Posted on May 5, 2023

People Are Sharing Phobias That Others Just Don't Understand, And It's Very Eye-Opening

"It's not really a fear per se, but I get a nails-on-a-chalkboard, skin-crawling, cringey feeling at the thought of cotton balls tearing apart. If I open up a pill bottle and it has a cotton ball in it, I need someone else to take it out, because if it catches on the rim and tears a bit, it will send shivers down my spine. Other random things trigger this feeling, such as walking across memory foam with sock feet, or ripping felt."

by Larry Fitzmaurice

BuzzFeed Staff

A man covering his face, but looking through his fingers

—u/arkiverge

—u/Fantastic_Nebula_835

—u/Aggressive-Mud-3638

A construction worker working on scaffolding

—u/twistedsister78

—u/God_of_the_Hand

—u/-LittleDove

—u/Mazemerising

—u/Kinetic_Kill_Vehicle

—u/JackPoe

—u/TheKnightsTippler

—u/Padmei

—u/FormalMango

13. "Sidonglobophobia — fear of cotton balls. It's not really a fear per se, but I get a nails-on-a-chalkboard, skin-crawling, cringey feeling at the thought of cotton balls tearing apart. If I open up a pill bottle and it has a cotton ball in it, I need someone else to take it out, because if it catches on the rim and tears a bit, it will send shivers down my spine. Other random things trigger this feeling, such as walking across memory foam with sock feet, or ripping felt."

—u/svenson_26

—u/ResponsibleTaro1759

Closeup of a dog with its head tilted to the side

—u/A40

—u/JamieAubrey

—u/andydessa

—u/draconissa223

—u/moisebucks

—u/mommawolf2

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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People Are Sharing Phobias That Others Just Don't Understand, And It's Very Eye-Opening

We all have fears that are so personal to our own experiences that, to others, they might not make any sense at all. And that's OK! It's always important to know what you're not comfortable with, as well as your own boundaries and limitations.

U/YourMomGiselle recently asked the people of Reddit, "What is your one phobia that people never understand or find weird?" Maybe some of these answers will make you feel a little less alone in your own fears:

1. "My girlfriend is terrified of butterflies. It’s 50% that they’re gigantic bugs, and the other 50% is the chaotic nature of their flight. The unpredictability of their movement really bothers her."

2. "Eating anything with a thick edged spoon. I've had it since my brain injury."

3. "As a construction worker, heights were a problem. It’s not good when you are shaking like a leaf and other people are trying to balance on the same board."

4. "Glitter. I can’t stand it on me, I get nervous when people have a fleck of it on their face, I stress at Christmastime because the shit is everywhere."

5. "Fish. Fish freak me the fuck out. I can sort of handle them in fish tanks, but if there's ever any around me at the beach, I can't do it. God forbid I touch one."

6. "Windows, specifically at night. I don't want to walk by one unless the blinds and curtains are covering it, and even then, I'll do a quick jog past it."

7. "Since I got jump-scared as a 6-year-old, I've been afraid of mirrors. It's more the fear of seeing something unexpected in the mirror, though."

8. "Jupiter. Not the Roman god, the fucking planet. A gas giant. With a core. And many satellites. It's out there. It's huge. It has hurricanes the size of our planet. And I fear it."

9. "Unless we're very, very close, do not touch me. I do not like being touched. I will freak out. If you raise your hand too fast, I'm going to flinch."

10. "Floaty balloons. I don't like the way they bob about."

11. "Yellow lighters. I was flicking mine in my pocket, and the button broke, causing it to stay lit and light my pants on fire. Won't touch the things anymore."

12. "Wind socks and wacky, waving, inflatable arm-flailing tube men."

14. "I am terrified of dogs to the core. It's so annoying when I tell people, because they're always like, 'Oh, but my dog is really sweet and wouldn't hurt anyone.' Tf you want for that? A reward? That isn't gonna change my mind."

15. "I'm phobic of facing into corners. For instance, painting the joint of two walls makes me very anxious."

16. "Buttons. I hate them; I won't wear shirts or anything with them. My mum had a jar full of random buttons when I was a kid, and it freaked me out."

17. "I can't close my eyes during shower or in a pool, because — I have no idea why — my brain thinks I'm gonna get attacked by a shark."

18. "Ladybugs. Not even gonna explain it. Iykyk. But people always laugh at me."

19. "I have horrible dentist phobia. I'm a guy that doesn't get scared easily at all, but as soon as I enter a dentist's office, I feel the worst type of anxiety ever. I'm the only one I know that suffers from this phobia. Even worse was wisdom teeth removal; I was shaking like a leaf in the wind."

20. "Fear of failure, or not being good enough. It has progressed into full-blown OCD, where I'm convinced if I make the wrong decision that my family will suffer or some strange unstoppable reaction will occur that I cannot stop. I'm pretty good at masking it unless at home. It's been difficult."

Agree? Disagree? Have your own additions? See you in the comments!

People Are Sharing Phobias That Others Just Don't Understand, And It's Very Eye-Opening

We all have fears that are so personal to our own experiences that, to others, they might not make any sense at all. And that's OK! It's always important to know what you're not comfortable with, as well as your own boundaries and limitations.

U/YourMomGiselle recently asked the people of Reddit, "What is your one phobia that people never understand or find weird?" Maybe some of these answers will make you feel a little less alone in your own fears:

1. "My girlfriend is terrified of butterflies. It’s 50% that they’re gigantic bugs, and the other 50% is the chaotic nature of their flight. The unpredictability of their movement really bothers her."

2. "Eating anything with a thick edged spoon. I've had it since my brain injury."

3. "As a construction worker, heights were a problem. It’s not good when you are shaking like a leaf and other people are trying to balance on the same board."

4. "Glitter. I can’t stand it on me, I get nervous when people have a fleck of it on their face, I stress at Christmastime because the shit is everywhere."

5. "Fish. Fish freak me the fuck out. I can sort of handle them in fish tanks, but if there's ever any around me at the beach, I can't do it. God forbid I touch one."

6. "Windows, specifically at night. I don't want to walk by one unless the blinds and curtains are covering it, and even then, I'll do a quick jog past it."

7. "Since I got jump-scared as a 6-year-old, I've been afraid of mirrors. It's more the fear of seeing something unexpected in the mirror, though."

8. "Jupiter. Not the Roman god, the fucking planet. A gas giant. With a core. And many satellites. It's out there. It's huge. It has hurricanes the size of our planet. And I fear it."

9. "Unless we're very, very close, do not touch me. I do not like being touched. I will freak out. If you raise your hand too fast, I'm going to flinch."

10. "Floaty balloons. I don't like the way they bob about."

11. "Yellow lighters. I was flicking mine in my pocket, and the button broke, causing it to stay lit and light my pants on fire. Won't touch the things anymore."

12. "Wind socks and wacky, waving, inflatable arm-flailing tube men."

14. "I am terrified of dogs to the core. It's so annoying when I tell people, because they're always like, 'Oh, but my dog is really sweet and wouldn't hurt anyone.' Tf you want for that? A reward? That isn't gonna change my mind."

15. "I'm phobic of facing into corners. For instance, painting the joint of two walls makes me very anxious."

16. "Buttons. I hate them; I won't wear shirts or anything with them. My mum had a jar full of random buttons when I was a kid, and it freaked me out."

17. "I can't close my eyes during shower or in a pool, because — I have no idea why — my brain thinks I'm gonna get attacked by a shark."

18. "Ladybugs. Not even gonna explain it. Iykyk. But people always laugh at me."

19. "I have horrible dentist phobia. I'm a guy that doesn't get scared easily at all, but as soon as I enter a dentist's office, I feel the worst type of anxiety ever. I'm the only one I know that suffers from this phobia. Even worse was wisdom teeth removal; I was shaking like a leaf in the wind."

20. "Fear of failure, or not being good enough. It has progressed into full-blown OCD, where I'm convinced if I make the wrong decision that my family will suffer or some strange unstoppable reaction will occur that I cannot stop. I'm pretty good at masking it unless at home. It's been difficult."

Agree? Disagree? Have your own additions? See you in the comments!

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