That’s right, I am terrified of ants.

I’m sure it started when I was young. I grew up in two houses, my parents being divorced, and both of them had bad ant problems. I would constantly see ants of all types scurrying through my house and this would cause the belief that going to sleep would make me vulnerable, and that they were crawling on me while I was sleeping. I would wake up in cold sweats, brushing my skin to try to get them off, when there was nothing there. It makes it only worse that my lack of sleep would cause hallucinations. This would make me see ants at school, in my lunch, in the sink, etc. Every time my skin itched, I would freak out and have panic attacks that there was an ant on me. It makes me sick, even to this day, thinking about them. Because of this I’ve developed ocd, constantly cleaning and worrying about leaving the house because of the possibility that I might see ants. Over the years, though, it has gotten a lot better. While a lot of people assume I am scared of all bugs, I am surprisingly not. In fact, I’m fond of most bugs. I love centipedes, spiders, katydids, grasshoppers, bees, cockroaches, and many more unconventional insects. It is only ants.

Everything about oranges, how people dig their nails in them to start peeling them, the weird stringy bits, the texture. I genuinely feel ill whenever someone peels an orange becuase of those white stringy bits and how pieces go everywhere and eating them just feels wrong because they are so squidgy and soft, the texture combined with the actual look reminds me of a brain so for me, oranges are a no go. (Orange juice is fantastic though)

I have no issue sleeping in vehicles, just with my head tilted back when it exposes my neck. Unfortunately, that is usually the most comfortable way of sleeping in vehicle. When in a car of someone I know, this stems from the weird fear that something is going to come flying through the wind shield (such as a brick or a piece of metal) and slit my throat. Or we get into an accident, shattering the wind shield and sending glass to cut my throat leading to me bleeding out. I would much rather sit with my face forward, as I am more likely to survive that way.

This fear of a piece of debris cutting my throat extends towards other modes of transport, but on top of that there are added fears. On transport such as buses and trains, especially when there are seats behind me, I have a fear someone's going to reach over and either strangle me or slit my throat. Leaning my head back exposes my neck allowing these things to occur much more easily.

Planes are much more relaxed and I can sometimes find myself leaning my head back, as few people have bladed objects, and crashes are not instantaneous. However there is still a fear that someone may either punch my throat (a very deadly move) or use another object to puncture my neck (such as a pencil).

I am unsure as to why this is the case, but it is so weird. I have tried to explain it to people and they never got it.

Like the titles says - I am completely overwhelmed. I thought I heard a noise in my bedroom at the weekend. I no longer have a cat but two dogs. Since then its all I can think about, Im not sleeing, crying all the time, can't concentrate on my job. I got my daughter to check and she said she cant see any droppings. I can't look at a picture or watch a mouse on tv without screaming or being sick. I have already been to a therapist/hypnotist over two years ago re this (at this time, there was a mouse). Grateful for any tips on how to relax or overcome this.

I dont know how rare this is, so Im sharing my story in hopes that maybe Im not the only one with this phobia.

Whenever I see anything related to LOTR, I start feeling sick. My knees get weak, my vision starts going black, and my stomach turns. Its genuinely a physical reaction, not just me being scared or uncomfortable.

I actually know exactly how I developed this phobia. Back in the early 00s, when I was around 6 years old, I begged my mom to buy me a Harry Potter DVD set that contained all 4 movies. The thing is, it also had LOTR on it.

I was OBSESSED with Harry Potter and would watch it almost every day (crazy).

One night, when everyone had gone to sleep, I decided to turn on the DVD player and watch some Harry Potter. I was a pretty clumsy kid, though, and somehow I ended up playing LOTR instead.

Specifically, the scene that started playing was one where one guy was choking another guy.

For some reason, I just sat there and watched the entire scene. Then I turned off the DVD player and went to bed.

And ever since that night, I have never been able to watch LOTR. Even seeing references to it makes me physically sick.

There are two things that make this even funnier:

1. I LOVE horror movies. I can watch all kinds of stuff and nothing really scares me. I dont have any other phobias either, not spiders, not blood, nothing like that. But LOTR?🙃

2. My older sibling is a HUGE LOTR fan. They had LOTR posters all over their home, Tolkien books, figurines. Whenever i will come to visit, they would hide away all that stuff.

At some point it became especially difficult because Gandalf memes were EVERYWHERE.

So yeah, Im curious: does anyone else have a weird, specific phobia like this? Maybe not necessarily LOTR, but another franchise? (I dont know why but I periodically remember the child who was afraid of Lorax).

I have a fear of walking into helicopter blades. I know it'd be a quick death at least, but damn!

Space kinda terrifies me. I have a hard time watching space docs. It just goes on forever.

Trauma to eyeballs. Mine obviously, but I can't watch it in movies either.

More grossed out than phobias-

Barnacles, especially on animals, but also on ships.

The algae that grows in sloth's fur. 🤢

Hey! I’m hoping someone’s had a similar issue and has managed to get over it.

I’ve got a real issue with rats. I don’t know if I’d call it a phobia because I’m absolutely sound with pet rats, lived with someone at uni who had two and I loved them, but I am deathly afraid of wild rats.

It only really started like 6 years ago when there was a dead rat outside my boyfriends place and I honestly think it was the fact that it was dead as much as that it was there at all that freaked me out so much but I couldn’t leave the house until someone was able to tell me it was gone and I reported it to the council like 4 times. Then I was at his house (old terraced house) and I could hear a weird noise and I asked what it was and he said he thought there was a rat under the floor boards. He was so chill about it and I was decidedly not. Really struggled to tune out and every time I heard it I panicked. Felt very difficult to calm down and forget about it the rest of the time I was seeing him.

Then I moved to Manchester and the flat I lived in was incredibly ratty. The bins were in these open sheds in the car park and you could see rats running between planters and the bins all the time. It got to the point where I couldn’t take the bins out and my housemate exclusively had to do it. I used to watch for like 5 minutes before walking out to my car so I would have an idea if there was a rat between me and the car. To get to thw tram it was maybe 40 metres along a pavement that was between fences and bushes and cars and once a rat ran in front of me so I could only walk to the tram by walking in the middle of the road. Basically, if I saw a rat I wouldn’t be able to walk on that path again and would have to find a new way to walk. It got to the point that (before I got a car) I spent like £200 on taxis to and from work in two weeks because it would pick me up from the door and I was too scared to walk to the tram.

Now I live somewhere else and I’ve bought my flat and for over a year I didn’t see a single rat but as a preventative measure my boyfriend always takes the bins out anyway. But sometimes he goes away for a while and I just cannot take the bins out cause I’m scared I’ll see a rat. And it will stink but I just can’t do it. Anyway I’ve seen quite a few rats around and about recently, probably just because of the rain. But I’m pretty sure I saw one when I was coming back from the gym today. I’m already a bit nervous going outside in the dark so this happening when the days are getting shorter is really not ideal. I’m already panicking about leaving the house next. There’s cars parked infront of the building and you have to squeeze between them to get out and I’m just petrified that a rat will be under the car and run past me.

Everyone thinks it’s stupid and even my boyfriend I don’t think realises how seriously terrified I am. He takes the bins out and stuff but he doesn’t seem to get how all encompassing the fear is. Last time I got really bad with it and struggled with leaving the house cause I was scared I eventually just moved and it kind of sorted itself out. I was still very hyper aware but because I hadn’t seen one at the place I moved into I was okay. But I own this flat and won’t be moving so I can’t just start never leaving the house and being scared like this. And I also just don’t want to I’m so exhausted and I don’t want to give myself borderline agoraphobia because of rats.

I know they’re more scared of me than I am of them. I know their instinct is to run away from me. I know that atm I’m seeing more because it’s raining and the sewers and stuff are flooded so they’re coming up for shelter. I know all of it but it doesn’t help. It’s just the idea that I can step out of my house and they’re just darting around.

Has anyone had anything similar and managed to move past it?

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate it.

Guys I need help with my phobia. Please don't laugh, but I have a phobia of telling people things. This has caused me to have so much bottled inside me but I can't tell anyone anything since I am so scared. What do I do? I might burst soon if I stay in the state I'm in. Please help me with this.

What’s the name of a phobia of cave diving? I’m not claustrophobic or anything like that, but I’ve seen videos of guys going in there EVEN with water in them, and instead of saying “Wow that’s so cool!” Like some of my friends, I say “that seems stupid” for obvious reasons. You go into a cave that you can’t easily move out from and then on top of that, you can’t be saved 9/10 times if that. I dunno, just thought it was weird considering the fact that if someone looks at cave diving and thinks “meh, not scary” then they just are THE bravest person on earth.

Idk I heard there’s a phobia about it but stickers don’t disgust me, neither do pealing edges tho they irritate me. I’ve had this problem forever. It’s especially disgust me when the labels are smaller and in a white background, and I can’t stare at one without disgust and have to turn away.
It’s really annoying + when I have to touch one I immediately want to clean my hands or wipe it off.
Some labels I can support, and it’s not a sensory thing.

Hi so I’m new here but I wanted to see if anyone else experienced this? But specific stripe patterns and just certain patterns in general really make me feel uncomfortable and freaked out. More specifically zebra stripes, koi fish patterns, and those hairstyles with super dark hair and strips of white. Idk I’ve never heard of this being a thing. Also, I have striped clothes and they don’t bother me so I really don’t know what it could be haha

I don’t know how it started, but I’ve had a fear of fungi such as mold and mushrooms for years. Some encounters with them have led to me crying or avoiding rooms they’ve appeared in for days. I really don’t know what makes me scared of them, but is there any way I can cure this fear?

Hi, this is weird, but as its breast cancer awareness month, i had to share this because i can't find answers.

I cannot touch my skin "too deeply" because it makes me physically sick, feeling lumps, fat, glands, is awful (not bones tho), i tried doing self check for breast cancer today, and it was awful, i have big boobs too so awful digging in there, i can feel stuff, normal stuff, but it just EARRRGH, even on my chest and on my pits, i just felt so sick, so uncomfortable, and had to breathe.

Is there any word for it? Having to do the self check makes me anxious just thinking about it, can anyone help me put a word on this?

When i searched it gave me the fear of having bugs crawl under your skin or high sensitivy making it hurt, but its not really painful and i don't match the rest, i just... hate it, hate the feeling, its honestly terrifying, and i don't think its just a sensory thing, help !

Ive had a fear of spiders for as long as i can remember. I thought it would go away with age. It didnt. I scan every room before i enter and im always hypervigilant if i stay still for too long. Every time i encounter a spider it permanently changes my behavior. I avoid certain rooms in my house for days if ive encountered a spider there. My brain cant differentiate correlation and causation in this sense. I havent opened my window in over half a year because last time i did a spider was on the curtain. Just typing this makes my throat tight and a knot form in my stomach. I think about it on an hourly basis. This fear is a constant in my life. I dont think i'll be able to live independently because of it. Is therapy the only option? This was typed on mobile, so it might read a bit awkwardly.

and other condiments… but heavy on vinegar. when my ex found out about it, he used to scare me or blackmail me with vinegar and it was traumatizing having to run around the house hoping it dont spill on my skin or i dont smell it.

people mentioning the word ticks me off as well. i dont even say it at all unless necessary. its the ugliest word ever next to soy sauce.

am i the only one?

I have Emetophobia and I have since I was three. Nobody takes it seriously. I'm seen as someone who's way too old to be picky in ways that I am- examples: expiration dates on foods, resturant foods, eating utensils, strong flavors, textures or smells. I've been so quiet about it my whole life, quiet about the core issue (my phobia) that nobody believes me when I tell them that it's what causes everything. It surely doesn't help when people aren't educated on the fact that phobia's and fears are NOT THE SAME. I had someone tell me that they had a phobia of snakes and then willingly looked at and sent me pictures of snakes- she then proceeded to tell me that fears and phobia's are the same thing. Things like that make me feel so terrible. Like suddenly the sleepless nights and panic attacks- anxiety attacks or not leaving the house because the outside world is full of germs was nothing to people. I guess I'm posting this wondering how to inform people that fears and phobia's are different in a more logical approach?

Okay. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had an issue with laughter. My dad has told me numerous times how, when I was a toddler, if people laughed around me, I’d immediately hide away or start crying. I found it funny when he told me initially, but I’ve realized that this distress hasn’t really gone away? Especially when around adults (despite being an adult myself). Whenever adults or friends of mine laugh particularly hard, I get this tight feeling in my chest and am completely overcome with the want to run away from the situation.

I tried looking this up and was brought Gelotophobia, which is the fear of being laughed AT, but that just isn’t right. Sure, being laughed at sucks, but I’m not utterly mortified of it. It’s the laughter itself. The sound of someone losing it laughing is absurdly distressing to me.
Can anyone help me name this? Or at least help me understand why I experience this? (or at least relate a little bit bc i’ve never met anyone else like this 😭)

A few days ago my family realised there was a mouse in our kitchen. My dad suspects it came through the kitchen door from outside, as we live in a farm house and we see mice running outside our kitchen fairly frequently. We set up a camera in the kitchen and shut the doors, and we can see that the mouse is currently confined to the kitchen, which is reassuring as I know it’s not going to be anywhere else in the hous.

However, last night, i was in my bedroom and I kept hearing movement sounds. I kept thinking it was a mouse but at the same time thought I was being paranoid since I live on the 2nd floor, and I didnt think a mouse would climb all the way fr the ground floor. At around 2am, I saw a mouse on my floor that ran behind my wardrobe when I shone light on it. This genuinely freaked me out much more than i expected - stood screaming on my bed before I gained enough courage to run out.

Normally, when seeing a rat or mouse outside, I have the initial shock, but I am more so disgusted than I am scared of them. However I’ve just learned that when I’m in a confined area with one, I’m petrified. If it was another part of the house maybe I wouldn’t be too stressed, but the fact that it’s my bedroom - the place I’m meant to feel a sense of relaxation - is what’s scaring me.

I went to sleep in my sisters bedroom on the 1st floor and haven’t been able to get any sleep all night due to paranoia. I’m terrified to even walk up the stairs to my room, never mind going in to address the problem by setting up traps and sealing potential entry points.

any advice would be appreciated but I guess this is just a rant

I recently bought my first ever home. It came with a whirlpool tub and I was extremely excited about it. Recently, I had a weird thought that electricity runs through my tub to make the jets run and how I could get electrocuted. I’m now absolutely terrified of even touching my tub.

I don't know if "squeamish" would be the right word but I'll specify here. I got hematophobia from seeing my mom receive blood donations. I had it really bad for a few months to the point descriptions almost made me pass out, but one day it just went away.

Now instead of getting dizzy my hands get weak. I used to be great with gore and blood so the fact I'm still like this is bizzare to me.

Is this something that will go away on its own?

For Me it’s Thalassophobia you guys

I'm not afraid of heights I think. I can ride an elevator to the top of a building and look towards the ground and only feel a bit dizzy. But if you put me on a noticeable incline I start to freak out. I don't even like to sit on a chair that's on a slightly uneven surface because I'm afraid I'll fall off the side. I remember having nightmares when I was a kid where I was trying to climb up a hill and I started falling backwards.

So.. This might seem weird but I genuinely have a phobia regarding this. I think I can explain why:

• The "one man one jar" video, I watched this prolly in my teen years, long story short- guy puts a glass jar up his anus and it shatters inside, blood start pouring out. Alright already traumatizing and extremely graphic but imagine my shock when I found out he apparently didn't seek medical help (prolly out of shame), he took the shards of glass out manually and just let the tiny particles left marinate in his butt.. He survived and his family never knew, he later explain it was because the jar was open and not closed. Which is shocking considering I still wonder how he survived.

• I was watching a YouTube vid, and the guy mentions an "Anal prolapse" and told his viewers not to research it but for some reason when I'm told NOT to do something I wanna do it more. And I searched it up.. I regretted it. I wish I never searched it up, I was met with I think the end of the rectum, all red or purple out someone's butthole.. Basically it's when your rectum drops out of your butt, hence prolapse and it occurs due to certain complications like a weak pelvic floor and chronic constipation. Same for hemorrhoids btw it can prolapse. I hope It never happens to me.