We're all familiar with phobias. We all likely have one or two of our own.
Fear of spiders (arachnophobia) comes to mind, along with fear of heights (acrophobia). These are among the most common, but oddly enough, neither of these plague me. In fact, I'm not scared of many of the things most people fear, save for death--but that's a whole big thing I can get into (and likely will) in a future post.
My fears are a bit random and extreme. And though phobias, by definition, are irrational in nature, my fears surround things that teeter on the line of absurdity.
I don't talk about them much for that very reason. I feel like if I bring them up, not only will I be laughed out of the conversation, and not only will I still be afraid of the thing, I'll also be more embarrassed than I already am.
You ever have that professor that constantly encourages your class to ask questions, even if they might seem dumb to you because chances are someone else in the class has the same question but is too afraid to speak up?
I'm kind of starting to see my fears that way. Though I've rarely found others I know personally who have the same weird fears as me, the internet is this wonderful place where you can ask any question in the world and find some sort of answer.
So here are a few of my fears that I've come to find are shared by others. And if you have any of these fears, you can now rest assured that you're not alone. We can rejoice in our shared awkwardness!
To those of you who don't have these fears, well, I'm sorry. Read at your own discretion. I don't want to be held responsible for instilling a newfound fear in strangers on the internet.
1. Fear of elevators...and I don't mean getting trapped in one
The fear of getting trapped in an elevator is fairly common. There doesn't seem to be a specific name for this fear, though it's attributed to claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces) and agoraphobia (fear of being trapped in situations with no easy escape).
My fear isn't either of these things. My fear is the actual threshold of the elevator, and being scared that one day, as I'm stepping out, the elevator will somehow malfunction or the cable will snap, the elevator will fall, and I will be cut in half as I'm exiting.
Gruesome, right? But it's a legitimate fear. Not only has this actually happened, but there are others on the internet who have the same worry as I do.
2. Fear of being pushed in front of a train
I take Denver's light rail (commuter train) to work every day, and that comes with its own list of joys, but beyond the worrisome behavior of my fellow commuters, I have, since childhood, had a strange fear of being pushed in front of an oncoming train or bus when waiting at my stop.
I get really worried any time a completely innocent person walks by me at the station because for some reason I am convinced someone would do this. I plant my feet in a way wherein the highly unlikely event someone does try to push me, I'll be able to hold my ground and not fall.
It's completely ridiculous, but again, this has actually happened to people before, and I'm not alone in this fear.
3. Fear my friends don't actually like me
Of all my fears I'm listing here, this is likely the most common one. Though I haven't found an actual name for it, if you just Google "my friends don't actually like me," there are hundreds of hits.
To me, it's very similar to imposter syndrome where I sort of convince myself that despite all of my merits, I'm in this position I'm not qualified for or good enough to have been given, but instead of work, it's with my friends, family, and loved ones.
Like this person, I know it's rooted in my anxiety (as probably all of my irrational fears are), and so when I'm having my moments of feeling like no one actually likes me and only keep me around because they feel bad for me or whatever, I have an easier time talking myself out of those feelings, reasoning with my own brain, and getting over it.
4. Fear of heights
I mentioned acrophobia, the fear of heights, at the beginning of this post, but I am not actually afraid of heights for the mere fact that they are...well, high. I'm not afraid of falling because unlike the guy in the gif, I'm not a daredevil and the only high places I go are places that are designed to have people in or on them, like the top floor of a skyscraper or a Ferris wheel.
What scares me about heights is this weird sensation I get to want to jump.
No, I'm not actively suicidal and I really don't want to go out like that, but every time I've been up high somewhere, I am struck by an urge to jump.
And wouldn't you know it? This is a real, legitimate fear with a name and everything! Catapedaphobia: a fear of wanting to jump from high places, and it can come alongside acrophobia, or just be a fear all its own.
Our brains are weird, man.
5. Fear of pregnant women
Okay, please hear me out on this one. I hesitated about including this fear because it can so easily be misconstrued as me thinking pregnancy is gross or that big, pregnant bellies are scary. That's not what my fear is about.
Ever since I was a kid, I have been afraid of being around pregnant women for fear that I, being the clumsy person I am, might do something accidentally to hurt them or the baby. I'm afraid that, for no reason whatsoever, I'll trip and fall into them, or turn around without realizing they're behind me and hit them in the stomach with my elbow.
I'm going to be honest: I can't find a single other person on the internet who has this fear without it being predicated on thinking pregnant women are gross or being literally afraid of pregnancy, childbirth, or babies (Tokophobia).
That is not at all my fear. Though I don't have or currently want kids of my own, I don't think women who do have kids are bad or that pregnancy and babies are gross (though I do have a fear about holding babies--which, again, will be an article for another day).
The reason I decided to include this one is twofold: 1. If I admit this fear, maybe someone out there who feels the same will read this and know they aren't alone, and 2. I have actually met another person who knows what I'm talking about and feels it too, so I already know I'm not by myself in this.
I'm sorry. My brain can be a dark place.
So that's all, folks! Let me know if you've got some crazy fears of your own, or if my list here helped you realize that you've got other people out there you can relate to.
Once again, if you're a completely normal human being who doesn't fear anything but have found a new thing to worry about after reading this, I sincerely apologize.
