I Think I might be going mad!!!

[charlotte121]

This sounds like im taking the micky but im being totally serious! I was driving along in my car the other day when all of a sudden a huge spider jumped out on me... it really frightened me... I dont like them at the best of times so whilst driving this was even worse.
So i pulled over and tried to be as calm as possible and get it out of the car but it scuttled off and hid in a hole. I have now become totally obsesssed with this spider... I have damaged my car trying to find it and get rid of it, and im petrified to get in my car and drive again. Im worried that its going to jump out on me again and cause an accident, which i dont want to happen with ds in the car. Im dreaming about spiders constantly and its starting to get rediculous and i keep thinking i have spiders crawling all over me. I know people on here have much more serious problems but this is really causing problems for me. I literally have to pluck up the courage to go out in the car and have a fork on the passenger seat just incase it comes near me again. Why have i become so obsessed with it. Its driving me nuts. x

Take dc's car seat out of car.

Empty a can of fly killer into the car. Close doors and leave for as long as poss.
Open all doors and windows for as long as poss - I would go for all day.
Drive in knowledge that no spiders will leap out at you.

There are plenty of people on mn with a spider phobia - they refer to them as 'loofahs' as even the word is upsetting enough.

You know your obsession isn't reasonable - I don't know what to suggest for that, sorry.

might be becoz im heavily pregnant... Im pretty obsissive at the best of times. but thanks for the advise! really appreciate it. x

If you are heavily pregnant that be very cautious about putting any toxic poisons in you car.

You are not going mad, for a start you have insight that your behaviour is irrational. You may be at the beginning of a phobia. Are you scared at the thought of other spiders?

I dunno if im really scared at the thought of spiders I just hate the thought of them crawling all over me. I dont like the way they move... i find it quite gross how they scuttle around. Its not too bad in the house because im more in control and whenever i come across a spider i put a cup over it and wait for when my mum is round and she gets rid for me. I think its the fact that i wouldnt be able to react if i was driving and that it could become unsafe. Its just become totally rediculous tho, Last night i couldnt sleep because i was plotting ways i could get this spider.
Have always been petrified of wasps but that i can understand... I have never been stung so part of it is the not knowing how much it hurts and also the fact that they sting is just an instinct thing to keep away from them... but spiders, what the heck can they do to me... nothing so why am i so obsessed by this one??? (my sister has decided to name it borris) x

It's common for the obsession to develop, I think - the event scared you and shocked you at a time when you needed to concentrate on something important. While you wanted to take precautions to make sure this event didn't happen again - by checking for the spider - this has now got a bit obsessional and is actually being unhelpful. i.e. the continual checking itself is increasing, probably, your anxiety about the situation (or it is one of the things that is increasing your anxiety). Trying not to think about it will probably make the thought more intrusive as well. If you want to overcome the anxiety, you should practice exposing yourself to the situation - being in the car - in a graded way for increasing amounts of time, and without anything that 'helps you feel safe' like the fork, and without doing more than a quick visual once over of, say the seat you're going to sit on (which is normal - the other checking psychologically reinforces the thought that you won't be safe unless you check, which is not accurate, but makes you worry more each time, or feel you should check more each time, leading to this cycle of worry). Rate your anxiety from 1-10 each time you get in the car. Use positive imagery - yourself coping as calmly as possible if you did see a spider again. This advice is CBTish and I don't know if it is helpful to you, but it should work. Also huge sympathy, because it sounds horrible, wish you good luck.