The Mighty ran this absolutely fascinating list of 27 of the “weirdest” anxiety triggers which impact members of their community. The list was intriguing, if only for the breadth of seemingly minor things which can negatively impact someone. Examples included:
- Not knowing where a bathroom is
- Car headlights
- The Mailbox
- Power Outlets
These are interesting. Some of these fears are more common, some less so, but they all seem “weird” enough to the owner that they were willing to share them with complete strangers on the internet.
I don’t know this for certain, but I’d be willing to bet that all of these fears are also a source of shame for the owner. Shame that they’d be embarrassed if anyone found out. That’s how I felt, certainly. For the longest time, I had a “weird” and unexplainable phobia about going on mass transportation – bus, plane, train, whatever. If I wasn’t in control of the vehicle, I was terrified, to the point of a full blown anxiety attack. It wasn’t a fear of death or crashing, I don’t think. I think it was a matter of not being in control of the vehicle, of being stuck somewhere with no way off.
I’m lucky and I was able to get this “weird” fear under control, and while new ones have popped up, this one was put to bed. It took a good chunk of work and therapy, but yeah, eventually I got there.
That being said, if you, dear reader, have some sort of anxiety issue, chances are good that you know exactly what I am discussing when I say that these fears are a periodic source of shame and self-loathing. You feel like such a damn idiot for having such a ridiculous fear of something which the vast majority of people can endure with absolutely zero problem. Why does this fear trigger you so?
What’s the answer? That one is above my paygrade. Some fears are minor things that you can handle, and sometimes they disappear on their own. Others are more serious, rehabilitating issues which require therapy in order to be able to lead a full and productive life.
I do know this one: Don’t beat yourself up over whatever your fear is. You didn’t ask for it, you don’t deserve it, and anxiety doesn’t make you any weaker. If you don’t hate yourself for your random depression or anxiety issues (and you shouldn’t), you don’t need to hate yourself for a phobia.
These “weird” anxieties can crop up for a variety of reasons, everything from negative experiences to trauma. That being said, you don’t have to hate yourself for them. Whatever you fear is, let it go. Self-hatred and anger only supercharges the problem by giving your fuel to burn on.
If you want to share your random anxiety, please leave it below. As always, we welcome your thoughts and opinions!
Mike Schlossberg - Author 