Foo - Overcoming ones fears.

I will come out and openly admit that I have a case of claustrophobia. One of the things I can't handle is wearing a full face helmet. Can't stand crowded elevators either. Over the process of today, I decided to face head on this fear. Ordered a full faced helmet today, and I'm determined to beat this phobia.

Wear your full face helmet in the elevator.

My only fear that I know of is the ocean, and I have no desire to overcome it.

I was at a bonfire tonight and off in the woods you could see the eyes of an animal watching us.

Pretty creepy.


Overall, I would have to say my biggest fear is human stupidity.

I will come out and openly admit that I have a case of claustrophobia. One of the things I can't handle is wearing a full face helmet. Can't stand crowded elevators either. Over the process of today, I decided to face head on this fear. Ordered a full faced helmet today, and I'm determined to beat this phobia.Good for you! Typically overcoming phobias requires repeated exposure to the situation. Each time you make it through alive, it trains you in recognizing that you've got an irrational fear. Eventually, it'll won't be a concern anymore.

I will come out and openly admit that I have a case of claustrophobia. One of the things I can't handle is wearing a full face helmet. Can't stand crowded elevators either. Over the process of today, I decided to face head on this fear. Ordered a full faced helmet today, and I'm determined to beat this phobia.
I'm right there with you buddy. I can't stand being surrounded by very tall people, being in crowded elevators, and, the worst of all, Chicago trains during rush hour. If any of you have been to Chicago and have ridden our trains during rush hour then you know what I mean. Mr. Smashy, you would not enjoy it. I guarantee it. Whenever I get caught in a train like that I tend to count in my head and control my breathing. As you can tell I'm still trying to overcome my fear.

Acrophobia.
No way in hell you will get me to jump out of a plane/off a cliff.
The Stratosphere in Vegas gave me teh willies.

Mr. Smashy - way to go! Don't let an irrational fear control your life.

I think I have a fear of slowing down and taking a break. I have been working hard all my life - like since I was 12 - and now I am coming up to a time when I can slow down a bit. The driving force is to make sure I have enough money for us. Well, we have passed that time and then some so I suspect it is irrational at this time - or perhaps it is just habit...

I am breaking myself in slowly. First, I am starting to actually take a day off that I don't work, then I am going to try for a weekend..., then I am going to attempt to only work 8 hours a day on the days that I do work... As you can see, I have a long ways to go...

Distraction is the key. For those of us who don't have the problem with enclosed spaces, we just don't even think about it - if you can distract your mind, you will be fine. Sort of like me and work - I have to find other interest. I think more biking will be in the offing... ;)

let's see....

heights
confined spaces
spiders

That sums it up.....spiders are what I would call a serious fear....I've been known to become very reckless to either kill or get away from a spider....I'm far better now than I was a few years ago though...now I can handle most super tiny ones without freaking out. Last large spider run-in, I nearly took out a wall.

Heights I can deal with somewhat well now.

confined spaces...now I just get really nervous when cruched into a tiny space....that is fine by me

heights - this started at age 4 or 5 when I nearly fell from the top (6th) floor of the parking garage at the Tampa airport. I think I have mostly gotten over this fear since though.

crowds - I'm not sure if this is really a fear or not......I just hate it because of "crowd mentality" (e.g. human stupidity). I just get annoyed to no end when in really crowded places.

spiders - Had this fear all my life. I think I'm about the same as Catatonic. I can kill one...but often get very frantic/dangerous when trying to do so because NOTHING else, at that moment, is more important.

I used to be nervous around heights, but when you get into construction, you either get over it fast, or have a nervous breakdown.

Overall, I would have to say my biggest fear is human stupidity.

Used to be mine too, but lately there's been so much of it I've been densitized.:rolleyes:

Although I have no other claustrophobic issues, I do freak out in the MRI. Damn tube. So I guess the best thing to do is make sure I never have to get one- if there ever was a reason for wearing a helmet, that would be it.

My #1 fear is public speaking, #2 is death.
That means that if I'm at a funeral, I would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.
-seinfeld

Slvoid, how can you post on a forum and have fear of the public? Hundreds and sometimes thousands of people read what you post.;)

my friend has this morbid fear of wasps... last june, there was a wasp buzzing around inside the caf, right by the window where my friend was sitting... he freaked out, took off his shoe, and just LAUNCHED it at the wasp... ended up taking the wasp and the window with it :P

anyways, i have lots of fears... but for me, i can overcome them easily (such as spiders, i get acclimatized real quickly to them, i just hate it when they randomly appear).

Slvoid, how can you post on a forum and have fear of the public? Hundreds and sometimes thousands of people read what you post.;)

Did you HAVE to tell him that?!

Slvoid, how can you post on a forum and have fear of the public? Hundreds and sometimes thousands of people read what you post.;)

Because we can't throw tomatos over the internet yet! :p

Maybe its because he can't see any of our faces and/or reactions to what he says.

Maybe its because he can't see any of our faces and/or reactions to what he says.

For all I know, most of you are literally naked right now behind the keyboard.

Heights (had it about the worst you could), public speaking and snakes were my staples. When I was about 16 I decided that if other people's irrational fears didn't make much sense, then mine didn't either, so I faced them head on one by one. The last two weren't that hard to get over (just had to deal with them directly and do things that made me scared/uncomfortable a few times), but heights was a chore. When I was 19 I took a job building out city-wide wireless networks, which involved tower climbing. I spent my first week petrified, the next few months uncomfortable, and after a year I was unphased by heights of any sort.

It's not the actual height that scares me. It's the sudden lost of altitude combined with the less than gradual rendezvous with the ground that frightens me.

heights and motherfarking spiders

It's not the actual height that scares me. It's the sudden lost of altitude combined with the less than gradual rendezvous with the ground that frightens me.
Well, obviously. But being at a height without an enclosed area around you is what triggers the phobia for most people. I do things now that I couldn't have dreamt of five years ago, and I'm glad I made myself conquer it.

Well, obviously. But being at a height without an enclosed area around you is what triggers the phobia for most people. I do things now that I couldn't have dreamt of five years ago, and I'm glad I made myself conquer it.

Would you now dare to ride a slab of abalative carbon fiber like a surf board into the atmosphere at 16,000 mph from a height of 500,000ft with a thin space suit and parachute on?

heights and motherfarking spiders

Then this tall motherfarking spider should scare the hell out of you.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/NGC_Maman.JPG/800px-NGC_Maman.JPG

One of my friends has an amazing fear of snakes--not just live ones, either. Another friend has a cartoon pic of a smiling snake that he colored as a kid, and my first friend can't look at it.

Another friend has a fear of butterflies. Their erratic flying terrifies him.

Then this tall motherfarking spider should scare the hell out of you.

That is one serious motherfarking arachnid- where is it?

Most of my irrational fears are related to interacting with other people.

I have several phobias, but I really only have one that actually limits me in my daily life. Fear of heights. And it's not just your usual kind either, although I have that too. It's actually also a fear of being high up with an open space beneath. For example going over a tall bridge. I wouldn't have been the slightest uncomfortable in the same situation if I'd had solid rock all the way down to the ground. However, this is more of an uncomfortable feeling than any form of panic or stress.

The "regular" fear of heights is the worst. To get from the city centre to the part of the city I live in, you have to cross a bridge. The bridge is a mere 70-75 ft tall, but that was enough to keep me from riding over it for the first month I lived here. I had to go almost twice the distance to a much lower (20 ft) bridge to get across. On my way home from a ride, I was tired and decided to just go across it, did so, and survived. Now, it doesn't bother me the slightest. Walking over it still takes some mental effort, but I very rarely have to do that.

However, there are two more bridges going from the mainland to this island I live on. The tallest peaks at around 165 ft, while the other is slightly lower. One day I simply decided to ride over the tallest, and survived that too. In the euphoria from having conquered it, I rode off to cross the other bridge as well and got that under my belt as well. I still find it very uncomfortable to cross the tallest bridge, but it's no longer something I avoid and I can actually enjoy it now, in certain ways.

I have a fear of spiders, but I rarely see any spiders these days (only two in my apartment in over two years time) and I don't panic like I did in the past. And I only fear them when they're in my apartment, not outside.

Following an unfortunate episode of turbulence during a night flight in 2003, I developed a fear of flying (effectively, even though what I really fear is experiencing that panic again) that has affected me in some ways. I have been forced to avoid going on trips. What's worse is that there's an extended geology field trip coming up next year or the year after. Involves flying from Stockholm to Chicago and then to Denver, and back again from San Francisco via Chicago. That's a helluva lot of flying for someone who has a fear of flying... :)

I also have some form of fear of developing a mental/brain illness or becoming brain damaged in some way.

Almost all fears, of course, boil down to one thing - a fear of dying. Since I'm an atheist, I have no image of an afterlife to comfort me.

I have a fear of meeting someone like my ex wife. :eek:

I don't do so hot in elevators, even empty ones. Working in finance in the NY metro area, this has been a bit of a career issue for me. I'm sure if I could be comfortable sitting on the 47th floor of some office building everyday I'd probably be making more money than I am now.

I wonder what a crowded elevator is like for a claustrophobic midget.

Most of my irrational fears are related to interacting with other people.
Wow, you sound a lot like me.

Mine is sitting out in the ocean on a 13' sea kayak and watching a 14' great white shark approach...

Then this tall motherfarking spider should scare the hell out of you.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/NGC_Maman.JPG/800px-NGC_Maman.JPG

Hey, that's a Canadian Spider. Nothing to fear there.

I'm right there with you buddy. I can't stand being surrounded by very tall people.

Oh great...there goes my shot with Ms Gio. :(

Would you now dare to ride a slab of abalative carbon fiber like a surf board into the atmosphere at 16,000 mph from a height of 500,000ft with a thin space suit and parachute on?
If I had enough jumps to feel confident in my ability to do so safely, hell yeah. Just because I'm not afraid of being up high doesn't mean I have a death wish, though.

If I had enough jumps to feel confident in my ability to do so safely, hell yeah. Just because I'm not afraid of being up high doesn't mean I have a death wish, though.

It's not a death wish, you do have a chance of surviving.

Arcophobia. But it's gotten better.

Funny thing is, I can put fire in my mouth and light my body on fire and I can ride comfortably in traffic. I even delight in the most common fear -- public speaking. But climbing a ladder gives me the willies.

Then this tall motherfarking spider should scare the hell out of you.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/NGC_Maman.JPG/800px-NGC_Maman.JPG


Since it's obviously not real....nah, but if I was drunk, don't be surprised if you heard a news report about some guy building a trebuchet and launching a burning volvo at it.

Wear your full face helmet in the elevator.




:)

I've read that a careful, gradual desensitization process can work wonders for phobias. The key seems to be acclimating the person to the scary situation, bit by bit, without forcing it.

Lots of folks have a fear or phobia of heights, flying, crowds, snakes, and public speaking (just to name the ones that have come up in this thread). I've learned to deal with the public speaking one via a few tricks of the trade (plus a low dose of Xanax). I do feel for those who suffer from other phobias. They can really limit you, and cause so much anxiety, and sometimes, shame.