The other day after returning from lunch, we were all walking (read: very slowly) back to our offices to resume our normal workday, when somehow (the rabbit trails we chase are impressive), the topic of getting sick came up.
It probably came up because currently there is all manner of viruses floating around and we’re all terrified of being the next victim, but anyway, I readily admitted to the fact that vomiting is one of my biggest fears.
The rule here at LPM is if you are sick: STAY HOME. Thank you very much. We love you, but we don’t love your germs.
I won’t go into detail on here out of respect for the fact that some of you might be catching up on the blog during your lunch break, but needless to say, there is nothing worse in my book than getting a stomach virus that produces this kind of reaction.
Lord help me if I end up being one of those that suffers from you-know-what during pregnancy. Speaking of that, I’m going to start asking the Lord to have a little grace on me in that area when that time comes. I’m believing God.
Anyway, once I admitted to that bizarre fear, she who will remain nameless, admitted another strange fear that may or may not have involved a parking lot.
I let she who will remain nameless expand on that if she wants.
We go so tickled that I immediately thought of how quirky we all were and then I thought of y’all. For some reason I have this feeling that if I asked you what your most bizarre fear was, you would deliver.
So, spill it.
Now, I realize we all have legitimate fears, but if you have something out of this world weird, we want to know.
You are in good company.
Oh, and for the record, the fear of vomiting has a term. (Could this post be any less girly? Laughing. Sorry, y’all. Just being real.)
It’s called Emetophobia.
Boom.
You’re welcome.
I have a number of fears for good reason, but one I get sometimes seems to be common:
FOMOphobia
Fear Of Missing Out
😛
Oh yes! Who doesn’t suffer from FOMO? I’m right there with you, Michele!
Yup. As teenagers, No one in my family wanted to go to bed early, they’d all wait for someone to take the lead, cause no one wanted to miss out on anything. I was usually the one that took the lead. I figured, I had to work in the morning, and I’d rather be rested up to hear what “big thing” I missed, than exhausted like the ones telling it. LOL
Hello all!
I am with Lindsee…no vomiting.
I have not thrown up since I was 15 … that’s 25 years!
Of course, I haven’t been pregnant so that has helped. But I am psychologically and physically and emotionally fearful of throwing up.
My next biggest fear is flying insects especially ones that sting or bite.
Blessings! S. Lynn
Sister Lynn! Flying roaches! Ewwww. And unfortunately, we have a lot here in Houston. Gross! (P.S. Glad to hear you’re with me on the other one. We’re not alone!)
So Lindsee if you do end up pregnant in Houston you would be quite stressed! #yikes
Rocking chairs & porch swings. JUST NO. The thought of the swing falling out of the ceiling or a rocking char going too far back is enough to make me hyperventilate.
*shudder*
I just laughed out loud. Love it.
Robin, the swing coming out of the ceiling happened at my mother-in-loves home with several of us on it. Not fun. Hadn’t thought of that in a long time. Shudder is right.
Yes and how many, including myself, are checking the list of phobias to see what else we might have? Don’t want to miss out on being afraid of quirky things, haha
Ha ha! Yes, that’s good.
HA! Didn’t think to do that…but now I totally am!
That would be FOMOphobia, correct? :-}
I have an irrational fear of the weather becoming hotter than 78 or 80 degrees. I can and do manage, but the inner hand-wringing begins in early summer, and the obsessive weather-checking, and when a day is supposed to be hot I think “oh dear oh dear oh dear” and when it’s supposed to be cool I think “praise you Jesus praise you Jesus praise you a thousand times Jesus!”
🙂
Julie, that is so funny! Let me give you a little piece of advice: NEVER move to Houston. You’ll be wringing your hands all year.
Truth is-we live in America, which comparatively is a supurbly safe nation…however, for as long as I can remember, I have been afraid of being shot by a sniper on the top of a tall building!!! Completely irrational, I know, but since we’re being honest!
Me too Megan!! I thought for sure I was the only one who walks into a stadium and looks around to see where I could ‘dive’ if a sniper appeared out of nowhere.
I also drive down the road and think about what I would do if caught in a tornado (a Kansas possibility!)I can’t believe I just confessed to this out loud..:)
Me too! I live in a very quiet, safe, small town. Yet every time I pass by a tall tree at night, I SWEAR I feel a red laser dot on my head! 😛
I think the thing I fear most (and is probably irrational) is fire. I at all times am calculating how to excape during a fire, and how to get to my 5 littles in the event of a fire. I am pretty sure I would turn into superwoman and be able to carry them all. 😉
It’s to the point that I won’t join a gym if I can’t get to my kids in under 2 minutes, and all the bedrooms have to be on the same level as mine.
You know now that I write this out, I think this is something I need to investigate further with the Lord. 😉
Jenn, I have to tell you that about three years ago on Easter Sunday (EASTER SUNDAY = PACKED!), our fire alarm went off during the third service. It was so strange that for a minute everyone just kind of sat there, but then it became mass chaos. Since then, I’ve always looked around for the easiest way out. So pitiful! Thanks for sharing!
I do this at night too but I think f a robber came in my house what would I do! I will lay there and plan escape routes and how I would get the kids and how I would wake my husband up if he was still snoring away while we were being robbed!!!! LOL! I love when I find out that I’m not as crazy I think OR everyone else IS as crazy as me!!
The fire alarm went off in the Wal-Mart on Black Friday – I was standing in line, the store was packed and everyone was looking at each other like -I’m not leaving this line! Fire or no! LOL – of course, I looked for the quickest exit just in case, but it went they discovered there was no fire very quickly – shew!
my brain and my fingers can’t keep up with each other… that last line should read “but they discovered there was no fire very quickly”
Oh I am right there with you. When my kids were small I used to think about how I would get them all out. My fear of fire is so bad that I have only lit a match once and that was because my mom made me. I about hyperventilate if I have to light a gas stove. In fact I won’t unless i have one of those bic fires started things. And that has only come about in the last couple of years. Also I can not sleep if there is still a fire in the fireplace ( which leads to a fear of big fireplaces. Haha) and was much relieved when we got a fake tree. Some how I perceive the fire danger to be less. I am 53 can you imagine. Ok enough said. Anyway, glad I am not the only one.
I can’t believe I’m about to admit this but here it goes…very irrational fear of some how swallowing my tongue and not being able to breath! Since I was 14 I’ve had that fear!!!! How crazy is that!?!? (sigh)
oh, I have another one. My children being snatched away from me, because they are SO dang cute!!!
I’m with you, Jenn. This used to terrify me, too. : )
I don’t think this is a “fear” per se…. but it is something totally weird that grosses me out.
I can’t stand to pour gravy down the drain or in the trash. Something about that gelatinous brown stuff pouring out that really gives me the heebeegeebees.
I completely understand. I cannot stand the word “congeal”. It hurt me to type the word. Ewww…
I am afraid to stop under a traffic light when it is windy! I’m worried it will come undone, fall straight down on to my car and that metal piece at the bottom will split my skull in two! Ha. How’s that for irrational fears?
Yes! Oh my word, I’m starting to get so insecure because I’m relating with too many of the y’all’s fears. But, yes! I hear you on this one!
You know you’re going to have to re-post the fear & courage verses after this, right? 😉
Escalators! I am terrified of them. Mainly that I’ll fall down somehow or get sucked in/stuck in one. I even do this weird little hop thing when I get off of one, purely out of fear that I’m going to get sucked in! At the age of 32, with two children, I try to use the stroller as an excuse to avoid them 😉
Bless your heart! I avoid them even without the stroller! I sure am cocky when getting on an “up” escalator but when I have to get on a “down” one…? Not a pretty sight. My grand boys are great about helping out this old lady!
Mine is driving off a bridge into water. I don’t know why it freaks me out so much. I used to have to cross the Mississippi river multiple times a year to visit family and I actually would Google how to survive such a wreck.
I have the same fear. My friends used to have lots of fun with this fear! I do not want to drown in my car. These days I envision the dirt/crumbs from my children rising up with the waters. Ugh
Oh my goodness, I thought I was the only one that thought this AND so does my family. I did not read others posts before I made my comment. As I said I just am ready to have my window go down for an easy escape.
I thought I was the only one with this fear…which is not good when I live in a city with 5 different bridges over a river that I must use on a regular basis!
All these comments are giving me a good laugh today. So happy to know I am “normal”.
ditto, sarah. when i dream about this i can never remember if i’m supposed to let the car fill up & then open the door or…? 🙂 and when driving over these bridges in REAL life, i drive in the center passing lane to stay away from the edge. for those few seconds, if other drivers are annoyed i just say “deal with it people, i have issues!” 🙂
Oh Sarah!
I have to drive across the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to visit my parents – and cross them again on the way home!! I HATE it!!!
A bridge across a lake isn’t quite so bad. But a river, like the strong Mississippi, scares me senseless!
Huge hugs, sister!!
In order: grated or glass tile bridges and escalator’s. Shiver me TIMBERS.
I tend to forget to breathe on the bridge thing – which is especially bad when I’m driving. And the escalator thing presents a problem at stadiums and metro stations in DC. You’ll never see anyone climb the sky-high escalator’s so fast in your life. Sigh …
Escalaphobia=fear of escalators. I’m with you, sister!
Spiders! Any kind, any size, even a picture of one terrifies me! My hubby is my spider-slayer. I don’t know what I’d do without him.
Give me a spider any day but put a cricket in the room, I will LEAVE! Crickets have a tendency to jump on me and not let go. I avoid ’em! Spiders just run away from me–smart cookies!
I’m with you on the big spiders. I pray that the Lord will remove this fear especially if He ever sends me on a mission trip where there are plenty of tarantulas. Yikes.
Balloons!!! They are always just a few anxious seconds from popping and scaring me to death. Oh, do I have issues. 😉
Oh mercy- I fear vomiting too! I am pregnant with my first and the Lord has been MERCIFUL in this department 🙂
That’s so encouraging to hear, Emily! Whew.
I must admit that the thought of turning left without a light into a busy street scares the socks off of me! Especially onto Highway 6 at this time of year!
And popping balloons-must agree with Amy!
When I was growing up, my mom could drive places by making all right turns! It was definitely the long way but it kept her from having to turn left across traffic.
Hallelujah! Bless your Mama! I’m a not-in-the-least-bit-embarrassed-by right-turning-only Mama myself!
My 7 year old son is an animal lover. I have held snakes, bearded dragons, spiders, etc. to enter into his world but I am COMPLETELY freaked out by crickets. I am getting the heebie jeebies just writing this!
I cannot stomach weird faces–think Star Trek aliens, etc. If the face is not normal…I cannot watch. And, I don’t think that normal faces are too much to ask.
Clowns! I am afraid of clowns. I think they are creepy and run away or hide my eyes. My children know this and terrorize me whenever they see a clown or a picture of a clown. Apparently I’m not the only one with this fear because it has a name “coulrophobia”.
Ramona, second to throwing up, I have a legitimate fear of clowns as well. Don’t really have any reason to not like them, but I’ve always been afraid of them! So weird to me.
Lindsee we are sisters from another mother! Second to clowns is my fear of throwing up. Whenever I get sick and feel like I’m going to I lay in bed convincing myself I’m not going to. Then, when is all said and done I always say a lesser woman would have thrown up, but I did not! I’m 54 and I can count on one hand the number of times I have in my whole life!! 🙂
Ramona, we really are. I too talk myself out of it and can also count the number of times on ONE hand. It’s so nice to “meet” you! 🙂
I cannot be in a room at night if the curtains/blinds are open. I can’t stand for someone to be able to see me and for me to not be able to see them.
It’s like being in a fish bowl. No thank you!
I have a fear of wet paper! Ewwwwwwwww hahaha
Now THAT is bizarre. Ha ha!
I know! haha. People crack up all the time about it… I have no idea why or where it came from!
Dying. That was mine too! {Maybe is’s in the name…}
Rest assured, you’re not alone, sister!
Two things:
1. Revolving Doors – I hate them, I am convinced I will be come stuck in one and will never get out – I will change plans to avoid them – which is not rational, but true.
2. Feet – I hate feet – I tolerate my own. I become violent if someone puts their feet near me. Especially without socks on them. I can handle them with socks, but with the exception of my own child, I don’t DO feet!
🙂
When I drive over bridges I put my hand on the window control in fear that I might wreck and drive over the bridge and get trapped in the car while it is filling up with water. My way is, if this should happen, I will be able to just swim out the window.
I have that handy little tool you can buy that immediately breaks a window even under water pressure. And, I live in North Central Texas where the chance of me even being over water is pretty remote. But my little hammer thingy is in my door pocket close enough to grab…just in case.
gail, you might have just returned me to the sane side. googling that little hammer thing-y now. 🙂
Right with you on the bridge thing — I’ve even cracked the windows sometimes and generally I always unlock the doors b/c I’m afraid the autolocks won’t work and we would be trapped.
Crazy!
Fear of birds… I have many others fears, but this is my most recent. Last week 2 finches got into my screened patio. They had to have hopped through the cat door! I was too scared to go out there. I ran around the outside to open the screened doors, but they would not get out. My daughter went out to coax them to the door. I wanted her to put on sunglasses so that they would not polk her eyeballs out!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thought it was just me! I know they are God’s creatures and some are lovely, but dagnabbit, they are just scary!
I have Emetophobia too! (didn’t realize that it was called that) This is probably TMI, but I am violent vomiter, meaning I am loud and it hurts….so needless to say I don’t like doing it, but it has turned into a fear now. When the kids get sick I am taking my vitamin c, Lysol is out, and using hand sterilizer 24/7. haha
Oh and frogs, I am afraid of frogs. 😉
I LOVE that, Mandi. Violent Vomiter. Sounds like a great character for a funny book. I may steal it!
My biggest fear is also throwing up because I pass out when I do that. Not good.
But the funny fear I have is opening a can of refridgerated biscuits. Heaven help me if I’m alone. No biscuits if I’m alone. I’m always afraid of something that will pop…also balloons (saw that one above). I’m afraid I passed this fear on to my 27 yrs old daughter. Lol!
Thank you Sheila! I thought I was alone with the biscuit thing!
Thank you Sheila! I am not alone on the refridgerated biscuits! My hubby thinks I am nuts…but he will open them for me anyway 🙂
I slowly (and very carefully peel), set on the counter and hit it with a long metal spoon! I know, silly, but I really love those biscuits 🙂
Too funny! I’m the same way. I’m cringing as I peel the thing. Sometimes they pop when you peel the paper and sometimes you have to hit it. I’m a nervous wreck so I usually give them to someone else to do it. I had to open several cans last week during Thanksgiving week. My son, son in law and hubby had to help me. They want the food, they don’t dare laugh at me. lol!
So far y’all have covered most of mine. A couple I don’t have..whew.. My fear is a disaster will happen and we won’t have food or water. I keep bleach on hand to purify water and the food thing I really want to buy the food in buckets that last forever. My husband ask me what do I think would happen if neighbors near and far found out we had food and they didn’t ? Uh-oh another fear!
Part 2: what if the water is poisoned? Yikes! On a real serious note I battled fear as a kid and young adult and older adult and The Lord gave me the Scripture, Psalm 34:4 I sought The Lord and he heard me and delivered me from ALL my fears. KJV
That verse saved my sanity. Still have fears but they don’t control my life. ‘Cept food and water.
I haven’t see this one here, or anywhere else, but I have an unreasonable fear of TURTLES!! Go ahead and laugh, everyone else does. But, yes, I am afraid of turtles. They are just ugly and they bite and they completely creep me out. I don’t care if they are slow. There is a name for this. It is Chelonaphobia, pronounced Kel-OWN-uh-fobe-ee-uh.
I thought I was alone! That is my biggest fear too – vomiting! Thank you for sharing.
O.k so I USED to be scared of parking garages (FOR REAL)! I watched a scary movie as a little girl and i was afraid a girls voice was going to scare me as I walked through the garage, or fear the garage will collapse on me. It was a prety bad fear! THe cool thing is Jesus has helped me overcome this fear and I now run a bootcamp early mornings IN A PARKING GARAGE at a civic center in SUrprise Arizona by my house!. ! We run up the ramps and run the stairs (: (:
I seem to have several fears concerning my car and house keys – some rational, some not-so-much, but they include:
> losing just one off the ring – not all of them, but just one…
> dropping them down that little crack at the edge of the elevator when you walk on…
> leaving them in a public restroom…
> locking them inside the car or house (this one is a well-founded fear.)
> accidentally scratching the side of my own car when they’re in my pocket…
As you might have guessed, I often have my hands securely wrapped around them in my pocket, which then leads to two subsequent key-related fears:
> I often stick a finger through the key ring, and I fear falling and the key ring accidentally breaking my finger…
> or, one of the keys jabbing my daughter if she happens to fall and I have to suddenly catch her…
Oh brother… I don’t know what you call the fear of random accidents with keys, but I seem to have it!
And, I have never (nor will I ever) been within 50 miles of a great white shark (that I know of), but I can’t even see one on television crawling behind a large piece of furniture or into my husband’s shirt with him… Never seen one, never will, never want to. Can’t explain that fear either…
I have a fear of people sneezing because I caught the
Ebsteen virus from a lady that sneezed on me in
Walmart and it made me very ill.. Although I did enjoy
The weight loss the sickness caused.. So now I have to
Sit at the very back of
Movie theaters so no one sneezes on me , oh and you minus
Well say goodbye to your food if I hear a sneeze and think
It came from the kitchen… Lol
I have NEVER heard of that, Christel! SO interesting. Thank you for sharing!
I have a fear of calling people I do not know on the phone and having to explain who I am and why I am calling, etc. With God’s help, it is not quite as hard as it used to be, but I still don’t like to have to do it. Also I have this fear whenever we have car problems or plumbing problems, etc, that they are not going to be able to fix it. I simply cannot rest til everything is working again. Plus I really hate strangers coming into my house to fix things or deliver things. Gee, now that I think of it, I have more fears than I realized. Thanks Lindsee! LOL
By golly confession is a dandy thing for the soul. And soulish health is my aime. I have this terrible gut feeling that one of these days when … um … (clearing throat) I flush the ‘commode’, and it will indeed overflow and living in the city, it will come forth with the whole neighborhoods ‘sharing’. Laugh you do? Don’t tell me you haven’t feared the same thing!
Just the thought of THIS creeps me out! I had no idea how fearful I was til I started nodding my head to all of these posts! LOL!
*sigh* this has actually happened to me. It wasn’t pretty…
I am terrrrified of Penguins! I fear they will peck my eyes out when I am not looking….eeeewwww 🙂
No trips to Antarctica for you!
Pillsbury biscuits. How you have to pull that little tab to make them ‘pop’ open? I imagine them exploding like a grenade. If no one is around to open them for me, I use oven mitts and a pair of very long tongs.
My fear is being stopped at a traffic light under a bridge. I know it is strong and concrete, but I don’t want to stop under it!
Also, I am afraid of those cans that Pillsbury biscuits, cinnamon rolls, cresent rolls, etc. come in. Something about peeling the paper and at any moment it can explode open….what if it takes your eye out!?!?
o.k one more I hate elevators! I have a fear I will get stuck! Oh man The scream would be so loud lol
I am the same way about elevators!!! Hate them. I’m okay if they’re the open glass ones. But if I can’t see out, heaven has to help me! I think the hospital did it to me as a teenager. The elevators had mirrors on the CEILING! So I’m laying on my gurney groggy from knee surgery & for 6 floors see myself. It was dizzying.
I love this post and reading all the comments! So funny… And makes me feel a little more “normal!” And for the record … I have a fear of burps.. Gross, I know.. But they terrify me. 🙂
I fear being extinguished–as though I never really mattered.
I struggle with it less, but it’s a significant fear!
Oh, and grasshoppers (and crickets). Those are a little less significant, but just as creepy.
I have an odd fear or phobia of being loud or making noise at work. I work in a news room so it is an open area. I purposely do not talk all day except when someone needs something other then that I keep quiet. I do not blow my nose, cough, or do anything. When my phone rings I quickly answer it and turn my fan on so nobody can overhear my conversation. How stupid is that?
Tarantu- (Ugghhh) I can’t even type the WORD!) TARANTULAS! There I did it! I HATE those things. I used to lie awake and imagine they were crawling on the walls in my house. At that time we lived in a yard that was infested with them. I moved because of them. I once killed one with wasp and hornet killer that you spray from 25 ft away. YUCK. Do you know how much courage it took me to scoop it up and throw it outside?
If I never ever EVER saw another one (even in a picture) I would be JUST FINE.
Hands down–stomach viruses. Oh, flying roaches are up there too 🙂
I have a fear of getting my blood pressure taken! Like, so afraid that I was terrified to get pregnant with our second because of all the doctor appointments! Just the thought of it makes it skyrocket. I can’t even look at a blood pressure cuff without getting nervous. BUT I’m happy to report that I went to my first prenatal appointment on Monday and – God be praised! – my blood pressure was low. I was shocked. First time I’ve ever had a good low reading…now to gear up for the next seven months of appointments…. 🙂
Brown recluse spiders- since I was 6ish and saw some crazy TV special AND cockroaches and the crunch they make when you kill them- absolutely can NOT do it- I cover them with tupperware until my husband gets home…
I should win the prize (wait-there’s a prize right? 🙂 OK here it goes: I am scared to death of the heel of bread. There I said it, we’ll actually it’s no secret to those who know me. You know that end piece of bread in a loaf of bread. I CAN NOT TOUCH IT. If I do, I loose feeling in my hand…yes, I do. And i go kinda limp. I can’t even touch the piece of bread that touched the heel, I have to open the bag, shimmy down the loaf and reach in way to the middle to get a piece. (Stop laughing) OK, I know…it’s odd (we don’t say crazy in this house 😉
But there it is. It’s so bad that my children use to chase me around the house with heels if bread when they were little ( yes, they chased me and yes I ran). But now they are older they use modern technology to torment me, they text me pics of heels of bread.
I also have a fear if Clowns, but come on now, who doesn’t…those things are creepy. But I’m sure I’m not the only person out there with the fear of the heel of bread…that’s a legit fear ya’ll.
Okay, Robin, that is too funny. Definitely one I’ve never heard before! Laughing.
I just knew I’d see some others here with the fear of heels of bread, I was going to start a support group. We could meet at Panera Bread 🙂
LOL Robin you made my day!
I know, this fear makes everyone I knows day!
my sweet son called them hooves instead of heels thats not a phobia its just funny!
My fear, well my phobia, is that I can’t go to the toilet on an airplane. Not sure why, as soon as I get off of the airplane and into the airport I can go just fine. I live overseas, so it is a long and painful trip back to the States.
I have an unnatural phobia/fear of getting a ring stuck on my finger, boot stuck on foot, or any article of clothing that is difficult to get off. I can just think about it and get anxious, as I am now. So, that’s all,lol.