We all have our ‘worst nightmare’ situations. It could be being buried alive, getting stuck in an elevator, or suddenly ending up face-to-face with a crocodile.
But what if some of those seemingly absurd fears actually came true in real life? How would you handle such situations?
These photos from the Fears I Never Knew I Had subreddit show just that. It’s a collection of creepy moments you likely never knew you’d come across. Many of these images involve terrifying arachnids showing themselves in unexpected places, gnarly injuries, and supposedly tranquil moments taking sudden, unpleasant left turns.
Scroll through if you’re ready to be freaked out. But proceed at your own risk.
#1 Spray Some Bug Spray On Your Eyeballs, Will Ya?
Image credits: ohgimmeabreak
#2 Always Check
Image credits: Adam-2480
Irrational fears are said to be a byproduct of both genetic and environmental factors. According to Dr. Katherina Hauner of Northwestern University, it’s a maladaptive response that affects 9% of Americans in their lifetime.
In her interview with Scientific American, she noted that such fears could develop from a frightening event where a person has no control, even if they just witnessed it.
“For instance, watching a devastating airplane crash on the news may trigger a fear of flying. That said, discerning the origin of the disorder can be difficult because people tend to do a poor job of identifying the source of their fears.”
#3 Yep, Being More Careful With Jackets Now
Image credits: Fatguy239
#4 Jeez
Image credits: GirlForAllSeasons
#5 Almost Finished My Nectarine On My Lunch Break Today And The Pit Broke Open While I Was Taking A Bite, Revealing An Ant Colony, Eggs And All
Image credits: yyasminn
#6 Accidentally Running Into Someone Holding An Open Cardboard Box And Cutting/Bruising Your Eye On The Flap
Image credits: jumboface
There’s also instructional fear acquisition, which neuroscientist Dean Burnett explained in his article on The Guardian website. It’s the kind of fear we develop after watching a horror film that leads to three sleepless nights in a row.
“Certain horror films are particularly good at this, presenting everyday things like birds as things to be feared, associations which stay with people for a long time,” Dr. Burnett explains. “The Final Destination series is particularly cruel in that it tries to make people terrified of ‘not dying.’”
#7 This
Image credits: khodor123
#8 ATM Shut Down With My Card In It
Image credits: kalensso
#9 My Gas Pedal Getting Stuck On My Floor Mat
Image credits: puddlejumpers
#10 Not Seeing Spiders On My Hoodie In The Dark And Putting It On
Image credits: mikhob
#11 Omg
Image credits: Alliieeee1
Dr. Burnett also pointed out that humans have evolved to acquire phobias, especially against predators. He mentioned studies showing that primates develop a fear of snakes much quicker than other stimuli.
“If you’re evolving in an environment where snakes are a genuine but subtle threat, this tendency would help no doubt. It might explain the spider thing (arachnophobia) too.”
#12 Scorpion Tangerine
Image credits: MemeDealer0428
According to Dr. Burnett, sufferers of irrational fears and phobias are fully aware of what they’re dealing with. And because it involves multiple brain regions, the condition becomes more complex to handle.
“You can’t simply make someone encounter the thing they’re afraid of to show them it’s harmless,” he explained. “As far as the brain is concerned, the fear response IS a negative physical consequence, so on a subconscious level, the phobia is self-fulfilling.”
#13 So, I Found A Piece Of Blender Blade In My Coffee This Afternoon
Image credits: khodor123
#14 Had To Use Tweezers To Yank This Guy Out Of My Belly Button. I Live In Central New Jersey
Image credits: ZellaIsTheBaby1975
#15 A Fear Of Eating Too Hard
I dislocated my jaw... While eating cereal.
Image credits: Serious-Booty
Research suggests that irrational fears may feed underlying anxiety. Some of the disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder.
The research also pointed out that these anxieties usually pose little to zero threat to the person. It states, “Many people living with anxiety know their fears are irrational, but certain thoughts and situations still set off a flight, fight, or freeze response.”
#16 Leaving A Mirror Next To A Window And Accidentally Burning Your House Down
Image credits: PennyBiscuit
#17 Finding A Cockroach In My Pistachio
Image credits: PolyklietosOfAthens
Outside the common phobias are some rare, weird ones you likely haven’t heard of. One example is arachibutyrophobia, the fear of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of one’s mouth.
Nomophobia is a fear of not having your mobile phone on you. Developed at the dawn of the digital age, it’s a phobia that 66% of the world’s population suffers from.
#18 A Spider In My VR Helmet
Image credits: Serious-Booty
#19 Little Dude Appeared While I Was Trying To Use The Toilet
Image credits: zgold2192
Money may be a necessity for many people, but some actually fear it. This condition is called plutophobia, and people who suffer from it either fear wealthy people or fear becoming rich themselves.
Optophobia is a fear of opening one’s eyes, and it can be crippling. People who suffer from it cannot live normal lives and would rather spend most of their days indoors or in a dimly lit area.
#20 Roof Of The Az Alkmaar Stadium Collapsed Due To Heavy Wind
Image credits: mcraneschair
People who fear balloons suffer from globophobia. Their fear levels vary, but it commonly manifests among children during birthday parties.
If you fear long words, you may have hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. Otherwise known as sesquipedalophobia, it is common among people with dyslexia and those who don’t enjoy reading out loud.
#21 Walked Through A Fly Strip This Morning... Spent An Hour Shampooing Glue And Fly Guts Out Of My Hair
Image credits: Moses2SandyKoufax
#22 So This Fear Came Into My Life, Stabbed Me And Mugged Me. Is There A Way That I Can Get Over My Fear Of Submechaniphobia? It’s Not Like Any Other Fear
Image credits: Sushi-Bucket
#23 Helicopter Chainsaw
Image credits: Hygena-Pet-Scooper
#24 Oh God
Image credits: effexx1
#25 Somehow Getting Caught In This Situation
Image credits: tonywong21
So what is the best way to combat irrational fears? Dr. Hauner suggests exposure therapy, a form of cognitive behavior therapy deemed the most effective treatment for anxieties and phobias.
“During exposure therapy, a person engages with the particular fear to help diminish and ultimately overcome it over time. An individual might, for example, look at a photograph of the dreaded object or become immersed in the situation he or she loathes.”
#26 Being Trapped In A Job
Image credits: savage0ne1
#27 Nightmare Fuel
Image credits: kittyasaurus
How about you, dear pandas? What are some of your irrational fears? Share them in the comments!
