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I think I have social phobia and I'm very shy. I'm 25 and have higher education. But I have never worked (or volunteered) because of my phobia (It is also difficult to find a job in our country). My childhood was bad enough and have traumas (I have been diagnosed with depression and ocd). Now I want to be free and want to live, not just survive every day or I don't want to stick to my past. But I'm afraid to step out of my comfort zone, and I'm also afraid that my childhood memories will be triggered. I don't understand why I still can't overcome my phobia at this age and I feel so terrible, I want to die violently.

Now I read book of "Ikigai for teens" by doing the its exercises. Then I will read the book of "Feeling good" by doing its exercises.

I'm trying not to be hopeless, but I feel like as if I'm floundering in a quagmire hopelessly. I feel despondent.

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Depression and its creeping phobias

I feel incredibly guilty. I planned to visit my bestie of 35 years in Connecticut this week to see him and his new house. We haven't seen each other in almost 3 years. The day came and I talked myself out of getting on the plane. This fear happens sometimes but lately it's all the time. Not sure how this phobia links to my depression, but the real issue is I lied to my friend because I just didn't want to explain my mental paralysis, especially when it sounds so irrational. I've flown all over the world. This was a short 2 hour flight. But I couldn't do it. Now I have a week at home to lie around and hate myself for it. My suitcase still sits at the front door. I'm riddled with shame.
Thanks for allowing me to be 100% honest. Sometimes even the ones closest to me forget I have these unpredictable internal meltdowns because I'm always putting on my best life-loving positive performance, to the degree that some people actually deny I have depression (like I'm wrong about myself).

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Are you a confident person? If your confident, then this means that in the summertime you wear sandals or similar to allow your feet to breath.

You wear sandals even when there are surrounded by large crowds of people. If you never have because you stay away from crowds, then you would if the opportunity persisted. If this is a phobia of yours then try it. Go outdoors around a crowd of people wearing sandals. Bring your back up shoes such as sneakers but walk at least 1 hour per day around people in sandals/flip flops this will break the embarrassment process, and you will accept who you are as a person a bit more. Because others really don't care how your feet look, its summer and sandals and flip flops are the norm. Now if you do this in the wintertime then yes people will stare at you because that's not normal a big coat and flip flops... but try it and see if it boosts your confidence. #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #MentalHealth #Anxiety #Depression #ADHD #Autism #GAD #PTSD #BipolarDisorder #EatingDisorder #AnorexiaNervosa #bipolardisrder

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Flight anxiety #Anxiety #PanicDisorder #Claustrophobia #MentalHealth

Hi all,

I’ve posted about this before and gotten great support. I have a flight coming up on Tuesday (and the eventual return a week after). I have such a phobia of flying that I’m slowly trying to work on and have gotten great tips here before. I’m hoping for any tips, support, love and encouragement as I try to do the hard things.

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New here

My name is Crystal and I’m here for support and to find others like me. I have struggled with anxiety and depression for several years and it’s getting worse as I get older it’s like I can’t find things that comfort me any more and none of the coping skills are helping I feel like I’m going crazy I have a hard time leaving my house I have a hard time being alone I feel like a child who needs supervision all the time. I am a CNA so I care for others but it seems like I can’t care for myself anymore. I have a phobia of taking medication and I am craving to feel better but can’t convince myself to take my meds I just need help so any advise would be very much appreciated.

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Went for a neighborhood party but might have food poisoning >< :(

Hope not! I don’t think I’ve ever had it before! Maybe once, the party invite was lovely a resident/ neighbour invited people over for a spring /early summer celebration pool burgers hot dogs etc

But there was a lot of second hand smoking

🚬 I got a headache after leaving

Woke up kind of had a bad migraine I never get migraines really thankfully

Have some nausea
But I hate vomiting maybe it’s a bit of a phobia I avoid it at all costs unless I really have to. I don’t drink alcohol so that helps

And have a bit of sorry if gross lol

But a bit of diarrhea

Hope it’s not maybe it’s just random
But ah ><
Don’t wanna freak out if it is

Was a lovely invite from my friend who found out about it on a Facebook neighbourhood group page

But really hope it’s just normal and random ^^ and passes soon!

It was a family and kid friendly party

But I also don’t smoke D: I don’t like it
Too much of it gives me a headache

So that sucks everyone there smoked almost

My mom does too so I’m used to a bit of second hand smoke sadly but it’s only a few mins or seconds in the car and that’s it.

Anyways hope all goes well! Send me healing energy vibes or prayers my way if possible :) ! Appreciate it a bunch 🙏

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Creature inside my head

I live weekly sometimes daily with migraines and throbbing headaches over my right eye.. I have difficulty with retrieving words to complete my sentences. I am dizzy (vertigo) almost all the time. I live with overwhelming nausea and take antiemetics every single day. I have difficulty with walking & other motions. I make decisions almost without thinking about the consequences. I get confused easily. There’s a name for all this and more… an creature inside my head called an Arachnoidcyst or Arachnoid cyst.
Sure it sounds like something we’ve seen in a movie 🍿 once (or not at all if you have a phobia to spiders like my daughter). Whether you realize it or not (because a Doctor has dismissed it) it too may be living inside your head.
It all started with symptoms of tremors worsening (not related) and temporary paralysis on my left side of my body (again Doctor “says” it’s not related) hmmm…
My primary Neurologist (who knew the brain was so complicated that there are multiple Doctors to treat & observe it) just kidding…
Well he suspected a stroke (yikes) & ordered a brain and cervical spine MRI.
Results showed (in part) a pocket of fluid sitting on my brain as well as my pituitary gland (no biggie) I’m being sarcastic if you can’t tell. Of course I only got to read the generated data from an email with no explanation or call back (where’s the concern?) I literally was researching and typing in words I’ve never heard of before… Google define “asymmetric prominence of the right frontal extra-axial CSF space at the superolateral convexity level” (of course I had to break it down) My autocorrect couldn’t even handle me typing it in and I had to literally copy word for word to input into this sentence. Hope it made sense? It doesn’t to me but lots of things that used to be not problem for me are extremely difficult now. It must be “growing” (who is feeding this monster in my head?!?!)
To be continued (because I have lost my sense of where I’m going with all of this.. sorry not sorry) …

Oh yeah, anyone else living with a creature inside their head???

P.S. “for grins”
my actual MRI living creature in my head

#arachnoidcyst #Migraines #neurologicalsymptoms #RareDisorder #primaryarachnoidcyst #secondaryarachnoidcyst #Migraines #migraineswithaphysicalcause (not because of stress like my primary Doctor originally diagnosed) #medicalgaslighting #MedicalPtsd

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Severe covid phobia #covidphobia

I have severe terror of loss I protected my family as long as I practically could do ! Now they put themselves at risk & im still terrified and severely phobic not for me for my family ! I continue to go to extreme to protect them ! It's made me almost agoraphobic ! Let me be clear it is not OCD ! I have a diagnosis of severe covid phobia ( possibly trauma related ) I see no hope or way out of this dispute my best efforts! Cbt I've been told is not right for me & will not work ! I a million percent agree ! As I've had for anxiety over the decades many courses trialled and failed I refuse CbT !! The phobia holds validity in everything I do albeit minor risk or major risk !! The phobia is set and deeply entrenched into my being now ! My behaviours are OTT some are not ! They are done to try and remove all potential risks to family ! So that may be irrational to many but to me I feel I want to remove all risk I can ! Pple say things like everything you do holds risk ! Agreed but if you could lessen the risks and had control over them you would if you wanted to be very very cautious! Has anyone experienced #COVID19 #Phobia ? What's your story ? Or are there any psychologists on the site who would like to input feel free ! Kind Regards

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Thank God for therapists

Since Christmas, I have been struggling with BPV, a type of virtigo caused by the crystals in your inner ear getting out of whack. I have had it before, and know it can be fairly quickly resolved with an exercise called the Epley Maneuver.

HOWEVER, nothing is simple when you are dealing with multiple health conditions. My osteoporosis has led to breaking both shoulders, which limits me from leaning on my arms as required by the Epley Maneuver. I also have a fall phobia which makes the virtigo much more unpleasant.

I want the PBV to go away as soon as possible, and have no way to do so on my own. My doctor referred me to a PT, but I was sceptical they could deal with my complicated little self.

Boy, did I underestimate the skill of a good PT! Not only is she helping me through the Epley Maneuver, but she has a whole bag of tricks to help with both the virtigo and the fall phobia. Thank God for therapists!