Laughing in the Face of Fear

I'm afraid of small spaces. Could be the trauma resulting from a cave-in of my snow tunnel when I was a kid. Or, it may be an inherited phobia from frightened ancestors. I can parachute from an airplane but don't ever, I mean ever, put me in a hole.

Unless I'm dead. Very dead.

Actually, that's a fear too. Being buried alive. Taphephobia or Taphophobia. That was a big deal in Victorian days when some, maybe, were buried alive.

Ever hear of the term, "Dead Ringer"?

Then there's water or the fear of drowning. Almost did that once too. The correct term would be Aquaphobia, which is entirely different from the fear of ocean travel. Imagine the vastness of the empty sea with virtually no horizon amid the rolling and rocking and rolling and rocking of incessant waves, with no comfort other than Tiki drinks for weeks at a time.

It may be that I'm just lucky to be alive. At this point in my life, it's a wonder I go out of the house.

Many don't.

There is the usual stuff that scares; spiders, snakes, the number 13. Numbers have always created fears for folks, like 666, 4, 8. The figure 8.

How about navels? You know, belly buttons. That's a real thing. Omphalophobia. I'm not so much afraid of mine, just what I might find in there. Or, that one day I might not find it at all.

The counter fear of my claustrophobia is Agoraphobia. The fear of open spaces, heights, the fear of going outside.

Outside, where there are all kinds of things that can get you. Trees, bees, holes(Trypophobia), things that crawl, fly, slither and otherwise torment those who find themselves out in the wild. Some people fear butterflies or the moon.

As you become reduced to a trembling, incoherent mass of Jello out there among the creatures of nature you might just become Nomophobic. That's the fear of losing..., wait for it..., mobile phone coverage.

Staying inside is not any better for those who are phobic. Being alone, cats, cancer, blood, needles, rejection, success, failure, germs, thunder/lightning, darkness, balloons, and chickens, are all there to stalk the fearful.

One of my favorites, Ergophobia. The fear of work. I like that one.

I just might have a thing about fish; Ichthyophobia. I don't seem to catch many. My wife has one about worms. That's why I always have to bait the hook. And, take off the fish. Hmm.

Then there's the one about buttons (Koumpounophobia), or the color purple (Porphyrophobia).

We as people are afraid of just about everything these days. Many Americans who survived the last few turbulent years just might be suffering from Politicophobia or Allodoxaphobia, the fear of opinions.

Afraid to wake up. Afraid to sleep, poop, take a shower. Afraid of constipation; Coprastasophobia. No problem there, except for that cheese curd weekend a while back.

There are phobias about talking to people or not talking to people.

I understand the fear of public speaking. I would be so afraid of standing before an audience that I might just throw up. But then, that's a phobia too.

There are fears of the right side (Dextrophobia) and the left, which leads to the fear of making decisions. Decidophobia.

We can fear our chins; Geniophobia, or beards.

There's stuff about almost every body part and function. Knees, navels, sex organs. Use your imagination. If you can name it, some fear it. There are phobias about having sex, or not having sex.

About men and women.

There is a fear of flying; Aviatophobia which is not the same as the Erica Jong book from the '70s, that had nothing to do with airplanes.

Lots of them about pregnancy and childbirth. My wife still won't forgive me.

I have this fear of being buried in earwax. Wonder if that's a thing.

Or, nose hair. Or losing my hair, or gaining (more) weight; Obesophobia. Those I can relate to.

I have this vision of turning into "that guy." You know, the stooped old guy with his pants unzipped and nose dripping. I'm sure there's a phobia for that.

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia. You might just have guessed it. Fear of long words.

Is there a duck watching you, right now?

There are irrational fears of dogs, cats, clowns, virtually all in the animal world.

People, the Pope; Papaphobia, religions or the lack of.

We can fear pretty much every race and ethnic group in the world. Russians, Poles, The French, Dutch, Jews, Muslims, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians.

There are some 530 recognized phobias with an infinite number still to be determined. That in itself is kind of scary.

How about Arachibutyrophobia? Ever been afraid of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth?

And then, the all-encompassing Phobophobia; the fear of having a phobia.

I noticed, there are no phobias that begin with the letter "y."

I was afraid of that.

The Phobia List

What Are Some Interesting Phobias?-Quora

40 Weird Phobias You May Not Even Know You Have