can't remember how or when it started but it was definitely linked to my wider mental health and anxiety

Fairylightsandwine · 03/08/2019 23:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PartridgeJoan · 04/08/2019 06:15

@Fairylightsandwine not 100% recovered as it still happens sometimes if I overthink things, but it's much better now.

I can't identify exactly what changed but looking back I can think of a couple of weird things... like I had really short hair with an undercut that I loved but I didn't realise until that point how much I hide behind my hair (reading this makes it sound insane... but it's true). My phobia was linked to my social anxiety and I was stuck following lots of 'rituals' (like OCD behaviour). I accidentally broke a ritual once and when the world didn't fall apart, I realised I didn't need to keep following them.

Also it was so much worse when there was a change to my home / safe space. It always flared up once I'd moved house and felt like I had nowhere to retreat to. Like it was really bad when I was at uni and it flared up again when I moved to another city. I spent lots of time focusing on home comforts and making sure that wherever I was, I was as comfortable as possible.

I also noticed that it calmed down massively once someone at work left (this person was lovely but really outspoken, confident, loud and always misunderstood me, but I had to work really closely with them). I really relaxed then and once my confidence increased, the blushing started to calm down.

Sorry this doesn't sound helpful at all. But two years ago I thought I'd never break free of it, and somehow it just started to fizzle away as I became more confident, relaxed and felt more comfortable in my surroundings. Also, if there's a situation where I'm more prone to it (eg public speaking) I keep myself reeeeally busy up until that point, which helps distract me.

I'm about to start CBT for my anxiety, so if I have an 'aha!' Moment I'll message you and let you know what the real key was x