General Discussion

So, what strange fears do you have? I, for example, have globophobia, the fear of balloons.

Not hot air balloons, party balloons. I get so anxious while I'm around them, and I know it's because of the possibility of them popping. I've been sensitive to sound since I was a baby, so it's actually not much of a surprise.

I guess I also have a thing against wasps. I love all animals, even things like lampreys and spiders, because I know they're just living their lives and have an important role in their ecosystem.

But I hate wasps. I see a wasp on the ground, I squish it. You would never see me do that to any other insect or bug. I don't have a reason to not hate them yet, as I still don't know what their role is, but hey, if you know, let me know! Maybe I'll stop killing them. (And it's just wasps. Not bees. Bees are adorable, important, and threatened. I love bees.)

Or what about fears you don't have that most people do? If someone in the room screams and freaks out because they saw a spider, I'll walk right over with my bare hands, pick up the spider, and put it outside (only because there are no venomous spiders where I live). Or if someone panics because they saw a snake, I'd probably do the same thing if it's something non-threatening like a corn snake or garter snake. If it's a venomous species and/or appears agitated, I'd just lead the person away and let the smol reptile back to whatever it was doing.

@rabidwhovian

please do not kill wasps ! they pollinate plants ! the bees are dying already ! heres a link about why we need wasps : article

to stay on topic, i have thalassophobia aka the fear of big bodies of water (and what lives in them!! algae is the enemy !) you'll never find me swimming in the sea where my feet dont touch the ground...

...potato tubers.

I don't know why.. but I get an intense feeling of fear/anxiety/revulsion when I see them (x100 if I have to touch it!!). I can only assume they trigger some sort of body horror response in me? (I'm also intensely repulsed by eye trauma/surgery/injury which is technically only tangentially related but I got no clue why tubers otherwise.)


In common phobias, I'm also an arachnophobe, but I really really wish I wasn't. I've got nothing against spiders (and considering I love snakes, the other commonly feared creature, I do empathize), but I can't help the rush of anxiety whenever I spot one near me in real life.

@yum -and that's all I need! Thank you for informing me :D I didn't know they actually served as pollinators. I thought they were exclusively decomposers and carnivores. Well, wasps around the world, you're dang agressive and wicked looking, but you've got my respect now. Thank you again!

Trypophobia, the fear of holes, but I also have hospital PTSD sooo

Not weird phobias I suppose, but

I am afraid of worms 20 times more than spiders.
Molluscs (clams, mussels etc) are weird and I will never eat them of go near a live one. I don't like the fact that I'm eating an animal whole. Its guts and all.
Sea anemones, oh gosh. Animals without eyes freak me out.
And don't get me started on starfish Haha that was a Spongebob quote...

If it's an animal with no eyes (or no 'obvious') ones, please keep it away from me. :)

I also love snakes but watching them shed their skin makes me really uncomfortable. IT AIN'T SATISFYING.

I don't necessarily have any fears consistently bad enough to call phobias, but I'm rather freaked out by the following (and probably some more I'm forgetting):

Hallways - mostly the hallway leading to my room, and only an issue to me once in my room
Needles - unfortunate since I'm a piercing/tattoo nerd
Falling - not heights, just falling
Flies - mostly just their noises

Common fears I don't experience as much as others seem to:

Clowns - don't like them, but am not afraid of them
Various "creepy crawlies", such as snakes, spiders, and lizards - they're freinds
Heights - only scary if I feel like I'm at risk of falling (which is rarely)

Inbetweener:

Nighttime/the dark - this fear is very inconsistent, but when it's present, it's bad

I have mycophobia. I am deathly afraid of mushrooms. I have absolutely no idea why, I've just had it as long as I can remember. Makes autumn a fairly hellish season.