Lowell, MA I am deathly afraid of heights. My two most freightening experiences with heights were as follows: 1) being stuck in the nose bleed seats of dodger stadium 2) trying to get back down from the top of Blarney Castle Shayna, 28
Somerville, MA Developing vertigo when I am on a high balconey. Jane, 60
West Linn, OR
Nothing, a few years ago thought I had to spend considerable time talking my way through crossing streets, sort of a whispered..."no fear!!" chant, because I was developing what was really an irrational fear of being run over!!
Helena, 31
Sydney AUSTRALIA
frogs and censorship, and if anyone managed to combine the two I will go on a "National Columbine Out-Reach Tour", starting in D.C and working West
Anthony, 25
Baton Rouge, LA
Crabs and scorpions. I hate them, especially the former. Every time I see one I go mental.
Shanna, 15
Cardiff ENGLAND
I have a tremendous fear of hypodermic needles. I can't look at them or watch people get injections. I even have a hard time listening to people tell stories about giving blood because of the needle. It's so bad that even though I haven't had the chicken pox, I refuse to get the vaccine for it because of the hypodermic. It's a completely irrational fear, and I know in the long run I'm really only harming myself, but I can't help it.
Megan, 24
Chicago, IL
Stage fright. I don't like my voice and can't figure out how the hell I became a spoken word artist. Then I remember the really good shows.
Alias Irrelevante
I am afraid of drowning in a car...weird, but true. I'm not even sure what this stems from. Anyway, since I am afraid of that, I am intensely afraid of bridges. It's very difficult for me to handle going over them. Over the years I have gotten a little better about it, but I don't think it will ever go away!
Tracy, 24
Ocean City, NJ
I have a great deal of trouble--and anguish--coping with anyone who is lying to me. My mind makes the rigid assumption that anyone who is distorting reality for personal purposes is dangerous. I feel any individual who changes facts in order to advance personal goals is quite likely to ignore or to exploit my rights and needs. Sometimes this conviction gets in the way of normal conversational pleasantry. Sometimes it hampers me and keeps me from
Jill, 59
Saylorsburg, PA
Hypochondria. I had my first experience in college and have continued to have episodes since then. I have convinced myself, at one point or another, that I was going blind, going deaf, had cancer of one thing or another, was HIV positive, had MS, diabetes, Parkinson's...the list goes on and on. Since I usually am an intelligent and logical person, I realized after a while that I obviously had a problem. I have related it to stress. Instead of allowing myself to admit that I am stressed out, my mind and body react to the stress through hypochondriac experiences - I will truely believe that something is physically wrong with me. (I have also had plain old panic attack episodes, which aren't fun either) I have taught myself to think logically and focus on the fact that this is only a reaction to stress. I still have episodes, but they are less intense and much shorter in duration. Few people are aware that I have this secret problem. My husband experienced my strange behavior for the first time about a month ago. My legs were falling asleep a lot and I was sure that I had MS (the internet doesn't help hypochondriacs since info on symptoms for every disease out there is at our fingertips! That's dangerous for us!) I broke down and cried and told him I must see a doctor immediately! He did a good job of calming me down and not treating me like a nut case. By the next morning I was over it. In my normal life, I make fun of myself because it sounds so funny (we've all seen the stereotypical hypochondriac on tv and in movies), but when I am in the middle of there is NOTHING funny about it. It is very real and very frightening.
Susan, 31
Chicago, IL
I suppose my fear of spiders. Sometimes at night, I think I can feel them crawling on my legs.
Kathy, 26
Garden City, MI
Arachnaphobia...fear of spiders...only thing in this world that I am truly afraid of.
Katie, 24
Seminole, FL
I am definitely a claustrophobic and, I do not know if there is a word for it, but I have a phobia about roaches. I call it "Roachaphobia."
Ernest, 28
Washington, DC
Probably social phobea. I don't have a fear about social situations, but I am very paranoid about people and thier motives, and usually don't trust anyone.
Socrates One
Lowell, MA
Public speaking turns me to absolute brainless mush.
Firelady, 22
Dallas, TX
My fear is being unable to move. It was awful when I was a little kid and had to sit in a desk all day. I don't mind small spaces so much as knowing that I can't get out of the spaces in a hurry. When I was a little kid it would frustrate me to tears to have to sit in my desk. My feet would start having this internal itch I couldn't do anything about and I'd be at the point of tears. This actually happened to me once last year. Until then, I had forgotten how terrible a feeling it was. I almost ran out of my class, but I stuck it out.
Karen, 20
|Marshelltown/Ames. IA
I have a bit of claustrophobia, but only when it is accompanieed by being squished amongst tons of people. There is a tinge of fear regarding mysterious fresh water sharks and vampires that hang out in the corner of my room.
Felicia, 34
Somerville, MA
I'm scared of sleeping by the window when it's storming
Angela, 16
Bella Vista, AK
Evil evil evil evil evil evil evil. Amy, 23
Baton Rouge, LA I am terrified of heights. Sometimes I have dreams about falling, and they are by far the worst kind. Nicole
Elk Grove, CA Fear of flying! Jami, 27
Lowell, MA fear of mirrors and getting my picture taken. . .although, as I get better looking I'm getting considerably better with both. . . mothmc, 35
Los Angeles, LA I don't like people being stood or sat behind me, I don't know why but it just really freaks me out. I always try to sit/stand with my back against a wall, and avoid queues if at all possible. Spiders and moths also freak me out quite a bit too. Nikki, 27
Kirkham ENGLAND