Do any of you have any extreme phobias?

[Booboo27]

Do any of you have any bad phobias, and if so what coping mechanisms do you have?
I have the most ridiculous phobia of spiders ever. As soon as I see one in my home I instantly run in the opposite direction and will be drenched in sweat with a pounding heart. It's completely irrational and I know they are a lot more scared of me as I am of them, but it's like I've trained my brain to react the way I do and I don't know how to control it. I've even had full blown panic attacks when I've seen a big one and there's no one around to get rid of it for me. I have a spider catcher thing but I'm always too terrified to get close enough to it.
I'm starting to think I need to go on a CBT course or maybe get hypnotised so I can remain calmer when I see one.
Any advice?

Needles for me, so much so that I would probably damage my health by refusing to have blood tests etc.

Ended up having hypnotherapy and although I am still scared then I actually have had three blood tests done without fainting. Was money well spent!

NeonGod73
It's an unusual one and I wouldn't put it on here as it would instantly identify me to anyone who knew me. It's maybe more of an rational /irrational fear (extremely expressed though) rather than a phobia. I'm in my fifties and although I have tried to mildly confront the fear over the years with the support of my DH it never lessens, which is why I think I have it for life
It does have an effect on my day to day life but is manageable, by avoidance and altering my behaviour.

Oh yes flying too. Diazepam is my friend. It's not the actual flying that's the problem but the irrational fear of doing something unnecessary that puts me at risk of dying when my dc are still dependent on me. I was fine before dc.

Over the years I have developed a fear of driving/ being driven on motorways. As soon as we go down the slip road I can feel myself starting to sweat and my breathing changes.
I have never been involved in or seen an accident ( touch wood) but my mind races with " what if " questions and I have to try and make myself go to sleep. ( not if I'm driving obviously!).

Pruny wet skin. It is so bad that I cannot look at it or have anyone touch me when wet. It makes me retch and I have to run away. I think for me it is part of a wider sensory disorder which had I been a child now would probably have been diagnosed as a disorder.

Letters, I hate them and I start to shake and sweat when I hear the letterbox going.

Wasps. The look of them, their curved back, their sound and the way they move. Ive never been stung ( 60 years old) but dread September and never open my windows in wasp season. I even hate the word, I get palpitations when i see one. Has been difficult when I was teaching infants full time, trying to conceal my ohonia from them. I had to make plans with other staff for wasp emergencies.
Also I have never conquered my phobia of the dentist, particularly the lying back and seeing the instruments approach my mouth. I usually pay for treatment under sedation.

Phobia that should read

I'm terrified of spiders
I can only hang my washing out on the line once I have used a brush and swept the whole of if over to get rid of webs and little spiders that seem to be drawn to it, i also have to spray the centre pole with raid spray. If I've accidently left the peg bag out over night I have to tip them all out on the garden table and only pick up ones I know haven't got a spider on
I also don't like sitting on grass and have to check outside chairs for spiders before I sit down.
If I accidently walk into a spider web line it makes me feel sick and I have to brush myself down and will still be shuddering ages after.

To make matters worse about 2 years ago I was bitten on the hand by a tiny tiny spider when I was driving. By the next day my hand had swollen up and I had a red rash up to my elbow so my fear has worsened as my worst fear came true!

My main phobia is sick, I don't mean being sick myself although it's not nice but it's others being sick. I have two DCs 8&4yrs old, if I hear someone was sick at school I make them get in the bath right away when they get home (as if that would help) I can't properly sleep on a night if there is a bug going around and the slightest noise from their room has me panicking that they will be ill. I'm constantly tired as a result and my youngest doesn't sleep well anyway and suffers from night terrors so between 12-3am when he ends up in our room I don't get any sleep worrying in case he is ill. Whenever they are ill I make myself bad myself from worrying about it.
I have no idea why I'm like it but I remember I was about 7 and meant to be going to my friends after school but she told me her older brother was off with a migraine so we had to be quiet and it makes him sick. I then refused to go round and my mum was made with me for embarrassing her but it was the thought of someone being ill!
Thing is I manage to clean up and get through it fine when it happens it's just the thought of them being ill 😷

I'm terrified of lifts...unless they're glass lifts, in which case I'm fine. I'll do anything to avoid going in one!