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Discussion » Questions » Human Behavior » What were you irrationally afraid of, if of anything, when you were little?

What were you irrationally afraid of, if of anything, when you were little?

I slept on a big, tall bed that was about a foot off the floor. 
At night, I would take a running start and jump, so that whatever lived under there couldn't grab me by my feet as I climbed on to it.

Posted - January 10, 2017

Responses


  • It's hard to know where to start, me being afraid of a lot of things. Irrational things (that's interesting though. Are children's fears irrational? Anyway),
    Yes, the under the bed trauma ... I could actually see imaginary hands and would close my eyes very tightly when getting into bed and have to have the covers tucked tightly all around me in case the hands might sneak under them.

    A goose attacked an ice cream I was eating, stole it and made me cry. I still remember that goose and avoid them assiduously to this day.

    Metal things, especially rusty metal things, scared me. I reminded me of decay and corruption and scarred my little world.

    Storms, I thought I was going to get taken by the wind.

    Smashed car windscreens, cement, The Child Catcher, anything slatted that you had to walk on over water like a pier.

    Cricodiles, even in books. I couldn't open the page and had to turn two pages at a time so that it didn't jump out of the page and get me.

    There has to be more, it's me!


    I told you it was answers, plural )
      January 10, 2017 2:53 AM MST
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  • That's a lot of fear for a any little somebody. Thanks Ms L.
    I do remember we had our own version of the child catcher. He would walk around with a sac on his back and people would give him their laundry to do. But if you were misbehaving, he'd put you in the sac and take you. And I believed that. 
    Im just now thinking, who would give a a dirty transient their laundry to do? Would you believe that never currently me before? 
    And the covers, well every kid knows that the covers are the strongest barrier against monsters of any kind.
    Thanks Ms L. I like your answer.
      January 10, 2017 7:37 AM MST
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  • I like your answer too, there's a distinctive logic to the laundry bit. 
    And yes, I had to hold someone's hand - my father's hand preferably - a lot, because of all the fearfulthings.
      January 10, 2017 7:40 AM MST
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  • 22853

    answer deleted

    This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at January 11, 2017 7:25 AM MST
      January 10, 2017 8:14 AM MST
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  • I missed it Welby,
    Write it back down. 
      January 11, 2017 3:59 PM MST
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  • 22853
    I was the one who deleted  the answer.
     I thought my answer was too long and not the type of answer you were looking for when I saw everyone else's answers.
    I'll rewrite here and try to be shorter.

    ~ When young I watched (by accident) a Twilight Zone TV show episode in which the earth left its orbit and started to move closer and closer to the sun. Everyone in the episode kept getting slowly hotter and hotter and the sky brighter and brighter. I got really scared. I still get creeped thinking about it.

    ~  Someone was at the front door knocking and I was told by a parent to ignore it. I remember standing in the living room, frozen in terror, thinking I should be answering the door. I stayed frozen until the knocks stopped.

    I then added in my answer that as a youngster I had many legitimate and logical fears in my life.

    And I added that, as an adult, I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and I still have illogical anxiety but at least there is a reason why I feel anxious pretty much all of the time. (I'm not blaming my childhood for the GAD diagnosis.)

    This is becoming too long again

      January 11, 2017 8:36 PM MST
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  • There is nothing wrong with a long answer. The way I figure, if you take the time to write it, the least I can do is read it.
    About the show, I remember watching a tv program on the Cold war. I was very little but I could still understand that Russia didn't like us too much. I remember hearing that the president had the power to send a nuclear missile all by himself. At that point a huge finger presses a big red button and a bomb explosion filled up the screen.
    I was afraid of that. I use to pray to God to makre them friends so they didn't blow up the place.
    The door knocking, I've heard that one so many times, that im starting to think it is a generalized fear, you know? Like fear of the dark. Or something like that.
    I wonder how many fears are instilled in us when children by the tv.
    Thanks W, and good luck with your Anxiety. I mean it. This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at January 20, 2017 8:13 PM MST
      January 12, 2017 7:44 AM MST
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  • 22853
    Hey, thanks, Lago. I appreciate your reply. Thanks for your supportive words, too.

    I find your nuclear scenario fear as pretty valid. I have let the same type of thoughts get to me even at older ages than young.

    That's interesting about door knocking. I've known of no one else who's mentioned that type of fear. That's cool that you've found a lot of people who've mentioned it.
    But there was a TV from 1995 --  "American Gothic." I've seen the show and found it excellent all-around even though it was canceled in less than one season. You may have something about the door knocking! The previews to the show terrified me -- a repeated "Someone's at the door . . . someone's at the door . . . someone's at the door . . . " sends chills up me even now when I see/hear it from the show. Here is one of the short preview/promos for the show, 30 seconds long or so.
    *** But if you watch be careful of the volume of your speakers - - this clip on my computer plays at a louder-than-usual volume.
    Thanks, again, Lago.




    This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at January 20, 2017 8:14 PM MST
      January 14, 2017 12:34 PM MST
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  • Thanks for the clip Welby. I have not watched the show, but I will check it out. 
    About the door thing, think about it, with technology the way it is, where you can pay bills online, and you know what you order and when it is going to st there, is there really any reason for an unexpected knock at the door?
    In this day and age, I figure if someone knocks on my door, is either, my neighbor, a religious person, or the police. None of them somebody I'd want to see. Yes?
      January 14, 2017 12:50 PM MST
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  • 22853
    You make a good point.
    :)

    (Oh, and I think there is a current TV show also called "American Gothic," but like I said, the one I talked about was from 1995. And it featured a young Lucas Black, the boy in the promo clip. I still find him a good actor as an adult and he's quite impressive at a young age in this show, too, to me.)
      January 14, 2017 12:56 PM MST
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  • Thanks Welby, ill make sure to watch the right one. And the Lucas Black fellow Thank you my friend.
    This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at January 14, 2017 1:09 PM MST
      January 14, 2017 1:00 PM MST
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  • 22853
    You're welcome, Lago!
    :)

    The pilot episode has some of the "someone's at the door" scary-to-me stuff.
    :)
      January 14, 2017 1:06 PM MST
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  • 22853
    I found the first episode on youtube. I just watched the entire episode again. I own the series on DVD but have misplaced them.
    Here is a link  - - it's safe.
    I would have embedded the episode here in the thread but I didn't knwo if you could go to 'full-screen' which I think is better suited for viewing.
    :) But I know very little about tech stuff.

    Anyway, after watching it, I thought I may as well share the link to you.
    :)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq0l-A0apPs

      January 14, 2017 2:32 PM MST
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  • 9777
    I was afraid of escalators. I was sure that when I reached the top or bottom, I would be sucked in. I would leap off the escalator before the step I was on reached the end.
      January 10, 2017 4:27 PM MST
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  • Me too. There's another one to go with my multitude.
      January 11, 2017 2:30 AM MST
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  • (I still do that)
      January 11, 2017 4:00 PM MST
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  • (So do I)
      January 12, 2017 12:40 AM MST
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  • You know? After Jane's Answer, I looked it up. And let me just say that many a gruesome picture online point to it not being such an irrational fear after all.
      January 14, 2017 1:15 PM MST
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  • (You're supposed to make me less scared, not more)
      January 15, 2017 2:51 AM MST
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  • 9777
    I may never use an escalator again.
      January 15, 2017 2:54 AM MST
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  • It's like the pictures of people who have spontaneously combusted, just a leg legging around with no body. This is terrible, can you ski down escalators?? 
      January 15, 2017 8:54 AM MST
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  • You know?
    This is a very family friendly picture, some of them are pretty gruesome. I never looked into it, but it seems like a very common occurrence, especially with children. And also it seems to make no difference whether you're going up or down.
      January 15, 2017 5:23 PM MST
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  • Ha, 
    I know right?
      January 18, 2017 7:47 PM MST
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  • 17364
    I was convinced the bedroom floor was covered with snakes.  I would not even peek over the edge.  A couple of times I wet my bed because I was so afraid to get up. 
      January 11, 2017 1:08 AM MST
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