We all have things that scare us enough to keep us awake at night.
A phobia, if you will.
Some of these are fairly common, be they somewhat trivial, such as heights, rodents, or the supernatural.
While others are on the more serious side, such as the possibility of your friends and families being in danger.
Others suffer from phobias which are anything but common.
Ridiculous as they may seem in the eyes of others, these phobias still send shivers up the spines of those who suffer from them, scaring them far more than a scary story or a turbulent flight.
Redditor NeZur was eager to hear the things that make the hairs on the backs of people's necks stand on end, leading them to ask:
"What type of phobia do yo have?"
It Is, In Fact, One Of The Most Dangerous Modes Of Transportation...
"Driving."
"I drive every day."
"People be crazy out on the roads."
"Scares me to death."- Same-Ad-1266
Arachnophobia To The Max...
"Spiders."- evandollardon
"Especially with big paws."- NeZur
"A pregnant spider, with big paws."- TwoLittleNeedleMarks
Some People Stick To Puddle Stomping
"Thalassophobia, the fear of deep bodies of water."- GentlyDead
Searching For The Nearest Boat...
"Gephyrophobia."
"I especially hate it when the traffic backs up and you are stuck on the bridge."- mspolytheist
Design 3D GIF by BADCODECGiphyThe Only Thing Scarier Than Snakes on A Plane...
"I have a phobia of anacondas coming up the toilet while I'm taking a dump."- dingbatyokel5000
Especially When They're Your Own...
"Teenagers."
"Scare the living sh*t outta me."- Randomees
Anything Scarier Than Getting Shot? Getting A Shot...
"Needles."- Chocolatelover4ever
"I always faint with needles."
"My blood pools into my legs and I'm out like a light."
"I have to clench and squeal if I see a needle ANYWHERE."
"I used to get faintish but COVID flashes of needles actually desensitized me a bit."
"I've only had one nurse keep me conscious through a blood draw and it was because she (Lowkey knowing I faint) started ranting about how her brother went to Colorado and got to smoke like snoop while she takes the other 'high' road (nursing)."
"Versus a nurse doing the cliche 'what's your favorite XYZ' while drawing 6 vials."
"She apparently got to 4 when I told her I was going to faint."
"She got another vial in while I was out."
"I got help from my ex to a room as they checked my pulse saying I was coma levels."
"Shots, I'm alright if I can lay down or sit with my head between my legs."
"I have tons of piercings but no ink."
"Hell I even pierced my own labret."- This_User_Said
Getting Nervous Could Be A Problem...
"Emetophobia."
"Haven't puked since preschool, now I'm a college freshman."- thrashmusican
gross james van der beek GIFGiphyThere Is Little Worse Than A Cracked Nail...
"Anything to do with damage to finger/toe nails."
"Makes me seriously queezy thinking about it."- silentarcher00
As If The Sound Isn't Scary Enough...
"The garbage disposal."
"Under NO circumstance will I put my hand in there."
"Lost a spoon?"
"It's dead to me until my husband gets home."- potato-keeper
Two For The Price Of One...
"Forgot the term for it but underwater machinery and deep water in general."- Limp_Telephone2280
Das Boot Water GIF by WoodblockGiphyNot "Sailing Away" Any Time Soon...
"I don't like the open sea as a concept."
"Not a fear of sharks/drowning or anything specific."
"The sh*t is just horrifying."-TreefrogJ
SIze Does Matter...
'"Megalophobia."
"I am pretty scared next to tall buildings and statues."
"For some reason I can't look up when I am close to it."- MIKE_THE_KILLER
Holey Moley...
"Trypophobia."
"Lately on my FYP, those videos of people with tons of seashells (I think, I didn’t get a close look) attached to they’re arms or legs keep popping up and it makes me physically sick."
"It legit ruins my mood."- irllylikeurpeaches
According to FDR, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
If only all phobias were so simple...
"What screams 'I’m insecure'?"
The Wisest People Are Those Always Willing To Learn
"When people are unable to admit that they don’t know something."- slimytoads
not listening no way GIFGiphyOther People's Success Are Not Your Failures
"Mocking someone else's achievement."- SuvenPan
Never Pick Yourself Up By Taking Others Down
"Belittling others."- Term-Haunting
"Always talking badly about others and trying to make them look weak/bad."- Pildith
The Simpsons GIF by MOODMANGiphyMaybe Honesty Isn't Always The Best Policy...
"When you're quick to be 'brutally honest' with others, but have a meltdown when someone does it back to you."-eF240uKX52hp
Not As Funny As They Think...
"People who tear other people down as a joke but then get mad when they get it handed back to them."
"Clearly they either aren’t joking or are too sensitive to be dishing out sh*t."- babythrottlepop
Being On Top Adds More Possibilities Of Falling Down...
"Trying to one-up people in every conversation."- Flanky_Bwai
"One upping people in conversation."
"If I tell you I had a great trip to X place, I don’t need to hear about your better trip to someplace else that’s ostensibly 'better'."- I_Am_The_Grapevine
kristen wiig television GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphySome Things Speak For Themselves...
"Constantly saying what kind of person you are."
"If you were, you wouldn’t have to tell us."- ubereddit
A Little Contrition Goes A Long Way...
"Never apologizing."
"Making excuses and even twisting the facts but never apologize."- SuvenPan
But Enough About Me, What Do You Think Of Me?
"Constant projection and self-serving compliments."- nhabz
Look At Me Kiki GIF by The Bachelor AustraliaGiphyWhat Are They Even Trying To Prove?
"Revving your vehicle loudly every time you pass another person."- msnmck
Superior By Association
“'You will address me by my husband’s rank!'”- Psychological-Stay16
PDA Much?
"Elaborate Instagram and Facebook posts declaring love for one’s significant other over and over and over."- jbmaun
Happy Married At First Sight GIF by LifetimeGiphyAlways Needing Validation
"People who can’t think or feel anything without being told that it’s okay to do so."- Diesel07012012
It's sad that so many people think the only way to overcome something which makes them embarrassed or afraid is by embarrassing or demeaning others.
When being open and honest about your insecurities might, instead, result in your finding common ground with others.
And making new, lifelong friends in the process.
A recent Redditor was curious to hear examples, both theoretical and actual, with people whose phobias, fears, and aversions hampered their jobs, leading them to ask:
"What's the 'went through med school just to realize you couldn't stand the sight of blood' of your job field?"
Honestly, though, who Can Stand Vomit?
"Went through nursing school, only to figure out I cant stand vomit."
"Just vomit though!"
"I can stand blood, feces, urine, biliary drainage, pulmonary secretions, etc."
"There's just something about vomit."- deofictitio
They're Not Prepared For The Real Thing
"Well, I'm a phlebotomist, sooo."
"Never had anyone who ended up not being able to stand the sight of blood, but have had several people who couldn't do other specimens collected or received in a lab."
"Urine, stool, sputum, etc."
"Also people who were surprised that most of our draws would be kids, the elderly, chemo and dialysis patients, all notoriously difficult draws, and thought everything would be exactly like it was in school."
"I've had new people in the hospital when I was there tell me they 'won't' attend the Code Blues because 'they can't see anyone die'."
"Like, it's a hospital."
"People are in bad shape and die in it."- ICanHandleItOk
It Takes A Special Type Of Person...
"Got a prestigious degree in finance and economics, realized I sincerely hate the type of people who work in IB/Finance."
"Not all of them of course, but you all know that guy who thinks 'Wolf of Wall Street' is a documentary about him."- MoschopsChopsMoss·
Season 4 Money GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphyActual 'Nightmares At 20,000 Feet....'
"There’s quite a few pilots that are scared of heights."- TRex_N_Truex
The Open Sea Isn't For Everyone...
Had a teacher in my nautical academy that found out he was chronically seasick."- N-Gannet
You'd Think They'd Have An Idea?
"I work in a pathology/bacteriology lab, so basically if you're at all squeamish, you've got no chance."
"I took swabs from a chunk of necrotic tissue on my second day, and I'll never look at fried mushrooms the same way again."- godoflemmings
Bacteria Microbiology GIF by kirunGiphyNot As Glamorous As They Expect
"Many people become a lawyer only to discover they hate practicing law, because they didn't really understand what that meant when they went to law school."
"Law is very boring, involves a lot of minute, rote work which has little practical effect on a case, and is ultimately soul sucking.'
"Being a lawyer involves very little grandstanding in court room."
"Many lawyers NEVER do that."
"Even trial lawyers, like you see on TV, only get a couple trials a year at best and some go years between trials."
"The only kinds of lawyers in court every day are criminal attorneys."- MentoBecomesManatee
Some People Just Can't Find The Words...
"My brother in law went through seminary and got a job as a youth pastor, only to find he absolutely could not speak in public."
"He does construction now."- sh4w5h4nk
Didn't Think This Through, huh?
"Sound engineer."
"I’m sensitive to loud noises."
"Should have thought that one through."- sequentialsilence
*loud internal screaming*GiphyStick To Ground Level Fires?
"Went to school for firefighting, had a classmate drop out because he was afraid of heights."- cok3noic3
We'd like to think that we know some professions aren't as glamorous as they might seem, or are portrayed in films or television shows.
But sometimes we just need an hour or two of first-hand experience to truly see what we're getting ourselves in for, and start considering other professions.
Only to discover something about that job we also can't stand...
Reddit user BlueberryJingle13 asked:
"What is something harmless you were scared of as a child?"
Most of us outgrow those irrational childhood fears, though that doesn't mean they didn't have us in their grips when we were younger.
Here's what freaked Reddit out.
Drains!
drain GIFGiphy"The drain in the bath tub. The tiny whirlpool of water would suck me down with it"
- JAR-man999
"Apparently when I was a toddler my dad told me spiders would come out of the drain if I stayed in the bath after the plug got taken out. I still feel uncomfortable taking the plug out the drain if I'm still in the bath, even now I'm 28"
- ImQuiteRandy
"I seem to remember being a daredevil with that and sticking my finger in it while holding onto the side of the tub to make sure it couldn't actually pull me in."
- doomalgae
"I had a children's book about a baby crocodile that was sucked into the drain and was crying alone in the sewer system because it didn't know how to get back to the zoo and it's parents. Also scared me for a while after reading that."
- More_Example6153
"38 years old and I’m still frightened I’ll get sucked down the drain."
- Arkady2009
Auctions
season 7 GIFGiphy"Fidgeting at a livestock auction and accidentally buying a cow."
- graceamazed
"This one made me lol. This is exactly the brand of anxiety I would have as one-off fears as a kid."
- Triairius
"I went to a house foreclosure auction in my 20s and I had the same concern. I was convinced that I'd make the wrong move and end up buying a house that I couldn't afford."
- UndeadBread
"2000$ to that little kid that scratched his head. SOLD"
- l0u1s11
Sinkhole De Mayo
"I had an irrational fear that a sinkhole would randomly open under me. I would walk around grabbing onto nearby objects just so I'd have something to grab onto when the Earth inevitably tried to consume me."
- DatWeirdo04
"I was scared a hole would open up under me just to swallow me then close up as if nothing happened."
- Theveryshyboy
"Me too!"
"What’s ironic is that I’m 34 years old and moved to a town 2 years ago and there’s been 4 sinkholes already! Like why?!"
- TitusLemonades
"Holy sh*t! I thought that I was the only one with that fear!!!"
- Tricksyknitsy
"I'm not alone. Yaaaay"
- gliitch0xFF
Draft Or Giraffe?
"Giraffes. Not because of what you think. I lost a fair amount of hearing due to a compilation with my tonsils, so when my dad tucked me in at night and said “I’ll close the window, wouldn’t want the draft to get you…” Well, you can assume what I heard."
"I thought there was a rabid giraffe that would step over backyard fences and eat kids if their windows were open."
- SsjAndromeda
"That’s too funny and somewhat wholesome. It was sloths for me. I used to have nightmares of a sloth slowly chasing me. You can never run fast in dreams."
- Strongbad23
"Bro, same f*cking thing. My mum used to say wow the drafts coming from there at a cold dark place on the house and I used to imagine like a giraffe hiding there or an invisible giraffe and it was kinda scary lol"
- notarealpersondw
"I literally had the same fear!! "
"I was in a car when I was told to close the windows so that the draft doesn’t get in and I also heard ‘giraffe’, I then envisioned rabid giraffes trying to break into the car.. I thought I was the only one with this experience!"
- Kovu-and-Dedenne
You Too Will Have A Mullet
"My brother told me someday I too had to get a mullet haircut"
- MuluLizidrummer
"I have a mullet currently. I'd be scared too"
- BlueberryJingle
"Such an older brother thing to say"
- catnmoose
"I mean, mullet families are a thing. I used to see at least a few day when I lived in the midwest. Granted the oldest son usually has a buzzcut."
- 0kokuryu0
Loud Sound Check
scared season 5 GIFGiphy"The THX sound before movies"
- Geezson123
"The audience is now deaf…”
- User Deleted
"Convinced that's why I have tinnitus."
- DillPixels
"Same, little me would run behind the couch and plug my ears. Now I've just learned I have sensitive hearing, and that urge to run and hide when it comes has never left."
- OtaPotato
Vacuums
"When I was really young, like 3 - 5 years old, I thought the vacuum would come to life at night and try to suck out my lungs while I slept."
"So, I insisted that the vacuum be kept in the basement, locked in a closet, because clearly it couldn't climb two whole flights of stairs."
- smokehidesstars
"Imagine you wake up one night and the vacuum is just in the middle of your room LOL"
- BlueberryJingle
"Lol. My sister was terrified of the vacuum as well but it was because one time it caught the edge of her nightgown and I guess she thought it was going to suck her up. She was scared of vacuums until a pretty unreasonable age"
- mercenaryblade17
Surprise Flush
"Automatic flushing toilets in public places."
"Not me, but my 2 daughters when they were young (like 3y-6y). I had to stand next to them with my hand over the sensor so they could escape the stall before the toilet flushed."
- AltyMcSalty
"Loud toilet flushes still scare the crap out of me, even if they aren’t automatic and I’m prepared. I have no idea why. I’m 27, and I still have to sprint from the washroom at once I flush."
"It’s only when I’m alone though for some reason. During shifts when lots of other people are around, I have no issues. I have no explanation for this fear."
- TwiceUponADecember
"As a former daughter who was petrified of auto flush toilets, I want to thank you on their behalf."
- wevegotscience
"Pro tip for if you become a grandparent. Carry a pad of post it notes. Stick one to the sensor so the toilet won't flush unexpectedly."
- Paradisedreamer7
Bald Head
"The bald head of my uncle"
- italoomg
"Bald heads used to freak me out too when I was a kid, they just looked weird to me."
- idratherchangemyold1
"As a teen, I thought going bald would be the worst thing imaginable. Now that I’m 40, lost most of my hair, and shave it down every day, I couldn’t be happier. I love the easiness of having a bald head."
-Every1onRedditisDumb
Aqua Vacuum
Water Satisfying GIF by MaytronicsGiphy"My grandparents robotic pool cleaner 😂"
- minivan2022
"Oh man I can't believe the first comment is one I can actually relate to. I totally forgot about it until reading this. Yeah that 'creepy crawly' thing sliding around the bottom of the pool was unsettling, especially since when in the water at the same time of it you could hear it 'ticking' every second through the water. I remember asking them to pull it out before I went in. This was a fairly brief phase but it happened."
- Chromattix
"Lived in a house for years with a pool vacuum. Many adults are scared of those too lol"
- Triairius
"I actually have an irrational phobia of that thing it's wack"
"Stupid Barracuda/Creepy Crawly pool cleaner it looks so creepy"
- thegoldilocks_zone
"I came here to also say pool cleaner! We had one with two long “tentacles” that sprayed water out of the tips and swirled around the bottom of a pool….like a creepy robot octopus ."
- HAYYme
Do you and Reddit share similar phobias?
Is there something you want to add to the list?
Want to hear about my (completely understandable when you know the backstory) severe distrust of clowns that USED TO BE a childhood phobia?
Let's get into it in the comments.
Redditor oh-fish-ial asked:
"What’s a food you hate not because of the taste but because of the texture?"
Frozen
"Weird strong aversion to the texture of frozen fruit."
"Like chunks of strawberry in ice cream, for example."
"Like nails on a chalkboard to me."
- AppropriateReason744
Mealy
"Mealy textures like watermelon when it gets overripe."
- Zolo49
"Or a mealy apple."
‐ itsOKeveryoneHatesMe
GiphyReminders
"Cotton Candy. I used to help my dad hang fiber glass insulation… it’s the same texture. Just touching it makes my teeth hurt."
"Also those black and orange candy lumps at Halloween, candy peanuts, marshmallows, and anything else that feels like construction materials made of sugar."
- ornery_epidexipteryx
GiphyUndercooked
"Undercooked potatoes."
‐ DAR44
Gelatinous
"Quite a few people don't like the texture of Jell-O."
- gershanov6
"J-E-L-L-NO!"
‐ IAmABurdenOnSociety
GiphyRunny
"Runny egg whites."
‐ Frenk_preseren
"I feel you so freaking hard man. I can't even order eggs at a restaurant. How would you like that cooked?"
"Cook the egg white 100% I don't care about the yoke runny or hard just make sure the egg white is cooked fully. They can never get it right."
- Dabber42
Stringy
"My mother used to cut up celery and put it into casseroles and stews; stringy and spongy texture just about made me puke."
- Hunk_Studly
Chewy
"Tripe. The near cartilage level of chewiness gives me a sense of physical repulsion."
"Also Japanese fish cake, for the same reason."
- BarbicideJar
GiphyIf food texture turns you off, there might be ways to enjoy those flavors while avoiding the texture.
But if it doesn't make you feel like you're missing out or impacting your health, just eat what you want to eat.