I have many fears, many of which are legitimate, others of which are terribly irrational. A morbid fascination with true crime has me triple checking to make sure my doors are locked and has imbued me with a terror of jogging alone. The fear of car accidents, my loved ones suddenly dying, and nuclear war—these are all semi-rational fears. They have a basis, but wax and wane in power depending on my level of anxiety.
Then there are irrational fears. A fear of murderous dolls, no doubt caused by my brother showing me the movie Chucky at the tender age of four. A fear of sharks in swimming pools and kitchen fires, and ringworm. I’ve never had ringworm, but boy do I fear it!
Reddit user sniffmynostril recently asked the community, “What’s an oddly specific fear of yours?” The post garnered over 25,000 upvotes and over 22,000 comments, which you should probably check out in their entirety to feel a little less crazy about your own weird fears. Or just skim some of the highlights below:
1.
Walking on man hole covers or grates. In my mind, I will step on them, they will give way, and I will fall into the middle of the earth. I step over or around them every time.
My husband thinks it’s funny to step directly on them and pretend to fall.
2.
When I walk by those office paper cutters, I get nervous that I might suddenly decide to put my hand in there and cut off a couple digits.
3.
My hand getting stuck in a garbage disposal. I’ve had this fear for ages and then that one movie came out where it happened to the kid and I just freaked out.
Edit: The movie was “Unfriended” but thank you to everyone who is commenting different movies so I know which ones to aviod.
4.
I’m seriously afraid of being pulled under beds by disembodied hands. Specifically mannequin or model hands made of plaster or wood, and covered in gloves. I don’t know what would happen if they did pull me under a bed, but it’s a highly irrational, and stupid fear I’ve had since childhood and the source of recurring nightmares.
I also fear dolls, and clowns. I don’t fear the dolls themselves, it’s the dolls “Staring at me” that gets me.
5.
Getting into a car accident with someone who is driving with me for the first time. I would look and feel like such a dick. Especially if it was someone I was trying to take on a date.
6.
Walking barefoot onto a used syringe needle. Recurring dream for some reason.
7.
I hate walking up staircases where the back/space between the stairs is open. It feels like I’m going to slip through. (Not a huge fan of stairs in general, TBH)
8.
Whenever I got my curtains open at night I always think someone is gonna look at me through the window. No matter on what floor I lay. The curtains stays closed
9.
Looking at mirrors in the dark or when I’m alone in the bathroom.
10.
I go running regularly. I hate running next to chain link fences, specifically because I am convinced that I am going to trip, then fall in specific way so that my front teeth manage to get caught on the fence and be ripped out. I also hate the lower ones since part of my brain is convinced that one will not be bent right, I will run next to it and the wire will hook into my arm.
11.
Getting stuck in a chimney face up in a sort of a “V” shape where you can’t really move and die a slow painful death while thinking of your loved ones and crying for help.
12.
I won’t let someone hand me something hidden in their palm by making a fist and then dropping it into my hand, if that makes sense. I am not sure what I’m afraid it might be…
13.
Tripping while going up stairs and breaking a tooth on one of the steps
14.
That someone is hiding under my car and is going to slice my Achilles’ tendon when I go to unlock the door.
15.
All of my friends are ridiculously scared of becoming pregnant. Two of them are gay and in a relationship with each other, though. They wake up in the morning and panic if they feel sick at all or their periods are late, and yet there’s no way short of
athe miracle.
16.
That I’ll die in the shower and my family will find me naked.
17.
That people are judging me for the speed of my wind shield wipers when it is raining
18.
That when I’m walking through natural water (lake, river, etc) I’ll accidentally stick my big toe into the eye socket of a human skull.
19.
I am afraid of crucifixion. No idea why. It is incredibly unlikely anyone I know or myself will ever be crucified.
In fact, no one does crucifixion these days.
However, sometimes I have dreams of it happening and wake up in cold sweats. It’s very strange.
20.
I have a phobia that I’m going to go ice skating one day, slip on the ice, my hand will lay out, and someone will skate over my hand and slice my fingers off.
21.
Moths and Butterflies. Why do they fly around like they don’t have a clue where the hell they are going…AND, why are they so powdery?!?!?! I am terrified of them.