You might not realize it, but some of your most everyday items could be the exact source of someone else’s very real fear.
When being scared becomes the scary part
The thing with phobophobia is that it’s not a fear of spiders or heights. It’s not even something you can point at. No, phobophobia is the fear of fear itself, and it usually starts when someone notices their heart speeding up. They’ll immediately panic about what comes next.
They fear the sweating and dizziness, as well as losing control, maybe having another panic attack. That kind of worry can start feeding itself. It’s usually fear of a frightening episode from the past that makes people fear it happening again. They’re scared of getting scared, as weird as that sounds.
A walk in the woods feels very different
Most people would think a quiet walk in the forest sounds peaceful. But for people with hylophobia, it’s anything but, as they’re afraid of forests and heavily wooded places. They get afraid of walking somewhere surrounded by trunks or branches.
Any kind of limited view can bring on their anxiety, and it’s often caused by an earlier bad experience. Maybe they got lost before, or maybe they were frightened in the woods, whatever. A perfectly normal hiking trail is enough to make some people scared.
One color can be enough
Red is one of those colors that gets a lot of attention, and someone with erythrophobia will react more strongly than most. People with this phobia tend to fear or completely avoid the color red. There are even those who fear blushing, too.
Those with a fear of blushing get terrified that their face will turn red in front of other people. Funnily enough, worrying about blushing can make the blushing more likely. The fear of experiencing another embarrassing social moment can continue long after the actual incident has been forgotten.
Birthday parties aren’t always easy
You might not think that a balloon floating across a room looks very threatening. People with globophobia do, though. They fear the sudden bang that happens when a balloon pops. Most people with this phobia experience it after a balloon burst around them during childhood.Â
It makes them feel anxious when they just see one. It’s even worse when the balloons look overinflated or like somebody was squeezing them, as they’re especially loud. Parties start to get real awkward, real fast for these people.
Even looking can be uncomfortable
The majority of people aren’t really thinking of belly buttons, and people with omphalophobia feel the same way. It’s when belly buttons come out that they have a problem. Yes, these people hate seeing navels and touching them, along with having their own touched.
Just imagining their belly button being touched is enough to set some of them off. There isn’t one established cause for why people have it, and most doctors would treat a severe case of omphalophobia like other big phobias.
Hands aren’t harmless to everyone
Chirophobia is a fear of hands, and that can involve a fear of other people’s hands or the person’s own hands. It may also be particular situations involving them, too. There isn’t a huge amount of research that’s specifically devoted to chirophobia, so the details can vary quite a bit.
But it’s likely that having a bad experience with hands plays a part. It’s more obvious a problem than you realize, if you think about it. Our hands are everywhere, and avoiding a trigger completely would be nearly impossible. Just a handshake may be something stressful.
An everyday routine becomes frightening
Ablutophobia makes one of the most ordinary routines of the day feel genuinely threatening. It’s a fear of bathing, showering, washing, or cleaning. No, it’s not the same feeling as putting off a shower because you’re tired.Â
People with ablutophobia feel intense anxiety before getting into the bath, or maybe even while they’re thinking about washing later. It’s more common among children than adults. Still, you can probably imagine the kind of serious hygiene problems a fear like this can cause.
The food itself feels dangerous
Lunch is more like a risk assessment than an enjoyable meal for people with cibophobia. It’s not because they’re picky eaters. No, people with this phobia might fixate on expiration dates or whether the meat was cooked enough.Â
They’ll stress over who prepared the meal and the chance of getting sick afterward. These people have a fear of food poisoning, and sometimes vomiting, too. Going untreated means their list of food fears grows, while the list of ‘safe’ foods gets shorter. It’s hard to deal with, honestly.
Bedtime brings a completely different reaction
Staying awake can actually feel safer than falling asleep, at least for someone with somniphobia. The reasons why aren’t always the same, though. One person might dread having another nightmare while someone else may fear experiencing sleep paralysis again.
There are also those who fear dying when they’re asleep. Some people are terrified of losing awareness of what’s happening around them, so they’ll do whatever they can to stay awake. Staying awake so long only makes you more exhausted. It’s a pretty rough trade.
Watching the clock can become frightening
It doesn’t matter whether they pay attention to it or not. People with chronophobia have a fear of time and time passing, so anything that reminds them of it hurts. Clocks and calendars alike are painful for them, along with any kind of countdown.
It happens more with older adults and people dealing with serious illness or trauma. Prisoners sometimes suffer from it, too, and that’s because they count their days so closely. Time becomes hard for them to ignore.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
11 rare phobias you might have without knowing
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