What scares you?

[Remudamom]

The Golden Compass thread made me wonder. Vampires and zombies don't bother me, not real. Now a movie about a serial killer might keep me awake.

But heights... heights can make me stop breathing. I get scared looking over bannisters, or from balconies. If the kids get too close I panic. When I went to see a new house during construction I was able to go up the open, no-backed steps, but almost had to crawl down on my hands and knees because I could see through to the ground. The Grand Canyon will never be on my to do list.

But....I LOVE roller coasters. The higher the better. I guess I feel safe strapped in.

[sdWTMer]

I've always wanted to go on a hot air balloon since I live here in San Diego; but alas, the height does make me think twice.

And another thing that bothers me is wildfires here in Southern California when the Santa Ana winds are coming on strong! :eek:

[j.griff]

I don't like spiders. I am rational about them, but if one crawls on me or towards me really fast I involuntarily fling it off of me and shriek, or run away faster than normally possible while shrieking. LOL
But what really scares me is fear. Yes, I have phobophobia. The thought of being scared induces anxiety in me, I get shakey, my heart pounds, I feel dizzy and/or have vertigo.
I cannot STAND it if I think someone is hiding and is going to jump out and say boo, the anticipation drives me nuts. I am easily startled too.

[j.griff]

Oh yes, heights do bother me too. We went driving on some off road trails up by Lake Elsinore, and I just couldn't stand being on the side that was facing the edge of the "mountain" we were driving up. It was absolutely awful. And I can't stand when someone else is driving and they park at the edge of a cliff or lake or something like that. I am terrified that the ground will give way, or the parking brake won't work and the car will slide down into the water or chasm with us in it. I like parking as far away from an edge as possible.
I think I have control issues, LOL.

[Peek a Boo]

roaches.

Those huge, nasty gross waterbugs that will fly right out at you.
I'm a texas gal, but those monster bugs in San Antonio creeped. me. out.

When we moved to Upstate NY, i always told everyone that thos bugs were the ONLY thing i didn't miss about Texas, lol. I can handle snakes, rats, spiders, OTHER bugs, heights, confined spaces, water, ...ANYthing! but those roaches make me scream like a little girl. And my entire time in Syracuse I never saw a roach --even at my friend's filthy house. whew.

My kids always heard me recount the above 2 paragraphs to friends in NY. They were young when we moved to NY, so when we moved back to NY almost 5 years later and oldest ds heard me SCREAM when a roach crawled out, He busted his gut laughing so hard at seeing me actually scream [which I NEVER do] after hearing me say that just tickled his funny bone. one of those "AHA! That's what she meant!" moments I'm sure.

I offer a 50 cent bounty on roaches here -killed inside OR outside. I can't even kill the things --the *crunch* makes my bones chill. Even w/ the spray stuff --I have to stand way back and look away, lol. YUCK!! yuck, Yuck, YUCK!! Thankfully I married a mighty warrior of a dh that can smack those bugs dead w/ his bare hands. I change dirty diapers, he kills cockroaches. My oldest is as freaked out about them as I am. My 10yo and 6yo are proving to be Mighty Warriors too and jump at the chance to kill a roach. I knew the creek nearby would be bad for breeding roaches, but we haven't really seen too many here Thank God. About one a month or so.

::shivers::

[Tia in Wa]

Spiders scare me. I realize that it is silly but terrify me. I almost rolled my car once when one dropped on me. Thank God for low-profile tires and that my kids weren't in the car.:o

[Crissy]

I don't like spiders. I am rational about them

I have a very serious fear of spiders. I AM NOT rational about it. Not one bit.

[JudoMom]

Heights.
Horror Movies or Books and many Mysteries/Suspense/Thrillers.
Crickets, Snakes, Spiders, and Worms.

:eek:

[Kelli in TN]

I am not the least bit rational about it, either.

A snake slithering across my sidewalk can keep me housebound for hours after the snake has gone to terrorize someone else.

After working hard all spring on my front flowerbed I let the whole thing go to weeds for the rest of the summer after I pulled a clump of grass and found a snake wiggling between my feet.

My heart races and I cannot concentrate when I see a snake.

Since I live in Tennessee, this greatly handicaps my enjoyment of the outdoors.

I dream of living somewhere with a much smaller snake population.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I'd probably have to say snakes or swimming in the ocean.

If we can add intangible things, the fear of one of my boys getting very sick is sometimes overwhelming to me.

[Diann]

Small spaces scare me. If I was ever stuck in an elevator... Oh. My. I'd probably pass out. Airplanes are fine for the first 2 hours or so, then I start feeling claustrophobic. Xanax gets me through the longer flights.

Diann

[Jenny in Atl]

I'm scared of things like sickness, a loss of control (or being out of), but not too many classic things like bugs. I fear something happening to my family - those kinds of things. Guess, that's why not too many scary bks or movies bother me.

[Kelli in TN]

Small spaces scare me. If I was ever stuck in an elevator... Oh. My. I'd probably pass out. Airplanes are fine for the first 2 hours or so, then I start feeling claustrophobic. Xanax gets me through the longer flights.

Diann

My mom is like you! And I am terrified of escalators so if we go somewhere together we either have to use the stairs together or she goes up the escalator and I find an elevator and we meet at the top!

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

Jenny, I completely agree! The loss of control is terrifying (like skidding on ice, etc...) where controlled circumstances (rollercoasters) or imaginary situations (movies) are not so bad. The thought that anything could happen at any time to my family (especially my little boys) such as an accident or sickness literally takes my breath away at times. Ugh.

[OnTheBrink]

Clowns, wide open spaces, snakes and horses. (Ok, not really about the horses). LOL

[Lisa at Home]

Bridges with enough water in which to drown, anyway. I guess maybe it's more the irrational fear of drowning rather than the bridge itself, since little bridges over shallow creeks don't bother me very much.

Incidently, I find truth much scarier than fiction. I'm much more likely to fear something happening to dh than a "boogey man" kind of irrational fear.

~Lisa

[Lisa at Home]

I love the horse comment!:D

~Lisa

[ncmomo3]

spiders---big ones, small ones, long-legged ones, shiney bodied ones, fuzzy ones, slow ones, jumping ones.......eww-eww-eww--soooo creepy! I am a bit irrational about them. ewww

[Mekanamom]

I am in the grip of another darn migraine, so currently, my fear is having a stroke. I worry about it every single time. (I don't think it's a rational fear, but I can't help it.)

They're better than they used to be... if I catch it early enough and take Excedrin right away, I can function. (Used to end up in bed for a day or more with the sheets over my head to block out the light and any loud sounds.)

So this is much better than that. I wouldn't dare to drive, though.

Normally, during non-migraine days... hm, yeah other people scare me way more than any kind of made-up thing. I'm always shocked at what people are capable of when I read the news.

I don't like heights much, spiders don't bother me, but roaches DO. Shudder. Probably the fear I have to deal with the most is driving in the mountains or hills. Darn those windy roads!! I have to fight with the tendency to slow WAY down around every corner, because there could be an accident right around the bend that I can't see, just waiting for me to smash into. KWIM? If I have to drive any significant distance in the hills, I end up very tense, with sweaty palms, and exhausted... which will sometimes result in a migraine... bringing me full circle to the beginning of this post.

[Michelle T]

I come from a long line of anxiety disorder/phobia/OCD family, and I sure wish I could tear those genes right out of myself!

I am scared of pretty much everything that could be a form of transportation. Absolutely TERRIFIED of flying, scared of boats, trains, buses, I don't much like being in automobiles either.

Scared of amusement park rides, horseback riding, hot air balloons, and many, many other things I'm forgetting at the moment.

It is very miserable to have so many phobias, and life-limiting. My mother thinks she is normal to have so many fears, and everyone else is crazy. But I understand that what we have is a form of mental illness.
Michelle T

[Lisa at Home]

~

[Kelli in TN]

You know, Michelle, you bring a lot of things to my mind here.

I said I was afraid of snakes, and I am.

Then I mentioned that I am afraid of escalators, and I am.

I cannot fly and so I will probably never get to travel.

I cannot drive on I40 and so to get to Memphis I must map out an alternate route. Or stay home.

I am afraid of meeting new people because I am sure they will hate me.

I am a mess.

[Lisa at Home]

~

[Mrs. Readsalot]

Deep Water. I can swim in a pool fine, but I am afraid of deep water and this keeps me off of boats. Not a great thing when you live within walking distance of the ocean.

[momtolgd]

I'm bothered by heights and various creepy crawly bugs, snakes and rats. And I am most definately scared watching killer movies. But I think the thing that scares me most is Tornadoes. I have nightmares about being in one. Having a basement is a necessity to me because I need to have a place to go in case of a tornado.

[Stirsmommy]

As I was reading everyone else's fears I began to realize I really am fearful of more thna I thought. I know with out a doubt I am terrified of heights. My in laws have an apt on the 32nd floor in Tokyo. I thought I was going to hurl the entire time. The Grand Canyon actually has me passing out every time I go. I hate to cross bridges especially the ones that you can see through the road part. I can not stand small spaces. I am ok in elevators so long as there aren't a bunch of people (3 or 4 are ok if it is big) but whne we went to Tokyo 10 people would cram inot a little one with the silly American going excuse me, excuse I have got to get off of here. Got a lot of exercise there. I never watch scary or really suspenseful type movies. I am afraid of ants. I always have been. As I am reading this I am thinking gee what a wuss!\
Melissa

[BritAnnia]

Truly, deep down phobic, irrational fear? Driving. I've lived here (USA) 20 years and stay home always because I cannot drive.
I do get a bit woozy when up high or towards edges of cliffs, etc. It happened once while visting MIL at her job at a local hospital. There's a walkway between buildings and it's about 8 floors up, glass floor to ceiling both sides. I almost couldn't make it through even though it's totally enclosed. Icky.
I hate crickets. They totally creep me out and my dc know it. They're good about rescuing me. Unfortunately we have tons of crickets in the soil around certain parts of the house perimeter and in our partial-dirt basement. Not good!

In movies, I get grossed out at gore but what truly freaks me out with chills and all is floating or a person 'crawling' across a ceiling. Odd, weird stuff like that is far more heart-stoppingly fearful to me than the special effects type boogey-man.

Now I need some chocolate to chase away the creepy images in my head!

[Krista in LA]

My dh's driving! When we are running late or he's worked up over something, I just want to get out of the car at the first stop sign we come too. It scares me. I try to beat him out to the car most of the time so I can drive.

Other than that, I'm very scared of heights and I'm claustrophobic.

[GreenKitty]

Being burried alive

Other than that I can't really think of anything.

[Rich with Kids]

Alligators, roaches (The ones Peek described. We grow 'em big in TX)

And Trains. Man, trains make me nuts. We live near a very active railroad and I always get stuck as the first car near the tracks. They're loud and rumbly and they derail sometimes. My DH will sit there and say things like "OOOh it looks wobbly. I hope it doesn't come off the tracks!" :eek:

I'm also a freak about heights. My DH was on a 20 foot ladder photographing something and I thought I was gonna come outta my skin. I get the willies just standing on a chair. I think it comes from being overweight most of my life. When I weighed 300 lbs, I was always afraid I was gonna break something I was standing on or sitting in. :(

[Rich with Kids]

Oh! And I have a recurring dream that I am trapped in a tube of water, head down. :(

[Katia]

Driving on slippery snow covered roads and/or ice, but especially during sub-zero temperatures. This simply terrifies me and I avoid it at all possible costs. No matter what is going on, or where, I absolutely refuse if my child(ren) are to be passengers. We just cancel and stay at home. It doesn't make me very popular :(

I used to be scared of spiders, but not any more. Don't know what changed. I'm older?

[Amy in Orlando]

:o I have an absolutely insane irrational fear of birds. All birds.

[Jean in Wisc]

And when it registers that it is my son's shoes, jeans, coat, and gloves all stuffed with newspaper and a balloon for a head, I go from screeming to a fire-breathing revenging dragon.

They were sooo, soooo disappointed. It was meant to be found by their sister--and they had planned to pull the shower curtain open sloooowly with an invisible fishing line attached to it, so they could do it from the hallway.

Now you know something new about my family life. LOL!

Oh--I don't like heights, either.

[j.griff]

OMG! I can't STAND to see creepy people crawling across the walls or ceilings, that just freaks me out completely. And I've had issues for years after seeing the Exorcist, the one where the old woman is crawling on the ceiling and then the part where there is suddenly someone standing behind a nurse holding the giant hedge clipper things, about to use them on her neck!!!!!! Ick!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mom2legomaniacs]

Heights (near edges of things), bridges (especially the high ones -- FREAK OUT), closed in spaces, not being able to breathe, scary movies and books (horror type).

Probably more, but those are the worst offenders!

[ncmomo3]

Being burried alive

Other than that I can't really think of anything.

ROFL--that reminds me of my all time fav Bob Newhart sketch (totally clean)
http://www.viralvideochart.com/youtube/mad_tv_bob_newhart_skit__mo_collins__stop_it?id=BY LMTvxOaeE

[Dawn E]

Funny you should ask, but....horses scare me! I think that they are spectacularly beautiful, and I actually even grew up around them. Still, they frighten me. Of course, it is more awe than terror, but I get all nervous and skittish--unfortunately, two things horses are not so fond of. :)

More than that, though, I detest flying alone. Flying at all is less comfortable now that I have a family than it was when I was single and fancy-free. However, whenever I must fly alone I begin to consider my mortality and how the kiddos would be without me. Silly, I know, but there it is. The funny thing is, I am much calmer when we are all flying together.

[unsinkable]

House fires.

Car fires.

Being trapped in a house or car that is on fire.

Big, tall statue type things. Seeing the Statue of Liberty made me nearly wet my pants. A Christmas tree lot near us has a gigantic statue of Paul Bunyon that makes me catch my breath. It's just wrong.

Being pinned down for any reason.

Being pinned down and tickled.

Having to hold still while people hurt me (ie: dentist or ob/gyn)

Yikes! What a list.

unsinkable

[WTMindy]

Ticks freak me out. Not spiders or snakes. Just ticks!!!!

[Julie in CA]

I really *really* hate multi-level parking structures. I almost can't make myself drive into them and park. Goofy, I know!
~Julie~
Btw, I've never chickened out yet, but the day may come....

[AudreyTN]

I'm scared of bridges... I've always been scared of them. I can't even drive over a high one... just looking at the San Francisco Bridge makes me sick to my stomach

[Sweetpeach]

Worms and Water Eels.

I loathe them. Worms disgust me. shudder. I love spring-time running because of the sun and warmth, but the worms kill my desire. uck. gag. I run along, imagining I'm going to step on one, and I'll feel it squish under my sneakers. That gross worm will be lodged in the treads of my kicks. Hate worms. Maybe I'm not scared of them . . . but I do loathe them. And they stink. gag.

Eels -- swimming in the lake of a g-friends house last summer on a really hot day. Swimming much too close to the wharf *and* wearing goggles. Grossest thing I've ever seen . . . an eel swam right by me. Mr. Eel wasn't at all concerned about me, but I did a most undignified dance in front of an entire birthday party. Squeeled like a school-girl. Not sure if I'll ever be able to get back in a lake again.

There you have it. TMI?

[mcconnellboys]

Wow! As I read these intros, I'm thinking, yeah, what ALL of them said, LOL! I'm not truly scared of critters when they're where they belong, but if a snake is in my path (or near my children), or a big spider pops out unexpectedly, etc., then that does bother me. I hear a lot of people become more afraid of heights and have balance issues as they age, and I'm certainly seeing that one! I've never liked scary movies, but then I saw my first before age 5 (Creature from the Black Lagoon) and was terrified, so maybe that lingers on - and I'm wondering if the clown fear of another poster is a similar scary event from childhood that lingers.....

Regena

[Tutor]

I have a fear of falling (thus, I never learned to ride a bike) and of spiders (too many legs and too many are potentially lethal for my liking).

[Karen sn]

I am not afraid of spiders, snakes, bugs of any kind really.
But sick people - they scare me.
Horror movies that perpetuate it - scare me.
I can't watch sick movies at all. I get mad if I see a preview for one because then that picture - that thought - is in my head. It makes me physically ill.

I can clean butts, vomit, phlem all day long.
But a sick thought in my head will make me vomit....literally. I puke easily over emotional things. No morning sickness even! Just creepy people.

[Plaid Dad]

Suffocation/drowning and demonic possession. Oh, and leeches. ::shudder::

[Angela in TN]

Wow lots of people scared of the high bridges, me too! I drive over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge when I take the boys to visit my cousin and her family at least twice a year and literally I feel my legs going numb. The Cornado Bay Bridge in San Diego is another one I did drive over but only because I HAD too. And it really freaks me out when people are driving 75mph and switching lanes on the bridge....ugh!

[Mekanamom]

Whew the worst of the migraine is over. :) (And no stroke occurred this time either.) Thank you for your kind comment Lisa!

More fears: LOL... I never really liked driving over bridges, but after the kids were born, the bridges started to freak me out more. At one point, all of my kids were still in car seats... of course snugly strapped in and totally unable to swim anyway...

So to make myself feel better, every time we had to drive over a bridge to go on vacation, I packed the life preservers on top of all the luggage, within easy reach. It was totally (!) impractical, but it did make me feel better!

[Johanna]

Cancer

[Remudamom]

I've never had a migraine, they must be awful.

[Audrey]

People.

Of all the monsters in the real world, people keep coming up with the most atrocious things to do to each other.

[Mamagistra]

I am afraid of meeting new people because I am sure they will hate me.

Aw, (((Kelli))). I have that fear myself, but how could anyone dislike you? :) You're the bee's knees!

I posted a purty snake picture on my blog just for you. ;)
http://mamagistra.blogspot.com/2008/01/boo.html
Don't worry: it's dead.

[Mamagistra]

I posted a purty snake picture on my blog just for you. ;)

Judolops, I posted a purty worm pic for you there, too. ;)
http://mamagistra.blogspot.com/2008/01/boo.html

[Mamagistra]

Hm...maggots scare me (don't know why...it's not as if they can chase me down, right?).
Driving in narrow lanes freaks me out.
Balloons! I hate popping balloons; they always frighten me.
Also, Gene Shalit and Larry King... ::shudder::

[CalicoKat]

And wondering why God seems to let good things us by. :confused:

The stress level in our house is huge.

-- 2 baby adoptions pending in court
-- 1 house that we would like to sell, but isn't moving
-- 1 down payment on a new house that is waiting to be built if/when we sell
-- dh's job has been in limbo and seems to be increasingly so, 9 mths will tell if he still has this job.
-- dh's slipped disk that isn't responding to treatment
-- my unexpected 10 day in the hosp. with surgery to remove body parts I didn't have a chance to use.
-- dh's car just broke down and will need replacing

[nuthouse]

the Bay Bridge in San Fransico. Can you say death tunnel on all four sides? The ceiling coming down. The cars to the right and left and let's not leave out the height above the WATER! I've got to go lay down now.

[Pajama Mama]

I'm fine when someone else is driving but I hate driving on a bridge over water and through tunnels. We live outside of Pittsburgh which is called "the city of bridges"(and tunnels-LOL). I will drive a little out of my way to avoid a bridge or tunnel but sometimes I must deal with them.

I also despise the crunchy roaches that Peek mentioned. Just Peek talking about them made me shudder. I was raised in a house with them and I just could not squash them as a kid. Luckily, we don't have them here. That crunch...I need to change the subject. Yuck

[LadyNancy]

Fears: bridges and heights. Actually I'm afraid of falling from heights, like off a bridge or a tall building. I would never be able to walk on a bridge or go to the top of a skyscraper. I can just barely drive over a bridge.

[sclisa]

Snakes. Just the thought of a snake can send me into a frozen-yet-hyperventilating panic attack. I used to have dreams where I was being chased by a snake. I was so terrified that my subconscious would cause the dream to shift and (in the dream) I would literally lift off of the ground to get away.

Also, driving across bridges. I can do it, but I have to give myself encouraging pep talks while deep-breathing.

Oh, and I'm also afraid of heights *if* I have a child with me. I'm terrified that the child will somehow fall.

Oops, I forgot one more. I'm afraid of having a terrible disease. That's really more of an anxiety disorder, but it makes me afraid, so I'll include it.

Pathetic, huh? :o

Lisa

[3lilreds in NC]

You know, I don't like deep water either. I *must* be able to see the bottom. I'm OK in Lake Superior, because it's so clear that you can see all the way down when the water's quite deep, but other than that, forget it.

[3lilreds in NC]

I cannot do water in which I can't see the bottom - including inland lakes. Eww. There are slimy things and you never know what might be lurking to grab you. I am afraid of serious injury during water skiing and the like - not of me, of course, because I don't do scary things like that, but I can't watch my husband because I'm convinced he will die. It's probably a good thing for my children that I don't go to my inlaws' cottage anymore because I would not be able to let them go tubing or ride on the jet ski. (My inlaws think I don't like them because I don't like the lake where they have their cottage - inland lake, lots of slime, and water sports - how can anyone enjoy a place that combines so many scary things???)

I think the ocean is very beautiful but I do not want to swim in it. Too many scary things lurking. Sharks, jellyfish, you just never know.

I am claustrophobic.

I *hate* flying. I can get on a plane, but there was a while when I couldn't do it without Xanax. Now I just need to be able to sleep during the flight.

I have very strict rules about the movies I watch because otherwise I have nightmares. No extraneous blowing up of things, nothing bad can happen to children, no gore, and there must be a happy ending. No, I don't watch many.:p

I am terrified of something happening to my children. My ILs are here this weekend and had the girls for the day to take them to a children's museum. I was convinced by about 3 pm that they were all dead because we had not heard from them all day.

I am ashamed to admit that I am also afraid of vampires. When my dh used to travel, before we had kids, I had to shut all the blinds (we lived in a ranch) and barricade my bedroom door because I was convinced they were out there and coming to get me. I have an active imagination, can you tell?

[Doran]

Not bugs. Not rodents. Not heights, except when falling is probable (eg: tops of ladders, ledges -- any unprotected edges of high things that I happen to need to stand on.)

What scares me?

War. Divorce. Pollution. Rising sea levels. Hatred. Ambivalence.

[Serendipity]

The thought of an excruciatingly painful death for myself or my loved ones.