Kaymyth she/her Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 no, you love the ground. That's why you can't bear to be separated by it. I also have a pretty bad case of vertigo, which I would not counnt as "main fear" because it's strictly situational and not bothering me in normal life; I mean, it's not like I worry that I may fall off a cliff, I just stay away from them. But it's quite a strange version of vertigo, because it does not manifest if I am safely secured. Just being 2 meters away from an unproteccted 10-meters drop can make me uncomfortable, or driving a car on a road with a cliff on its side, but if I am harnessed with a rope I can go climb a rock wall and dangle from it without feeling bad in the slightest. I also have no problems whatsoever with airplanes and rollercoaster. I'd like to claim that my vertigo is a rational feeling that only activates when there is real danger, but then, the chances of tripping on a mountain path and falling down the cliff to death are no greater than the chances of tripping while walking along the road and being crushed to death by a passing car, yet I only fear one of the two things. I'm fine in planes, too. My issue is unobstructed distance between myself and the thing that I could fall onto. I'd probably be OK if I were secured in most cases; for instance, I'd like to try parasailing someday. But rollercoasters are right out. They are fast and bumpy and generally unpleasant, and when I get off of one I am dizzy for a while afterwards. I tried so, so hard to like rollercoasters for the sake of my coaster-loving husband, but all I got out of the attempt was a very amusing Livejournal post. 2
emilylime she/her Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 (edited) Failure. Getting things wrong. Not being good enough. Seconded. I'm also afraid of mental illness. And... this one's kind of childish and embarrassing... but I'm terrified of the dark. Specifically, being alone in the dark. If there's someone else and I'm talking to them, usually I'm okay, but when I'm alone I just picture all these different monsters (usually stuff like the aliens from Signs or Slenderman) and I start panicking. At night, when I turn off my light, I usually (against my will) panic-run to my bed and then bury myself in the blankets. And I get too scared to reach out and turn on/off my lamp because I just imagine a creepy hand reaching up from under my bed and grabbing my arm.... I'm also scared of deep water, and... erm.... whales..... I promise you I'm an adult :'| Edited June 25, 2015 by Lady Eowyn 3
Kestrel she/her Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 When people actually like to spend time with me. Its scarier than it should be to me. 2
Orlion Blight he/him Posted June 26, 2015 Posted June 26, 2015 I'm fine in planes, too. My issue is unobstructed distance between myself and the thing that I could fall onto. I'd probably be OK if I were secured in most cases; for instance, I'd like to try parasailing someday. But rollercoasters are right out. They are fast and bumpy and generally unpleasant, and when I get off of one I am dizzy for a while afterwards. I tried so, so hard to like rollercoasters for the sake of my coaster-loving husband, but all I got out of the attempt was a very amusing Livejournal post. I'm fine with planes once I'm on them. On a ladder, I tend to freeze once I reach the third rung. I don't much care for rollercoasters either, and have not been on one for years. I believe the last time I was on some, my brother was visiting and I had not seen him for years and he was going to Cedar Point, dang it, because whatever they had in Utah at the time sucked or something.
DanTheSeamonster he/him Posted June 26, 2015 Posted June 26, 2015 (edited) 1. Swimming in open water. If I'm on a boat, or can still feel the lake bed/ocean floor under my feet I'm fine. But if the water is deeper than I am tall (which is more often than I'd like, I'm kinda short ) I can't shake the feeling that something is swimming underneath me, waiting to attack. 2. Needles. There really is nothing to this fear besides the fact that I am terrified of needles. I'm okay with other sharp things, just not needles. The only times I've ever passed out were while I was getting shots. 3. Doors. (I know, it's strange. Like really, brain? Doors?!? Could you have come up with anything weirder than that? ) More specifically, the act of opening a door. When I was a young tyke, I saw the scene in Harry Potter where Harry walks into his room and Dobby is on his bed. It scared the crap out of me, and whenever I open a door I imagine some horrible creature on the other side of it. Now whenever I'm home alone I always keep doors I know I'm going to walk through open, and doors I won't walk through shut. 4. Finally, change. I despise change. At one point, it was so bad that I wouldn't go to sleep at night because I knew the next day would be different from the last. Okay. Now that my multiple fears are laid bare, try not to judge too much. Although, I consider having so many fears an advantage. This way, once I become an Epic the Reckoners will have to exploit all four at once to take me out. Edited June 26, 2015 by The Crooked Warden 1
king of nowhere Posted June 26, 2015 Posted June 26, 2015 But rollercoasters are right out. They are fast and bumpy and generally unpleasant, and when I get off of one I am dizzy for a while afterwards. I tried so, so hard to like rollercoasters for the sake of my coaster-loving husband, but all I got out of the attempt was a very amusing Livejournal post. I am sad for you. To me not liking rollercoasters would like to melody muns not liking ice cream. My only problem is that I got too used to them and they don't excite me as much as in the past. I'm even capable of carrying out a normal conversation with my brother while on them. 1. Swimming in open water. If I'm on a boat, or can still feel the lake bed/ocean floor under my feet I'm fine. But if the water is deeper than I am tall (which is more often than I'd like, I'm kinda short ) I can't shake the feeling that something is swimming underneath me, waiting to attack. Oh, right, I was forgetting this one: if i am at sea, and I can't reach the bottom, I get very uncomfortable. This despite being a passable swimmer and therefore being in no danger whatsoever. Even if I am 10 meters away from the shore, I still get uncomfortable. In a swimming pool I am fine. It's another of the things that I did not count because I can just avoid the situation. Plus, "getting uncomfortable" is different from "paniking and being unable to function normally". Also, empty big buildings are creepy. If I am alone in my parents home I sometimes carry a knife with me to feel better. In smaller houses I have no problems instead. But I assume that's a quite common reaction.
Delightful Posted June 27, 2015 Posted June 27, 2015 I'm not scared of roller coasters but I just find them nauseating. What's the deal with them anyway?
Kestrel she/her Posted June 27, 2015 Posted June 27, 2015 I'm not scared of roller coasters but I just find them nauseating. What's the deal with them anyway?adrenalinei love roller coasters 2
emilylime she/her Posted June 28, 2015 Posted June 28, 2015 What I really want is to try out that fear simulation from Divergent. I think about that a lot, actually. what would it show me?? How would I handle it??? sigh 1
Claincy he/him Posted June 30, 2015 Posted June 30, 2015 (edited) Hmm let's see, I have several, some of which have already been mentioned: -vertigo -claustrophobia -darkness -pointy/sharp things -guns But the biggest ones are: -failure -and people, people can be absolutely terrifying, irrational, illogical things. Scary from a physical and from a social standpoint...(as is probably very clear I have and still do suffer from some social anxiety.) Anyone here read Rowan of Rin? Point being, it doesn't matter what you fear or how much you fear it. What matters is whether you control that fear or whether you let that fear control you. Edited June 30, 2015 by lord Claincy Ffnord 1
Kasimir he/him Posted June 30, 2015 Posted June 30, 2015 (edited) ...I have major anxiety issues, or so I've been told by many people :/ It doesn't help that I overplan for many things. But let's see: -Heights. When I was a child, I used to be so afraid of escalators I could never go on them. We're talking about this in a country full of high-rises due to land scarcity. I couldn't even climb those stairs with gaps in them from the second floor down to the first. I got a lot better with time, and now I just stay away from balconies but can function with heights. -Social anxiety. I'm really bad at dealing with people, and nothing breaks out the social anxiety more than having to meet people. I even go to pieces when I have to meet my profs in a personal capacity, and those are the people I work a lot with, professionally. So. -Failure. Yeah, I'm terrified of failure too. I think Wyrm can attest to that But it extends to my obsessive attitude towards getting As in classes, everything, really. It's not just failure itself: I don't like to let people down. Edited June 30, 2015 by Kasimir
Bort he/him Posted June 30, 2015 Posted June 30, 2015 I have two major fears. The first is heights. I also get vertigo, which is really annoying since when I was a kid I wanted to be a pilot (I couldn't due to the reason for my second fear though). I love flying though, and if I could choose a superpower method of transportation, it would be flight. I know, it doesn't quite work with vertigo, but if I could fly, I think I'd get over it pretty quickly. My second major fear is going blind. This is less a fear though, and more an eventual certainty. I was born half blind - I can only see out of my right eye, left is completely useless. I'm just dreading the day it happens.
Fatebreaker he/him Posted June 30, 2015 Posted June 30, 2015 hmm, much useful data here to be gathered for the DA... My biggest fear is that I'll live a boring life. One that's not very memorable and lacks adventure. I doubt it will, since it seems I'm always going on adventures, but then fear is rarely rational. the bright side is it's hard to threaten me with that fear. "stay back or I'll give you a career in the midwest!" 1
little wilson she/her Posted June 30, 2015 Posted June 30, 2015 If we don't count spiders (which I happen to hate with a passion, but only when I find them on me, or they surprise me by being very suddenly near me), I have two main fears: heights and deep water. My fear of heights is rather similar to king of nowhere's: I also have a pretty bad case of vertigo, which I would not counnt as "main fear" because it's strictly situational and not bothering me in normal life; I mean, it's not like I worry that I may fall off a cliff, I just stay away from them. But it's quite a strange version of vertigo, because it does not manifest if I am safely secured. Just being 2 meters away from an unproteccted 10-meters drop can make me uncomfortable, or driving a car on a road with a cliff on its side, but if I am harnessed with a rope I can go climb a rock wall and dangle from it without feeling bad in the slightest. I also have no problems whatsoever with airplanes and rollercoaster. Except that for me, I don't get vertigo. I just get incredibly uncomfortable. I never used to be scared of heights though, when I was a teenager. I'd have no problems standing next to a cliff, unsecured, but now, it's just a whole lot of nope. I first noticed this one about 7-8 years ago, when I was staying at a hotel with my parents and I went out onto the balcony. We were up on the 6th floor, and I was out there for a bit, and then I started inspecting the building, and I noticed that all the balconies were just slabs of concrete sticking out from the building, with no support whatsoever. And then I just envisioned the slabs breaking away suddenly and plummeting to the street below. I did not go back onto that balcony again on that trip. I also have trouble jumping over deep crevasses, even if the jump is only like 2-3 feet, which is easily manageable. If I just stop thinking about the deepness, I can do it, but shutting off that part of my brain can be rather difficult. My fear of deep water is incredibly recent. I first noticed it within the last year, but I have no idea where it's coming from, because my only traumatic experience with water was when I was 4 and almost drowned in our pool. However, I've never had any issues with water until recently, and I've been swimming practically my entire life. Even now, it's only specifically deep water. I'm fine in small lakes, pools, and the coast. But the idea of swimming in the middle of the ocean terrifies me. And it doesn't even have to be the middle of the ocean. Just incredibly deep water terrifies me. Have I ever swam in the ocean? Nope. Have I ever even been on a cruise? Nope. I literally have no idea where this fear stems from, psychologically, but it's bad enough that when I'm on Google Earth and the screen gets jolted so I'm over the middle of the ocean, my heart rate rises and I almost start panicking. It's the strangest thing....
king of nowhere Posted July 1, 2015 Posted July 1, 2015 My second major fear is going blind. This is less a fear though, and more an eventual certainty. I was born half blind - I can only see out of my right eye, left is completely useless. I'm just dreading the day it happens. be hopeful. medical technology is advancing quite fast. I'd call it a coin flip that by the time you become completely blind, they will have find a way to fix you. I never used to be scared of heights though, when I was a teenager. I'd have no problems standing next to a cliff, unsecured I also developed vertigo only when I grew up, starting as a teenager. When I was a kid, I was absolutely unconcerned about them. i remember when I was maybe 7 or 8, I went to the "strada delle gallerie" (road of galleries) of which I attach a picture. You see on the lower left of the image, that rocky spur departing from the path and leaning over the drop? i remember going to the very end of it (or a very similar one) to let my father take a picture of me. nowadays, if I were to walk on that path again (which I never would if I have a say in the matter) I would keep my shoulder firmly brushing on the rocky wall. 2
+Slowswift Posted July 1, 2015 Posted July 1, 2015 It's not a fear of heights for me as much as a fear of falling. If there's a rail, fine, but put me on the edge of a cliff and NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE N OP E POE EO NEP ENOP NOPE 1
Pestis the Spider she/her Posted July 1, 2015 Posted July 1, 2015 (edited) be hopeful. medical technology is advancing quite fast. I'd call it a coin flip that by the time you become completely blind, they will have find a way to fix you. I also developed vertigo only when I grew up, starting as a teenager. When I was a kid, I was absolutely unconcerned about them. i remember when I was maybe 7 or 8, I went to the "strada delle gallerie" (road of galleries) of which I attach a picture. <picture> You see on the lower left of the image, that rocky spur departing from the path and leaning over the drop? i remember going to the very end of it (or a very similar one) to let my father take a picture of me. nowadays, if I were to walk on that path again (which I never would if I have a say in the matter) I would keep my shoulder firmly brushing on the rocky wall. Is that really fear? For me it sounds like reason and cautiousness, so things that kids 7/8 years old still lack. I feel uncomfortable about heights, when I am not in a secured position. I wouldn't go near the edge of canyon (well, maybe crawling, but my heart would probably burst), but if someone put a fence between me, and edge of the canyon, then sure, why not. It's just I don't trust my own body not to trip or slip, and then die miserably. And I really believe that all reasonable people should feel this way. I've also got this phobia of bees, wasps, hornets and needles. Yes, I consider it one phobia. But my worst fear is having my life completely destroyed. I am ambitious, I have high career plans etc. But I'm terrified that I will get cancer, which would force me to withdraw from uni, and that would stop me from doing what I want in life (since I wouldn't be able to get to the same uni for the second time, and it's a good uni). The same way I'm terribly afraid of getting disabled in any way, since that would also destroy my career plans. I'm worried that I'm going to sens so terrible CV to an employer that they will put me on "black list of people never to employ", and they will tell all their friends about it, and noone would want to employ me. I'm worried that I'm going to fail my exam at uni so bad that everyone would think that I'm such big idiot that they will say that I can't study this subject anymore. I'm worried that I'm going to score second best at uni, but still noone would want to employ me, since I'm not the best. Recently I'm also worried about loneliness. I have barely any friends (well, I would call the collegues, actually), I don't have boyfriend or anyone like that. For a moment I still have family, but nothing more, and I'm starting to really worry. I actually started to wonder, whether my sister would allow me to go for holidays with her and her family in the future, when she gets one, since I really doubt I'll be able to get my own family, not with the way I am. And I'm afraid she'll say "no" and that I will never go for holidays again, since going alone is terrible. Edited July 1, 2015 by Pestis the Spider 2
king of nowhere Posted July 2, 2015 Posted July 2, 2015 Is that really fear? For me it sounds like reason and cautiousness, so things that kids 7/8 years old still lack. as i said previously, being cautious is entirely reasonable, being afraid is another thing. I know I can trip, so even if i had no vertigo at all I would still walk cautiously and stay away from precipices. I wouldn't go on the tip of the pinnacle for a picture anymore. however, I am afraid if i go anywhere near an unprotected, or insufficiently protected, drop. I almost feel like I could be sucked down. In a similar way, while I am on the sidewalk near a busy road I could trip and fall on the road and be crushed by a car, and therefore I try to not stay close to the road. but I am not afraid off being near the road, I am merely choosing to be cautious about it. or, if i drive a moto in a mountain road, i may be afraid that i will slide right and fall down the cliff. I am not afraid that I may slide left and make a head-on collision with another car, despite the chances of sliding one side or the other being the same. If I drive a car I am not afraid because I feel more protected, even if in practice I driive the moto much better than the car. Those things make the differene between rational caution and fear. career, university Ah, that brings memories of dreams. I am not concerned about my career, because as long as I get to stay in the field of chemistry I am satisfied, and I feel there are enough options of it that even if I screw up a few of them I will still have enough to try. But my father is much more concerned by me about my career. One day I had to give the final exam of the year, and it was the last chance I would have that year, and failing would mean being expelled by the prestigious place I gained admission into. I was quite unconcerned, because I felt prepared and I don't mind failing if I feel I gave it my best shot, but my father felt differently. that night he had a dream that I would spend the night partying, then I would go to the professor still drunk, and the professor would be enraged and shout 'how dare you come to me in that condition? Go away! I don't want to ever see you again!'. My father got up and could not sleep the rest of the night, and he had to take something against stomach acidity. I passed the exam without problems, on the other hand. And another dream I made on a completely unrelated exam; it was an exam of mathematical chemistry, stuff about how to use the schroedinger equation and the like, and I was grossly unprepared, having studied for another exam until a few days before, but I decided to give it a try anyway, just to see the questions if nothing else. The night before, I dreamed that I was making the exam. the proofessor gave us the papers, then he went away leaving his assistant behind. I read the first problem. "A oil tanker is sailing near the coast of japan. the crew spot dolphins, and throw them some food to make them come close. but a boat of the coastal police comes and tell them to stop, because in japan it is forbidden to feed dolphins". And I thought, what the **** has that to do with chemistry? so I go to the assistant to ask for clarifications. "Excuse me, I have a question for the professor" "the professor is gone. Unless you have an helicopther, you won't be able to reach him. But you can ask me" "so, there is this problem here where they set the situation. but there i no question asked" "let me see... [it is clear he is not aware of the content of the test] uhm, I suppose, if there is no question, then it means that with the data you are given there is only one question relative to the course that can be answered, and your task is to find that question and answer it" [assumes a cool and satisfied expression] I go back to my place feeling more than a bit puzzled... There were many other problems in that dream test. Unfortunately I forgot most of them. I only remember "One specific substance has eight different [allotropes? tautomers? isomers? simmetry planes? I don't remember which one]; how many mice bones can it penetrate?" to which I answered 3 hoping it was by chance the right answer and it would be counted right without further questions. The day after, I went to the exam. I was absolutely calm because I did not expect to pass and it was still june, there would be other chances until september. I loooked at the questions, and was relieved that, compared to the ones in my dream, they at least made sense. I still did not knew any of them, so I retired. But I got to see a few questions, which helped me study and pass that exam later. and I got one of the funniest dreams I remember, so it was well worth it. 1
Pestis the Spider she/her Posted July 2, 2015 Posted July 2, 2015 (edited) Ah, that brings memories of dreams. I am not concerned about my career, because as long as I get to stay in the field of chemistry I am satisfied, and I feel there are enough options of it that even if I screw up a few of them I will still have enough to try. Well, I think the same way about biology. I don't need a Nobel Prize, I don't need to be super important, but I want my career to be in biology in general. Just staying in this field is satisfying. But I'm just so worried that I wopuld screw something up so badly that will stop me from doing biology ever again, and that I will end up working in McDonald's. Edited July 2, 2015 by Pestis the Spider
Queen Elsa Steelheart she/her Posted July 2, 2015 Posted July 2, 2015 (edited) I'm terrified of spiders......which totally explains why I'm posting under Pestis the Spider More than terrified, I'm scared of the pictures too and when I see one I either completly freeze or start screaming hysterically. I'm sometimes scared to trust new people as I have been ditched by many friends, and scared for the future, Needles and Doctors. That's about all. Edited October 20, 2015 by Queen Elsa Steelheart 1
king of nowhere Posted July 2, 2015 Posted July 2, 2015 (edited) But I'm just so worried that I wopuld screw something up so badly that will stop me from doing biology ever again, and that I will end up working in McDonald's. ah, don't worry about that. if you start a career in academy, you may end up flipping burgers even if you don't screw anything. It's the way research works, always needing to get a new financing every few months, no certainties. But look at the bright side: if you end up fllipping burgers, you'll probably be paid more, work less, and it will be a more stable job. Also, when you'll be flipping burgers in a few years, ask your coworkers if they read sanderson: there's a good chance one of them will be me. Don't take that too seriously, it's the kind of self-bashing humour we researchers do among ourselves. Sort of gallows humor, only with being fired instead of being killed as the subject of the joke. I hope it still sounds funny when written down. EDIT: in practice, despite our show of pessimism, only some of my colleagues have had to work for free for some time, and even less had to find another temporary job. Ultimately, everyone who wanted to pursue an academic career is still in the academia, and those who dropped put did so because they decided they didn't like it. and they found jobs related to their skill. At least in the STEM field; those I know who are graduated in humanistic sciences are in a much worse position, and only few could find a job related to their studies. but if you study biology, you should be fine. Edited July 2, 2015 by king of nowhere
Axies he/him Posted July 3, 2015 Posted July 3, 2015 I've been thinking and the "fast/easy" answer would be... the dark. But is not really the dark but what "might be" in that darkness or behind a closed door or behind me... I have some eyesight problems and sometimes I see "shadows" moving on the corner of the eye, crawling on the floor... You know how the human brain works... if you see a shadow and start thinking that there's something behind you you'll start hearing noises and get the feel that there's something behind you... So that doesn't help. 1
KamorianKandra he/him Posted July 4, 2015 Posted July 4, 2015 I actually fear quite a few things. Recently I have feared that I will live my life alone due to lack of social skills. Also, I worry about physical illnesses that cause great pain and mental illness. I feel like it would be horrible to not have total control of your mind. My most irrational fear is, don't laugh, dogs.
Pestis the Spider she/her Posted July 4, 2015 Posted July 4, 2015 I actually fear quite a few things. Recently I have feared that I will live my life alone due to lack of social skills. Also, I worry about physical illnesses that cause great pain and mental illness. I feel like it would be horrible to not have total control of your mind. Same here, for both of them. Actually I don't even drink alcohol because I'm worried of loosing control over my mind and destroying it. Everyone I know considers me weird. O.o 2
Delightful Posted July 4, 2015 Posted July 4, 2015 I actually fear quite a few things. Recently I have feared that I will live my life alone due to lack of social skills. Also, I worry about physical illnesses that cause great pain and mental illness. I feel like it would be horrible to not have total control of your mind. My most irrational fear is, don't laugh, dogs. I actually know a few people who are irrationally terrified of/disgusted by dogs. So you're not alone there.
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