What are Your Most Intense, Terrifying Phobias?

Just living life can trigger all sorts of fears. Phobias are especially interesting—those things that get our heart racing and make us want to flee. Some say they even hold clues to past lives. Strangely, what freaks out one person, barely concerns another. Here are the six most common phobias. Which one is a hard no for you?

Spiders – I know people, mostly women, who cannot stay in a room if any spider is present. They have full-blown terror and want to put the house immediately on the market. Me? Meh. I really don’t care about spiders. In fact, I find them fascinating, even tarantulas. Would I want them crawling in my bed? No, but those furry little bodies are kind of cute. I also love watching spiders build their webs. It’s fascinating, except for the hapless insects that get trapped there.

Snakes – Check, please. If I come across one, even in a picture book, I’ll quickly turn the page. I just can’t look at them. That long body with just a head and no limbs freaks me out. I turn away like they’re going to bite me, or even worse, slither on me! Then again, I have friends who love snakes. They find them beautiful, like those striped corals or big, yellow pythons. They even have snakes for pets. A serpent tank in my home would be grounds for divorce. I just don’t enjoy this species of the animal kingdom.

Germs – I’ve known people who can’t go into a public restroom without a can of Lysol, and rubber gloves. They wipe down every surface of the stall and will spend more time cleaning than doing their business. Forget hotel rooms. Strangely, I must admit (almost with embarrassment) I don’t have that fear of germs. If someone coughs near me, I do my best to seek cover, especially with Covid still lurking around. But I can’t say, I’m constantly on the lookout for bacteria. I wash my hands a lot, but it’s mostly because I like keeping them very, very clean.

Claustrophobia —Must take deep breaths here. I once signed up for a writing course, but because the classroom had no windows, I ended up dropping out. The teacher was great, and everything was fine. But I couldn’t breathe with no connection to the outside. Then you see these cave explorers. Going two feet into a cavern, let alone, miles and miles down would give me heart spasms. My husband Randy has no problem with tight spaces. He recently had to take an MRI and, aside from the noise, barely noticed he was in a small, narrow metal capsule. I have palpitations just thinking about it.

Dogs—I have friends who will flinch if a dog comes near them, even a friendly pooch. They’re genuinely afraid of canines. Many had some scary experience in childhood, and it shows in the way they freeze if Fido comes near, or God forbid, touches them. I feel bad for this phobia. In some way, they’ve missed out on a wonderful relationship. Sometimes, later in life, they’ll learn to love a dog. I’ve been lucky. I have no fear of pooches, although a big, snarling canine is never welcome. But a tail-wagging, tongue-lolling, ears-up, friendly mutt? No problem.

Darkness—Oh boy. Randy will attest, I can never sleep in a space without at least a sliver of light. Years ago, I woke in a hotel room late at night, and because it was pitch black, I started to panic. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. My heart beat fast. I felt entombed. Then again, some people can’t sleep without total darkness. They even use eye masks to get things even blacker. Not me. I ended up feeling my way to those drapes, stubbing my toes on everything in the way, and finally pulled open the curtain to receive that one sliver of light. Ahh… immediately my blood pressure came down.

If phobias offer a clue to our deepest, darkest selves, maybe it’s best we don’t always know what lurks below. In the meantime, I’ll stay away from snake books.

What are your phobias? I once knew a man intensely afraid of chickens! Comments are always welcome and if you’d like to receive my newsletter with pet stories, the latest blog posts, and bonus information, just press here. Thank you!