Your most ridiculous irrational fear

[witchofwestbyfleet]

When I was a child there was a Virgin Money advert featuring Geoffrey Hayes of Rainbow fame, it highlighted that (at that time) he'd lost all his money and was working as a taxi driver, encouraging the viewer to use their services so the same thing wouldn't happen to you. I was about 10 at the time and I remember after I saw this ad, I was really worried I might suddenly run out of money as an adult. At the time I wrote in my diary "I bet people throw empty beer cans at him" and worried that might happen to me too

 

[Behelzabobs]

Herds of dairy cows. I even drive past fields of them AND LOCK MY CAR DOORS

They are bloody massive though… went to Scotland and my husband took this weird route in the car and suddenly we were surrounded by cows I was frightened to death

Also we went to Cornwall and a main road was blocked so we and several other cars took the official detour down country roads and I started feeling panicky because of the massive hedgerows and claustrophobic at the thought of being stuck in the narrow roads

 

[rainbowtapirs]

Someone tipping over a portaloo whilst I’m in it (I literally never have any need to use portaloos) or falling into the sea or a river whilst in a car. The feeling of unpolished wood on a lolly stick makes me cringe too!

 

[Rippedjeanmaybe]

I used to do that when my husband was a coach driver and used to be a way alot for days at a time. I would check all doors were locked all windows were shut inside the wardrobes even behind the shower curtain. I also made him put a lock on the door up to the attic room.
We now live opposite a wood its pitch black with no streetlights thankfully he's not away anymore if he was I would definately be staying at my mums

Glad I’m not alone! I hear all sorts of weird noises whenever I’m alone and I just freak myself out. Don’t think I could cope living opposite the woods

 

[FlipFlop0706]

Crunchy food but I’m weirdly ok with crisps? I can’t cope with dense crunchy foods like carrots, apples etc. The noise sets me right off and the thought of someone chomping straight into them gives me actual shivers!

 

[Tinkerbell cat]

I sleep with the light on when my husband isn’t home at night for any reason! (Like working away or on a night out with friends and getting home late) I can’t sleep in darkness by myself! I never have!

This is me too. Sometimes my partner has to go away for work, its only ever maybe one or two nights but even if its summer and its light out until late - I still leave the landing light on and try to stay up as along as possible with the tv on. I won't bring a drink to bed either incase I need to get up and pee during the night. Its silly because I know there is nobody else in the house, maybe its the silence, but it just causes me so much anxiety and fear.

 

[HowlOwl]

Fish. I can eat fish but seeing one freaks me out to much.

Can’t stand fish bones, or bits of gristle or fat on meat.

 

[Emzykins]

Mushrooms. That is all.

 

[CakedCat]

Fire alarm going off when using the toilet and getting trapped in there. Bathrooms with an alarm in put me on edge!

 

[Dont swipe up!]

Aeroplanes
Before I had flew on one I had only ever see them in the sky (obviously lol) and on tv etc
To see them up close scared the shit out of me
The size of them made me feel funny
No idea why

Swimming pools
I can’t be the first one in
Someone else has to go in first
Not sure if it’s because when I was a child I was pushed in one outside at friends and it had a frog in
But also when I see them dirty all green and algae like gives me the creeps

The other week was in my town on the top level and looked over down below at the shops and shoppers and I kept wanting to jump over!
Also when walking along a cliff I have the urge to jump off the cliff!
So scary as I know I’m likely to die

As a carer in old people’s home walking into someone dead in bed isn’t uncommon but laying next to my husband if he died in his sleep scares me too

 

[1001 others]

Choking to death ... I seem to have trouble digesting an ever-increasing list of foods, and several times throughout my life I've thought, "This is it!" while I've rushed to stick my fingers in my mouth to try and retrieve the stuck object.

 

[IHadALifeBeforeThis]

same! for me it’s the more natural aging process that just gives me the fear - the idea of being less mobile, losing independence, general loneliness (even if i did have kids i would hope they would have their own lives), ill health, the way society treats elderly people in general. i would much rather happily check out in my mid-late 60s or so

someone posted about the oldest person in the world dying recently at (i think) 116 and the thought of living to that age is horrifying to me.

My biggest fear is being old and alone. I’m 36, single with no kids and I’m an only child. Yes I have cousins etc who I’m close to but they’re all older than me and obviously my friends will mostly be the same age. It’s terrifying

 

[GamerLlama87]

OMG!! I thought I was the only person terrified of maggots. Just the thought of them makes me want to hurl. I can't even say the word outloud.

Another one is going for a repeat smear test at the hospital and the fire alarm going off while my legs are in stirrups and being left there.

I'm utterly horrified by them too! Just seeing the word makes my skin crawl. The sight of them though, my god it makes me actually want to be sick and my heart goes out of control! I was watching an episode of Dexter the other day and it showed some, I ran out of the room, my boyfriend was like wtf where have you gone

 

[CarmenGhia]

I'm terrified of ships. The bigger, the scarier. I don't like being on them, but I like standing close to them even less. I always think a giant tidal wave will come and the ship will tip over onto me.

According to someone I know who grew up in a port town, this isn't an uncommon fear.

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

Rodents, all of them, even hamsters. Can’t walk passed them in a pet shop.
Thunder and lightning which is going on right now and I’m sat with my sons ear defenders on and bright torches so I can’t see or hear it. My fear is so bad I have super thick curtains and blinds on every window and outside door too so I don’t see it.

Are you OK? I'm up for a little bit if you want to chat to distract you?
I have two small rodents you'd hate . Rats!
What animals do you prefer? Are you a cat or dog person or both or neither?

 

[Jusa]

Up until the age of about 45, I wouldn't sit in a window seat on a plane because I thought that if I looked out the window it would make the plane tip over to the side. Weirdly though, I was happy to sit next to the window seat and lean across whoever was sitting there to look out the window.

 

[BorisBear]

Aliens visiting at night
Spontaneous human combustion
Getting a red light on my fuel

 

[MillionDollarBaby]

Driving along in summer with the windows down and a bird flying through the car. Before I got a car with AC I would be very warm driving anywhere in summer due to the fear of opening the window.

Ladders in swimming pools. Not irrational I know this stems from an episode of I think casualty where someone slipped on one and snapped their leg in two but know I panic seeing anyone use them and can’t use them myself at all. I’d rather look like a seal trying to push myself up on to the side.

 

[Rosie glow]

Jesus! That wouldn’t half get my imagination going!

It didn't help when he had some tarpaulin at the bottom of the garden that looked well let's say suspiciously shaped

 

[Sglodion]

I live in London and I have an irrational fear of someone pushing me on to the tracks as a tube is pulling into the station. I do my best not to stand on the edge of the platform where someone can get behind me, on my seriously anxious days I stand with my back pressed to the wall unless the tube has arrived. If I ever have to stand close to the edge for any reason I’m checking left to right constantly to check that no one is behind me.

I feel so stupid writing this out but I can’t be the only one?! I think it all stems from a story I read a few years ago of someone randomly attacking a stranger on a tube platform and pushing them on to the tracks, there was a video of it too

I don't live in London but I get this too, anywhere that has a metro system. I don't think it's unreasonable to be aware of your surroundings, even though of course it's vanishingly unlikely that someone would randomly try and kill you haha.

For the ceiling collapse fearers, I don't know if it helps at all but I have actually experienced this (twice! The joys of renting crappy student accommodation) and it was much more annoying than dangerous. Both times it was super obvious that it was gonna happen days in advance - I mean like a GIGANTIC unmissable crack appearing in the plaster - and then the bit that did collapse came down in smallish lightweight pieces that wouldn't have seriously injured anyone even if they were standing right underneath. The floor above was fine, you wouldn't even have known from there that anything was wrong.