What things are you scared of that seems ridiculous to other people?

[harlacem0507]

Thought I would start a (hopefully) interesting thread on what fears people have that aren't your 'typical' fears most people get! So forget the dark, spiders and heights!

I have typical fears most people do, for example my biggest one would be bees/wasps but that's quite common, but this one is a strange one (or so other people say!)

I live in Bedfordshire and there are two hangers, called the cardington hangers/sheds that are used for various things, including film sets, and they absolutely terrify me. Google if you're interested, but you'll probably think what's the deal? I can't even explain it myself but having spoken to my partner I think it must be the size of them? I also don't like that they are so isolated and where I live, I'll drive round the corner and I won't see them until they are in my face and it honestly makes my heart race. I avoid them as much as I can. The worst time was when it was foggy and I couldn't see them when I normally would and I felt sick because I knew they were there but couldn't see them. Maybe I need help😂
So what's yours?

I’m very scared of generationally well-educated, confident, self possessed people. They’re like a foreign species to me. I know I can never be like them and it really bothers me and no matter how hard I try I just can’t shake them/ it off.

more prosaically:

Any form of vertiginous edge like cliffs, bluffs, drops off a ridge or path. They make me sweat and feel physically sick. Although only when not barrier-ed, and when I have a child or a dog off lead with me. For myself, I’m fine with most walking and skiing situations.

Also pregnancy & birth. (Diagnosed tokophoboa).
Also driving.
Mushrooms. Saw my husband rinsing some over the sink today and nearly ran out the house.

The cracks in between seats on public transport. Just accidentally touching them makes me so anxious I'm actually sick!

Lifts that don’t have a glass side - I’m not claustrophobic so don’t know why I’m ok if I can see out but can’t stand them if I can’t

Gas storage tanks. No idea why, I've never really been that close to one but just no.

Downward slopes for me too.
Cycling or driving round bends - don't know if it's a balance thing.
Big moths.

Slugs. I'm fine with spiders, centipedes, beetles - even snails. But slugs terrify me.

Open loads on vehicles.

I have a particular aversion to trucks carrying scaffold poles.

Although this served me well, when I avoided half a sheet of chipboard landing on the road in front of me because it hadn't been secured properly. If I had been traveling as close as I would usually it would have hit my bonnet/windscreen. I was holding back thankfully.

Worms….uuurgh! It’s actually a phobia of anything that wriggles. When it rains I run along squealing when I see them.

Anything underground or under water, a submarine would be my idea of hell.

They're not a big thing in offices now, but the guillotine used to freak me out and I'd have to get other people to use it for me. There was no way I could cut myself, amd maybe it's the name, but no thanks.

@Superfoodie123

I'm exactly the same. It has a name.

Yes! That's it I hate them but can I tear my eyes away from them? No way.

Empty swimming pools. Particularly in abandoned buildings. Ughhhh
Toilets that are located far from everything. So you are in a restaurant and you have to go downstairs, down a long dark corridor or something. Nope that's me out. I would rather wet myself. God knows why but it can make like difficult

Yes actually they aren't nice either, it's more to do with how bloody far down do they go? A bit like the wind turbines at sea 😬

Dying. Sometimes I think about it and I break out in sweats

Argh me too. I am trying to not be weird about it in front of DS who is learning to swim, but my foot accidentally touched a pool grate/drain a few weeks ago and I shrieked

Oh I remember them at school!
Also, this is probably weirder than the hangers one, but taking the lid off the toilet cistern and looking inside is my idea of hell. Ergh just creepy.

Whilst I don’t want to amplify your fears, @TastelessMiserySand I do have to say that both rationally and biologically the car driving and mushroom fears are pretty legit. Cars are super dangerous. Mushrooms are generally not dangerous but I imagine this is a vestige of some primordial instinct. Childbirth, well: if you’ve already done labour and found it tough, then again that would be a natural fear. If you’ve not been through it, yet, then you may very wel surprise yourself. If you don’t, there are excellent painkiller options available from epidural (you feel nothing at all) to pethidine (you might feel but you really won’t care) to Nitrous Oxide (you will care and feel but, oh, this is kind of distracting ;))

The best thing about childbirth is it is short lived. Months of tokophobia will be much more brutal than 12 hours of active labour. Labour is like a sprint. Anxiety about anything is like the longest marathon ever.

A lot of what has been mentioned so obviously not filling the OP's brief but.. slugs, edges of cliffs without a barrier ( I was shaking when on the Alos), and chair lifts where your feet are exposed. Also a problem in the Alos.

Also - mazes. I have zero sense of direction and just walking round and round trying to get out is like a recurring bad dream

That story nearly two years ago about the titanic mission must have creeped you out!

Blood pressure monitors, they make me feel like I'm going to pop.

I'm absolutely terrified of heights which is obviously common. Odd thing is they make me want to jump just so I can get down which makes me more scared because I have such a strong urge. I used to live in York and was terrified of M&S as it was 4 floors and the first 3 had an open middle with just escalators and I was always desperate to jump from that top floor...

When I googled the hangars like you said the very thing I have a phobia of popped up. Airships/zeppelins. I just get scared when I see photos of them. Can't explain.

Sharks are going to come out of them if you swim over them…the pool I used to go to regularly as a child had a huge black grate in the deep end. I would never swim over it. Or go as fast as I could. We used to throw coins to then dive and fetch and if it went near that, nah, game over.

Oh no! Yes they are famous for the airships here, 6 years ago my then 4 year old was obsessed when they released it, it was quite low down and just plodded along the sky, you wouldn't have liked that!