1. Open empty spaces - I'm the exact opposite of claustrophobic. I would much rather be in a small, squishy place than a wide open one. (Except when it comes to cars; I prefer trucks and big old vintage cars to little compact cars, especially if I'm driving.)

Someone else has it too! I'm the opposite of claustrophobic. You used to be able to find me curled up in a closet reading a book with a flashlight. I like little and dark places.

I'm okay with big, open places, and I even like meadows and things. But empty and lonely just makes me uncomfortable.

2. Rollercoasters: This isn't bad at all. Most of my fears aren't. But I'm generally really afraid of falling out of rollercoasters. I make myself go on them so that I'm not trapped by that fear, but it doesn't seem to get easier.

3. Clowns: Seriously, who in the world likes clowns? They're creepy people that you can't recognize because of severe makeup! They wear bright costumes and have giant feet. Ugh. *shudders at the thought of clowns*

^I'm terrified of rollercoasters too. I've been on three in my whole life. One was a kiddie one, the other at the highest point was about 25' tall. The biggest one I went on was gigantic. Plus it was really old and made out of wood. It was the first and last real rollercoaster I went on. I remember when I came off the ride I was pale (er than usual) and shacking and I could barely walk. My friend made me sit down for most of the rest of the day b/c I was just terribly shaken and terrified.

TG: ugh I hate murky water too. Well I don't mind swimming in it but I won't let my feet touch the bottom. I'm always afraid there will be a crayfish or something that going to pinch me or cut off my toes

D'aw, no love for Spiders? But...but..Charlotte! Spiders, with an exception of black widows and tarantulas, are adorable. ^^
Cockaroaches and beetles, though, are not. I decidedly like spraying bug spray on them, I'm sorry.

I was that way too as a child! So was my sister. I finally got over my fear when I was eight or nine.

I still get creeps down my spine when I see him now. I won't run behind the booth like I did then, but...I'll avoid him.

Hehe, what a fun topic!

1. Public speaking. Actually any type speaking... I don't enjoying talking, lest I'm home with the family.

2. Any type of sickness. Il m'effraie vraiment!

3. Being caught unawares. Especially if I run into a store, with no make-up on, and see a friend.

4. Earthquakes! The state in which I live is right over the biggest vault line ever.

Annnd can't think of anymore...

Kat: I was like that (about my bed) for ages. I remember when I was younger, I'd get up to turn off the light and then run and jump in my bed and throw on the blanket b/c I thought there was a black panther under the bed and it would grab me if I didn't get in bed fast enough . I'm fine with that now, though it wasn't until recently that I felt safe taking a hand or two out from under the covers, though if I've heard/seen anything scary recently, I keep everything under the covers, up to my nose

Haha exactly... after I see a scary movie, I feel like something could come out of my bed or something... so I get in bed REALLY quickly.

It's really interesting hearing everybody's different fears and phobias. My sister used to be deathly afraid of moose. Whenever one showed up by our cabin she would freak out because she thought it would crash through the window and charge her. Another sister used to be afraid of any costumed person, especially the ones in the mascot-like costumes, like the ones they have at stores. It sounds silly, but I think what people are afraid of are their beliefs, rather than the things themselves. What we believe could hurt us scares us more than the actual thing.

@Fire Fairy: I'm frightened of that, but I try not to dwell on it. I feel as though if I started thinking about that I wouldn't be able to stop, and then it would dominate my life. Don't worry about not having a boyfriend. And flirting is overrated.

Good insight about beliefs, by the way!

Phobia: Cockroaches!!!

Now,
I was born and raised in Chicago, and let me just clear it up that the roaches one sees there aren't bad at all. You have small ones and big ones-

But for the last 10 yrs I've been in Florida with my family. It was here I realized that Chicago's big roaches are actually small as well.

These down here are huge! and some of them even fly!
I cannot stand them, and I've had my share of incidents with them:

1. In the shower once I had one fly at me,
and let me tell you I didn't come out of the bathroom quicker because they were people in the house and so I need to dress myself first, still soaken wet.

2. In a car, I was 16yrs old at the time, the family was going out. I'm sitting in the back seats when I felt something in my left ear so I flick it, and when it lands on my lap it was a roach. I panicked. I started kicking everybody. People in the front literally had to fly out of the car. Thankfully we hadn't left the driveway yet.

3. I was in a bible class,
the teacher and other students that day were all female, I happened to be the only guy that night. Well, a roach appeared and *I* was the first person to stand up and run out of the room and go outside.

I can go on but I won't. There is no getting me to get anywhere near roaches. dead or alive. At least big/flying roaches.

Wow.... I'll definetly have a lot to write about in this thread! I'm pitiful!

1. Heights, heights, heights!! I'm terrified of them! Don't send me to the Grand Canyon or up the Empire state building cause i'll never make it.... come to think of it, I barely made it up the Empire State Building the first time. I can't even walk next to the clear railing at the mall.

2. WATER! And I mean any body of it! I've been scared of it ever since a bad swimming lesson at age four with a bad teacher. It was literally my second lesson and this "teacher" told me and my sister to jump into the deep end with no help or anything. Being obedient little kids we were we did it before our mom could stop us..... and we sank with our teacher doing nothing. Of course that scarred me for life. My sister has learned how to swim a bit now, but I haven't gotten near it since. Water is the main reason for the same recurring nighmares i've had for the past 8 years now.

3. Fires. Losing your house and everything you own. I have constant nightmares about that too.

4. Serial Killers

5. Dying a slow or painful death.

6. Spiders. I can't stand those eight legged things. I can't even kill one! They're all over the place currently even though there's snow on the ground! And eight eyes? All the more to watch you with!

7. My mom or dad dying suddenly, or getting cancer or getting in an accident. Overall anything bad happening to them. I can't stand the thought of this. It keeps me up at night sometimes.

8. Severe storms/Tornadoes! Whenever summer hits I'm constantly on the Weather channel looking for severe watches and warnings. I hate it when those dark clouds roll in, the wind picks up and seems to cut through the house, the lightning, thunder and rain, watching the trees blow in every direction and worst of all, that shrill screech of the Tornado siren ripping through the county. We don't have a generator so it's terrifiying not knowing whats going on while you're sitting in a pitch dark basement trying to hear the radio over the static of the storm.

9. Any bugs other than caterpillars, butterflies, dragonflies, and ladybugs.

10. Getting kidnapped

11. Getting paralyzed and never dancing again.

12. Hospitals, blood and the human body.... Ok, that may sound wierd, but seriously, I'm terrified of all the organs. Especially when it comes to the "Touch and learn" or, "Dissection" parts of it. Our dogs' vet when he first met us, shoved a dogs heart in my face thinking i'd be interested in it. My sister was fascinated since she wants to be a vet anyway, but I wasn't. He laughed and said I was going from pale to green. Gross!!!!!

13. Drowning....... This goes along with my water fear. *shudders*

That's it for now. I have to go to bed. Seriously though, my lists could go on forever. I'm scared of so many things. Post more later.

You really need to get back in the water and lean how to swim. You shoudl start with shallow and at the pool and not the beahc. You never know when you will need to swimm. such as in a flood.

another one of my fears is jack jumper ants. My sister got bitten by one when we liev in tasmania and you have to be rushed to the hospital.

narnian1: roaches are horrible! You think the ones in FL are big?! I went to Nicaragua and the smallest ones are about a quarter of a computer mouse! They're horrific and they're EVERYWHERE!

another one of my fears is jack jumper ants. My sister got bitten by one when we liev in tasmania and you have to be rushed to the hospital.

yikes that's scary .

It's not really a phobia or anything, but I sort of have a fear of sleep paralysis too. It happens to me about every few months, and the few seconds when it happens, I am as scared as I've ever been. I know it's farely common, but I swear there's something demonic going on too. Praying usually helps and fully wakes me up.

I've had ranidaphobia for as long as I can remember. Google it to see what it means if you want a chuckle.

I don't know why I've always been so petrified of those putrid little things, but they've always sent shivers up my spine. . . Something about their eyes.

If you'd rather just have a look at what ranidaphobia is. . .

^^lol. I hate them alot but I'm not scared of them. My sister hates catching them but she loves them so I always catch them for her . But I hate the little slimy things *shudders*

narnian1: roaches are horrible! You think the ones in FL are big?! I went to Nicaragua and the smallest ones are about a quarter of a computer mouse! They're horrific and they're EVERYWHERE!

*shudders*

Uh, I definitely never want to see any of those