What is your phobia? Share your story here.

I guess the one that shaped my life more than any other was Death and abandonment. Not mine, but fear of someone I love dying. My Mum suddenly when I was 19 and as her and Dad were separated I had to look after myself. I never had kids, or even pets for they fear they would die and I couldn't take the heartbreak. I purposely chose a guy I knew didn't want marriage or kids as in my mind I felt it would not be serious and I wouldn't get hurt it he left.

@Laura I'm afraid of lizards. So much so, that if one sneaks into my room, I feel unsafe for days .

I have vehophobia, the fear of driving. This interferes with my life in major ways, especially combined with the fact that I live in a rural area several miles outside of town. I also have no running water, meaning every few weeks I have to drive into town to get more. After some assholes tried to run me over in the street multiple times during my freshman year of high school, I became terrifed of driving and of being hit by a car. I already had dromophobia - the fear of crossing roads as a pedestrian - but now, not only did that fear become even worse, now I could barely even bring myself to walk in a parking lot. That really angered my mother, the fact that I would jump in fear when cars passed by in parking lots. She would yell what an embarrassment I was.

I had always been a nervous driver (I had been practicing for a year), but after nearly being PURPOSEFULLY hit by a car MULTIPLE times, I had developed a true driving phobia, which got worse and worse and more-extreme as I got older. I only got my license 3 months ago, at the age of 22.

When I have to drive, I am terrified the whole time. I get sudden, unexpected heart palpatations that always knock the wind out of me and sometimes last for up to 60 seconds, bringing me close to passing out behind the wheel and forcing me to pull over into ditches (I have passed out multiple times in the past, so I am aware of what it feels like). I used to have Panic Disorder, but rarely ever have attacks anymore - though, I do sometimes still have them while driving. I can't make the left turn on the highway to get onto the road leading back to my home. Instead, I have to make a right turn off the highway onto a seldom-used gravel road directly across from it, go down far enough to be out of anyone's way, spend 5 minutes making the shittiest U-Turn possible in order to turn around, then drive straight out back across the highway in order to get on the road leading to my home.

I also have Social Anxiety / Social Phobia, which in my case is equally debilitating, if not more. At this point, I am terrified of leaving the house - by that I mean terrified of even stepping out into my own, mostly-secluded yard, because my brain tells me that my neighbors secretly hate me and that they are disgusted by me. It's not rational, my neighbors have been very kind to me. I haven't been able to have consistent therapy in about a year, and no longer am in therapy at all at this point. I worry that I may have either developed some form of Agoraphobia (I obviously can't know and don't have the qualification to know), either that or possibly I may be having another psychotic episode (I am diagnosed as having "recurring psychotic episodes caused by PTSD") since I have been having some more detailed auditory hallucinations lately, and maybe my fear of leaving the house coudl have something to do with that? I felt similarly during college, when my brain kept telling me that hundreds of people on campus were stalking me, taking photos of me and planning to blackmail me. I moved out to the country (where I was raised), hoping to feel safe and "at home" again - but, those fears followed. Now, I fear that the residents of my rural town are doing those things, instead.

As a kid, I had ablutophobia. I was repulsed by soaps, gels, shampoos, etc. The smells, the goopy texture, everything about them felt horrible. It felt like having someone else's mucus rubbed all over my hands or body. As a young child who was very obedient and had to hide negative emotions, I would stand frozen still and tell myself that I was preparing myself for what Hell would be like after I died. I was raised atheist by my father, but also knew that if my mother's christian god was real, a nonbeliever like me would be sent to hell for all eternity. So, that's how I coped.

I had a similar repulsion toward makeup products, which fortunately I was not forced to use (unlike soaps, shampoos, etc.). This is called maquillaphobia. I still hate the texture of soaps, but over time learned to "block out" the texture from my mind as best as I could. I would say I got over maquillaphobia through having to stock cosmetics when I worked as a stocker at a grocery store. I don't think I could ever wear makeup due to the texture, but I can usually be near the products without feeling disgust. For clarity, I've never had an issue with makeup on people's faces.

So, I would say I have vehophobia, dromophobia, social phobia, and POSSIBLY (I'm not qualified to know) agoraphobia. And, that in the past, I also had ablutophobia and maquillaphobia. Some elements of those two fears remain for me, but I would not say that they have not been phobia-level in a long time.

Fear of driving on freeways.

I’m afraid of getting murdered or my family being murdered

I think abt ppl breaking into my house and killing everyone but me a lot and it scares me but I scare myself most idk what I’d do without my parents and my thoughts get worse everyday.

Being not able to support myself if my mom dies.

I can't pass interviews but it has not affected my life, since I have a job from my mom and cousin without an interview. I might have level 1 autism, Asperger's test site said I have that but that is no longer an official diagnosis. Anyway, I completely fail interviews, nearly all social skills, and soft skills. I think soft skills are unlearnable for me. I don't know why some people think they can be taught to everyone. Also, I am not emotionally intelligent. I don't know why people think that can be taught also. I also can't public speak. I did not want to live in the USA, drive and get a driver's license but, the usa Immigration officers did not listen to me, also the police and my dad, I tried numerous times to not get a permanent resident card, and a driver's license and was not listened to. I also tried to give them back tons of times , and get neighbors I did not know to call the police. Anyway, I can't drive at all, but drove since they didn't listen to me, had 1 major accident , my car was in th middle of the road near a pharmacy, nearly died other times to. I'm not going to explain in detail, but the police ignored me, and also forced me to have a driver's license and permanent resident card. It was insane, everyone and me nearly died too many times . Anyway, so now, with videos everywhere, showing some police are racist and some just injure people for no reason. Like I said I can't public speak but they passed me in college and university anyway. I did horrific but they passed me. I never cared about going to college or university , or being in the USA or driving. I got citizenship, and I was not about nearly dying so many times, driving , when I can't and did not care to, and did not care about university either. My reaction time is in the 4th percentile, I found out many years after and my aim trainer score was in the 13th percentile.

I have suffer from agoraphobia for more than 10 years. When I was a teen I thought I had fear of certain places so I stop going to does places. Then I keep adding places to the list and then I stayed 3 years at home. And one day I stopped leaving my room. This is when I started cognitve therapy and anxiety meds. I started going out but I felt I could only do it because of the meds. With time they stop working and I would take more. I would have to pull over to sleep on my car. I dont really remember much about that period of my life. Then I stopped taking them and I started to avoid places now im back inside and I still have panic attack. I have waisted all my life cause of this and it seems I will waist what is left.

I don't know why, but I've eternally had the fear that someone's always watching me. For years now I've been unable to get this thought out of my head. BPD and DID don't help, but rest assured that I've been working through it.

And hey, I say to anyone struggling with BPD related anxiety, you can do it buddy!

TW,, Sexual Assault

I was sexually assaulted on a train 4 years ago, now I have a fear of interacting with men. It's difficult to make friends because of it, and they think i'm just being petty but it runs much deeper. I can't be in the same room alone with a man and the idea of being intimate with one makes me sick. I can talk to men online and in large groups of people but i get incredibly bad anxiety when in close proximity.

The only person I can be around who are men are family members, I don't know what to do :(