Quirks, Phobias, and Anxieties

There is just no telling what kinds of quirks people may have. 

My mom is really bothered by messy hair (usually she manages to convince my kids to let her brush and make their hair). She has a fear of mice. Also, she really doesn’t like needles (she fainted while she was getting her ears pierced). One of my friends gets really anxious about trying new foods. My husband is a germaphobe and gets really uncomfortable when someone coughs or sneezes. 

Me – I mostly have very convenient phobias and anxieties. I am really afraid of heights. Luckily, my fear is limited to situations where I can actually fall – I am OK as long as there is a solid barrier and I am OK in airplanes. I never have to climb anything or put myself in situations where I would have to face my fear. 

When I was a kid, my mom would try to convince me to go on a giant slide (giant from a child’s perspective). Oh, the terror. She would say “it is only scary the first time! And then it’s fine!” That never made any sense to me – why would it be any less terrifying on the 2nd try?

I am afraid of going really fast downhill on a bike (once again, it’s not like I ever have to do that…), I squeeze my breaks really hard all the way down. My husband rolls his eyes and tells me I’m wearing out the breaks – ha, at least I made it down in one piece. Our middle child loves going down the hill FAST (she loves the adrenaline rush she gets from it) – I can’t watch….  

I am very cautious about movies and shows I watch (somehow books are less anxiety-inducing). I hate feeling upset by the choices made by on-screen characters. I am reluctant to watch many comedies because they make me feel bad.

Oh, speaking of comedies… I had to stop watching “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”. The amount of anxiety I was experiencing every time she was performing on stage was ridiculous. I only felt that anxious when my kids or my mom were performing during recitals – and even that wasn’t so bad because it was reasonable (they are MINE, they are not some random fictional lady), and I love them no matter what, and it only happened once every few months (instead of multiple times during TV episode).

By the way, listening to my child perform can be more terrifying than performing myself (because then I am too busy to feel anxious).

What’s your favorite personal quirk?