"irrational" fears

kimmieey
kimmieey Posts: 87
edited November 12 in Chit-Chat
Someone today told me that some of my fears were irrational.:angry: I replied that to me they are completely rational.:ohwell:

Clowns- there could be a serial killer under that make up

Heights - I'm a clumsy person, what if I fall?

People who stand on the side of the road- I've seen a man jump into someone's car through a window and attack them

Gas stoves- I was stuck in my house 14 years ago when our gas stove caused our house to catch fire


These are a few of mine, there's a reason to each and there are plenty more. I try not to let them keep me from living my life but I do try and avoid them when possible.


Point: anyone else have a fear someone says is irrational but you feel is justified? Just curious.
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Replies

  • DAMNCHARLIE
    DAMNCHARLIE Posts: 569
    my 19 yr old is afraid of clowns, remember Wayne Gacey was a clown/serial killer (that perform for young kids)
  • Rick_SH
    Rick_SH Posts: 71 Member
    Spiders. Hate em. Totally won't go near them. My wife thinks I'm crazy.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    Spiders. Hate em. Totally won't go near them. My wife thinks I'm crazy.

    Hahaha! My 6'2" 300lb brother is DEATHLY afraid of spiders. He screams like a girl whenever he sees one. LOL Oh boy, have I got some funny stories about his encounters with spiders! :bigsmile:
  • jeccalou
    jeccalou Posts: 92 Member
    I have an irrational fear of things hitting me in the head. No joke. I cant tell you the number of times a week i duck because i see something out of the corner of my eye. My hubster says i need a helmet. :happy:
  • Warmbloodwear
    Warmbloodwear Posts: 387 Member
    Will not cannot fly on an airplane! My family hates me cause I never se them unless I drive 15 hours :laugh:
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    My most problematic irrational fear actually has to do with a lack of confidence on my part in certain situations. When I am attracted to a guy, I have a very hard time looking him in the eye. I just know that if I look him in the eye, he'll be able to tell that I think he's cute, then he'll laugh in my face for even daring to hope that he'd ever be interested in me. Rational thought would say that not ALL guys WOULD do that, but that's the irrational part....I'm afraid they will.
  • jenbk2
    jenbk2 Posts: 614 Member
    I hate clowns too ! F-ing Poltergeist !
  • JaySpice
    JaySpice Posts: 326 Member
    I am VERY scared of spiders. The smallest ones makes me run for cover and I can't even look at them in pictures. *shudders*
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I won't sleep naked because of an "irrational" fear of someone driving into my house in the middle of the night. I don't want to have to take the time to get dressed before rushing outside if that happens.

    And if you knew how many motor vehicle to stationary object accidents happened on my corner, you wouldn't think it was an irrational fear.
  • kykykenna
    kykykenna Posts: 656 Member
    Frogs. Absolutely go into spaz mode. PETRIFIED of frogs.
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    A lot of the therapists I've seen tend to ignore most fears I have because they consider them trivial or irrational. And to be fair I have an acute sense of paranoia that stems from my anxiety.

    One of the biggest ones is men. People ask "why are you scared of men?" The answer to that is I was molested and abused by my father and him being the most prevalent male presence in my life, I gathered an early fear that all men, no matter who they were, wanted to rape me or hurt me or were "sizing me up" for sex. To this day I can't be alone in a room with a man without having an anxiety attack, even my relatives. I've gotten where I can be in a group with one or pass them in crowds without really being bothered, but alone is a no no. Weirdly enough I don't have this fear with my boyfriend.

    Another, as someone else mentioned, is sleeping naked. During a hurricane in 2007 a tree fell on our house and the fire department broke in (everyone had been sleeping and therefore in some state of undress) and we had to argue with them to give us 5 minutes to find some clothes. Not going through that again.

    Also scared of driving, which would be why I only have my permit still at 22 and haven't been behind the wheel since I was 17.
  • kuunsilta
    kuunsilta Posts: 126 Member
    Electricity - Like live wires. It kills me to change a light bulb or go near any major wiring. I never freak out like you see people do with phobias, but it seriously makes me uncomfortable or jump when I see a spark.

    Garden gnomes - Well, this is pretty irrational to me. Its not so much a fear so much as they REALLY, REALLY creep me out. Started as an over-active imagination as a kid and just kinda stuck with me. My friends like to exploit this...
  • samcee
    samcee Posts: 307
    I'm very claustrophobic. I rather cycle or take the bus than take a packed train on the london underground. I'm short so it always feels like I'm being buried alive and squished by the taller people. I have to close my eyes in closed spaces otherwise I get panic attacks. Another one I find very uncomfortable is people touching my wrist. Its not so much of a fear but it drives me insane.
  • Cella30
    Cella30 Posts: 539 Member
    Farm fowl.

    Chickens, geese, ducks, etc. Why are they so effing angry all the time? I am terrified of being chased by one of the sadistic feathered freaks then I trip and they peck my face off. :embarassed:
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    Farm fowl.

    Chickens, geese, ducks, etc. Why are they so effing angry all the time? I am terrified of being chased by one of the sadistic feathered freaks then I trip and they peck my face off. :embarassed:

    I had a duck bite me when I was 7. Hurt like hell. A friend of mine when I was 14 went up to a baby goose and petted it and when the rest of the flock saw her do it, they chased her the perimeter of the park (and it was a big one as it had a lot of jogging paths and recreational stuff) twice before getting bored. My mother had a relative who had a rooster that lived in the backyard and chased anyone it saw. If you didn't run it attacked. I've also had a pigeon attack my hair, back when it was long.

    So no, not irrational.
  • coraliethomas
    coraliethomas Posts: 336 Member
    Aliens.... I still havent made it through the first 10 minutes of Signs.... Im terrified. Its the dumbest thing, I know, but it makes me sweat just thinking about it!
  • cardiokitten
    cardiokitten Posts: 401 Member
    Aliens.

    If you talk about them, I will legitimately burst out in tears. I'm DEATHLY afraid of aliens.
  • emrys1976
    emrys1976 Posts: 213 Member
    Frogs. Absolutely go into spaz mode. PETRIFIED of frogs.

    Me too!!
  • Mybabie
    Mybabie Posts: 239
    SPIDERS.
  • coraliethomas
    coraliethomas Posts: 336 Member
    Aliens.

    If you talk about them, I will legitimately burst out in tears. I'm DEATHLY afraid of aliens.

    LOL!! Im sooo glad Im not the only one! maybe we were abducted at some point....
  • ArtGeek22
    ArtGeek22 Posts: 1,429 Member
    1) The Ocean (which is Ironic because I love Marine Biology...)
    2) Spiders
    3) Needles
    4) MY SISTER!!!! :laugh:
  • megansoriano
    megansoriano Posts: 158
    Zombies!
  • jill92787
    jill92787 Posts: 158 Member
    Traffic. I was in a car accident last summer that came out of nowhere and fractured my neck and now whenever I'm in a car I'm terrified most of the time. I was with a friend a couple weeks ago and we almost got hit. I ended up curled up in a ball in my seat crying until he had to pull over and convince me I wasn't going to die. :/
  • slightner
    slightner Posts: 61 Member
    I'm with you on the clowns-they are creepy looking! and birds of all kinds- the beady eyes, long claws (shudder )and Im always thinking they are going to poop on me LOL

    I can top you all with the weirdest I bet- I have a fear of toilets overflowing. Especially in public restrooms. I have to have the door open and be on my way out to flush so I dont get trapped in there with an overflowing toilet! Feel free to laugh, Im crazy :) I have embraced my inner crazy and am OK with it :)
  • schume89
    schume89 Posts: 118 Member
    i get really anxious when i am walking down stairs and can see the floors below me. and i will not go anywhere near a balcony or ledge. my heart starts racing if i think about the fact there is nothing underneath me

    its so weird because i was actually thinking about this today on a staircase when i was going to class!
  • nrvo
    nrvo Posts: 473 Member
    Being stuck in a small space. Fish. Most birds. Getting my eye poked out by a branch.
  • k011185
    k011185 Posts: 320 Member
    Clowns, big time, and having a tire blow out while I'm on the freeway.

    I saw a horror movie at a friend's house when I was 5 or 6 with a demon possesed clown, mom said I had nightmares for months. To this day I cry and break out in cold sweats if I see one.
    The tire thing, no idea where that came from, but I will be driving down the freeway and all the sudden get so freaked out that I start to shake and get out of breathe.
    Snakes, spiders, heights, none of those thigns bother me a bit, lol, but tires and clowns literally keep me up at night. So silly!
  • cardiokitten
    cardiokitten Posts: 401 Member
    Aliens.

    If you talk about them, I will legitimately burst out in tears. I'm DEATHLY afraid of aliens.

    LOL!! Im sooo glad Im not the only one! maybe we were abducted at some point....

    haha, so funny that you said it like 30 seconds before I did :)
    I'm planning on getting a tattoo of a "cute" alien someday to maybe start to face my insane fear of them. But that's... in the future ;)
  • nemsmom
    nemsmom Posts: 48
    Someone today told me that some of my fears were irrational.:angry: I replied that to me they are completely rational.:ohwell:

    Clowns- there could be a serial killer under that make up

    Heights - I'm a clumsy person, what if I fall?

    People who stand on the side of the road- I've seen a man jump into someone's car through a window and attack them

    Gas stoves- I was stuck in my house 14 years ago when our gas stove caused our house to catch fire


    These are a few of mine, there's a reason to each and there are plenty more. I try not to let them keep me from living my life but I do try and avoid them when possible.


    Point: anyone else have a fear someone says is irrational but you feel is justified? Just curious.

    First, they are not you, they can not say your fears are irrational! The are rational to you!

    Second, I am horribly afraid of heights. I get one step up on a step ladder and my knees are trembling. I'm only 5"2" and God made me short for a reason! That way I'm close to the ground!

    Spiders or any bug are another one.

    Thunder and lightning storms I want to run away from it or run to the arms of my husband and cry uncontrollably!

    Speaking or singing in front of more than 2 people (or anyone I don't know), I know stage fright. I tremble, feel sick to my stomach and my voice gets shaky and out of tune! Even though everyone tells my I sing beautifully and some people ask me to sing for them every time I see them.
  • AndiJoy812
    AndiJoy812 Posts: 236
    Deep water - especially if I can't see through it, like a muddy lake or ocean off of the shore. This is why I will never go on a cruise...I don't care how much "fun" they are. I can barely tolerate "water" movies like "The Abyss" or "Titanic" - I feel like I can't breathe the whole time I am in the theater. Especially irrational because I love to fish and swim, and everything about the ocean, except for tsunamis, of course. Those terrify me beyond description. My husband thinks I am a total dork, because with most things I am fearless...but then this is coming from a giant of a man who screams like a little girl whenever he is surprised by a spider...
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