Top 10 Tuesdays - Fears!

Check out Kate's blog where she's hosting Top 10 Tuesdays and join us!

So fears, I have a few easy ones, but coming up with 10 will be a bit of a challenge for me. Let's see where we get to.

FEARS

1. Drowning - especially in ice

I've had a long time fear of drowning ever since I was a small child. There could be a couple reasons for it. I watched a "scary" movie when I was supposed to be in bed, and a swimmer was caught under a hard cover in the pool and it was a very tense moment. I feel like it's possible the swimmer survived after all, but the fear is still there. 

Another time I was horsing around with my siblings in the pool and was being kept under as a joke, and I'm sure I wasn't close to drowning, but I started to panic, so the fear could come from that as well. 

I'm, or I was, a decent swimmer. I was on the swim team all throughout elementary school and some of high school as well and we had a in-ground pool while I was growing up. 

I'm mostly afraid of falling through ice and being trapped under it. I won't be in a vehicle driving on frozen water, even if there's tons of trucks out from the shore while their owners ice fish. I can't tolerate it. I wasn't even able to walk on ice until a couple years ago. DH thinks it's a silly fear because the ice is so thick there's no risk, so he jumps up and down to show me how solid it is. :) I'm a little easier with it now, but it's still not something I'm excited to do. 

2. Ladders

I don't mind heights so much, but I hate using ladders to get up to them! I get really shaky in the legs so I become a danger to myself. I like being in planes, no problems with tall buildings or the clear floor at the CN Tower in Toronto, but show me a ladder and I'm all shakes. 

3. Leaving the Oven On

This is a completely rational fear because I used to do it frequently. I'm mostly better, but it's something I'll check and re-check a little obsessively. That's even more likely now that DD can reach the handles for the oven, although she can't open the doors yet. 

4. Fear of Disappointing People

Like most of us, I like to be seen as competent at my work and project a friendly environment. I think I mostly succeed, but this is always in the back of my mind. 

from reactionface.info

5. Failure

I think many of us have this one too. I have it a little more now because of the new business and wanting to be sure we succeed. Things are improving and we're busier this year than last year at the same time, but again, this tends to sit in the back of my mind. 

from USA Today

6. Spiders

This is less of a fear than it used to be. I was really panicky about it in high school, but now it's more intense dislike if they're anywhere I want to be. I'm perfectly happy to leave them alone in the corner of the ceiling in the back room that we're never in and they can eat all the bugs they want, but the one over the bed needs to go outside. 

from boredpanda.com

7. Going Blind

I have a strong history of macular degeneration in my family and my grandmother is already mostly blind in one eye. I'm waiting to see if my father also gets diagnosed at some point because that will give me a good idea of my risk. It tends to run in families, but women tend to get it more than men. 

normal view

how macular degeneration affects your vision

And it tends to hit you when you're in your 50s or later, so maybe by the time I hit that age they'll have better treatments or even a cure.

I'm mostly afraid of losing my eyesight in case I won't be able to stitch any more!

That's all I can think of, so the last 3 will be random fears:

8. Black Cats

I think is something from the 1700s or so when people were afraid of witches and their familiars, which were commonly black cats. But I ask you, how can you be afraid of this face?

9. Triskaidekaphobia (#13)

Fear of the number 13 apparently arises from the 13th person at the table at The Last Supper. The 13th person was Judas, the betrayer of Jesus Christ. There is some talk that the Last Supper took place on a Friday and that's what arose the fear or superstition around Friday the 13th. However, this is a fairly recent conjunction according to Wikipedia. 

10. Fear of heights (acrophobia)

DH has this to some extent, although I don't know if it's a fear or some sort of inner ear imbalance. He tends to get really dizzy, even if he's in a place with no windows and it's difficult to tell how high up we are. 

I don't think he'd ever want to visit the CN Tower and walk on the glass walk with me. 

A fear of heights was often though to come from a conditioning experience, like a fall as a child, etc., but recent thought leans toward an evolved adaptation because falls can cause serious damage. Who knows, but it's a very common phenomenon and varies widely in how it affects people. Women tend to be more affected than men, but 2-5% of the populations suffers from some fear of heights. 

That's it for my list and I hope you enjoyed it!

Tiffstitch