All About Phobias

If I had enochlophobia (the fear of crowds), my life would be very different. I wouldn't be able to do my job very well. I teach school every day, and I am around crowds everyday. If somebody had enochlophobia, would that mean that they had Social Anxiety Disorder. It would make sense that somebody that had SAD would be very pronounced in their enochlophobia. I also could never go to concerts, sporting events, or even church. All of those places rely almost exclusively on crowds. All of those places bring me a lot of joy. I probably couldn't go to amusement parks, vacations, stores, or even banks either. What type of life would I be living?

I am going to be telling myself when I write this part of my post. I am very much afraid of snakes. The only good snake is a dead snake. I was almost bitten by a snake when I was younger. I ran as fast as I could, and my face turned blue with splotches. I broke out into a cold sweat when a friend of mine brought a snake for show and tell. I started crying and had to be excused from the room. My parents took me to Reptile Gardens in Colorado (?) once, and I clung to my dad's arm and wouldn't let go the whole time. I was around 14 OR 15 YEARS OLD!!!

I am also very afraid of needles. I have a reaction to them when I see them. I hit my Pediatrician in the face once when he was trying to give me a shot! It was a pure reflex. I didn't want to get a shot, and he told it wouldn't take long. After he stuck the needle in my left arm, I punched him with my right hand. I also attacked a nurse once when I was younger. I don't give blood to this day because of my needle fear.

I also have a slight fear of water (hydrophobia) that makes my life a little difficult at times. I fear getting water in my face. I panic in the shower when I get water in my face. I have to hurry up at wipe my face before I can calm down. I don't swim or get in pools because of my water fear. If I convince myself that I can stand up in the water then I would probably be fine. Once on a church camping trip, I had my canoe capsized. I came up swinging my closed fists. I must have looked fuuny, because I was standing in water up to my knees swinging angrily. I didn't know that the water was that shallow.

I think that the strangest celebrity phobia is Carmen Electra being afraid of water. This is pretty funny, because she starred for so many years on Baywatch, a show about lifeguards. It is just strange for me to know that a lifeguard would be afraid of water. I also think Billy Bob Thornton's fear of antique furniture is interesting and a little weird.