The reason I ask is I was reminded that I have an irrational fear of totally flat water but only when it is the sea/ocean. So flat that there are not even any ripples. I remember seeing a program on tidal waves when I was very very young and the program mentioned that the sea goes very flat as it recedes back out to sea and come crashing back as a 50 foot wave. I saw a wild life program recently which showed seabirds on a flat ocean and a shudder went down my spine. Now that is irrational
Clowns. To a point where I can't even look at them if they are on TV. I once got drunk at a wedding and tried to start on a clown who was hired as a children's entertainer. I was escorted from the hotel after that.
I hate belts. When I was a kid my mums american bf beat me with his belt. I only wear one if really needed.
Open water, doubly and triply so if I can't see or reach the bottom. Which is bizarre, because I swim like a fish and used to free dive as a hobby, I could go down to 20+metres and stay under for two and a half minutes no problem, but it gradually stopped being fun, then it became horrifying, now even getting into a lake is impossible, much less the sea. Also spiders, because they're awful.
Deep water, large underwater objects (submarines, propellers, whales), being alone in the dark. The first two are just common sense, but the the dark started after having SAD related panic attacks. Can't remember the last time I slept without the lights on.
I'm scared of pigeons. No other kind of bird, just city-dwelling pigeons. Wood pigeons and any other kind of bird are fine, I've held and stroked huge Owls and Hawks, but I literally cannot get within 5 meters of a pigeon - this is a terrible and life ruining phobia when you live in London
So you have a fear of yourself Shirty? I have a irrational fear of filling bt servers with irrational threads
Heights, but only when there's reasonable chance I could fall . . . so not that irrational. Enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), but only when I think there is a lack of air or I can't get out . . . so again, not that irrational. But I do think, "what if this sleeping bag were all of a sudden underwater," etc. I'm also very particular about how my clothes lay on my body, which makes wearing layers difficult since putting on a shirt over another shirt pulls it in a weird way. I can start to freak out a bit as I try to get the bottom shirt back to where it should be after putting on a sweater. Here's the real weird one. I really hate gum/toothpaste. No, it isn't mint because I like mints and mint chocolate, and Altoids, etc. I hate that I can smell toothpaste in the air while someone is brushing their teeth and that it lingers after. I hate the sound of people chewing gum. I hate the look on their face as they chew gum. And I really hate the way it makes their breath smell. I hate seeing chewed gum on the ground or stuck to things. I especially hate when I accidentally touch it, and will OCD wash my hands after. It's like I can feel the germs on me physically after touching chewed gum until I go wash it off. I can't touch anything after touching it until I've washed my hands. I hate the sound of people brushing their teeth, especially that slurp. It makes me sick, literally. I don't like to kiss my wife right after she has brushed unless she's really rinsed her mouth with water after. I do brush my teeth with toothpaste because I like having teeth more than I hate toothpaste, but it's a close race, and I have to meditate the whole time I brush and I gag when I spit, every time. So yeah, that's my weird fear, although I would put it more in the realm of extreme hate or disgust.
I was reminded of another irrational fear yester day that I have. And that is a fear of being late even if there is absolutely no or little chance of it happening. If the bus is held up at stops or catches every red light I begin to feel very unwell, a most unpleasant feeling. I always give myself plenty of time to get to where I am going usually to much time and I am way to early. But that matters not a bit I will still get very apprehensive if the above delays occur.
I have an ex girlfriend who is afraid on bed sheets. Not the whole set of sheets, specifically the one that goes over the mattress. Which meant, someone else had to change that part of the bed, and she slept on a fully made duvet that was wrapped around the mattress and sheet, and another duvet on top. This is very comfy and warm, but maybe sometimes a bit too warm. Though what was worse her waking up in blind panic as sometimes the under neath duvet would have been moved through involuntary movements in the night and thus she would be lying on parts of the duvet sheet. Which would mean getting up, sorting the bed out, hysteria for a little bit, etc. I don't much like heights, it's not irrational though I don't think, as being at great height could actually be life threatening, so I think it's perfectly rational. But I don't really like sitting high up at the O2 arena, I've done it a couple of times and every now and then it makes me feel a bit sick. I watch videos of those crazy Russians climbing things, and that really turns my stomach!
Needles terrify me. Every muscle in my body goes taught. It doesn't matter if I'm at the dentist, doctors, or watching needles in use on TV, it goes right through me to my very core. Also, swimming sections in games put the chills on me. Ever since the original Tomb Raider. Give me a choice of swimming or going the long way round and I'll hoof it every time. Has made FC3 slightly interesting.
