Scared of "trivial, everyday" things

[Moonstruck]

Does anyone else share this irrational, stupid, inconvenient anxiety? It doesn't happen all the time but when it does I cannot explain it or know what to do, to get rid of it. It will sound comical, laughable when I tell you but that's OK...it sounds funny to me also. I will start by saying there are certain situations I am active in, at which I exel, where the majority of folk would be terrified. I am brilliant there...and yet scared of this "little stuff" .

For months I was frightened of going to a different petrol station nearby. Prices went sky high at most places in my town, and this one was cheaper, popular, accessible and an obvious choice and for months I put off going there...because I was scared of it. Which bowser should I pull up at? Which buttons do I push to key in the dollars I want?. What if there is a big queue?...so I eventually had to ask a neighbour (who is familiar with anxiety problems) to go with me, just to sit beside me and quietly tell me what to do. Otherwise I would never have "mastered the petrol station"!

Yesterday i bought a new vacuum cleaner. It was a good price, I am pleased with it, I want to use it asap and need to use it. I look forward to using it. I am scared to get it out of the box. What if I can't understand the instructions in the manual? It's different from my last one. see how stupid it sounds? I am scared of my vacuum cleaner!!!!

and yet if you could see what I achieved just recently in a specialised field...you would be amazed at my competency and confidence!!!

WHY am I scared of these trivial everyday things? God knows how long it will take for me to begin assembling that vacuum cleaner which I know, logically, I am intelligent enough to figure out!! So why am I procrastinating about it?

What is wrong with me? Who could help me? Any suggestions or thoughts would be very welcome......have a nice day..... Moonstruck.

[quirkywords]

Hi Moon,

I understand you and I wish you would not be so hard on yourself.

People I know all have fears about things I cope with and vice versa,

I am no good at changes and recently when my flight was cance.led I nearly cried and wanted to go into a corner. I felt so childish.

i know a woman who is afraid of pieces of paper, another is afraid of jelly..

Moon you are fine and you will get through it.

Quirky

[ks1993]

Okay I'm ridiculously late to the party, but as soon as I read this thread I had to contribute, because it resonated so much with me!

I've always found it so peculiar how anxiety can make us so frightened of inherently non-threatening things.

Here's a list of irrational, everyday things I get anxious about/scared of:

- ANY phone call - For example, calling the vet to ask a question after my dog had surgery. I was worried they'd think I'm overthinking/worrying too much and that I'd be annoying them, when in reality, I'd paid for the service (a pretty penny at that...) and it's literally their job! It makes me laugh in hindsight.

- Going to a new place - For example, a new shopping centre. I know it will be busy, overwhelming, where will I park? Where is the entrance? Will people notice that I look lost?

- By the same token, going to a place too regularly - What will the people working at the supermarket think of me if I'm there more than once a week? Do they think I'm weird?!

- Social situations with new people - Will I make a fool of myself? What will they think of me? What do I talk about with people I've never met?! (Pretty common with anxiety though I think)

- Going to work - What if something happens today that I can't cope with? What if I make a mistake and my boss thinks I'm incompetent and inadequate?

- Looking at university assignment grades - I know I failed, I can't look at it because that will make it real.. then when I finally get the balls to open it, heart racing... I've gotten a great mark!

Our minds are untamed beasts sometimes, but it's nice to be able to laugh at the adventures they take us on!

:)

[Moonstruck]

Oh ks1993.....I could have written that myself!! I relate 100%. Telephone calls....so scary. And yes I do see the stupidity in it, when I am the Customer, Client or whatever who is PAYING THEM MONEY.....I can ring them up WHENEVER I LIKE.... "is now a bad time? I am so so sorry for daring to telephone you"...what an idiot I can be at these times!

oh yes, new supermarkets, different petrol stations (there are only 2 in my town I am brave enough go to..and it took time to pluck up courage to go to the second one..) I virtually had no choice because they have the cheapest petrol in the whole city!

Yes it does sound hilarious when we relate it back. e.g. now you have given me something else to be scared of....perhaps I AM going to my regular supermarket too often??? perhaps the check out girls think I'm stupid!

"where will I park?"...yes I do all that...you are not alone...never lose your sense of humour!

[quirkywords]

Ks1993

i too agree with most of your post.

I surprise myself with new things I find hard.

I worry about timetables for bus and train as they change.

I don’t like opening up a new packet or new food .

little things , I procrastinate a lot especially with phone calls.

Quirky

[GregtheEgg]

Moonstruck & ks199

This thread resonated with me so much as well. It's really comforting to know that other people have weird, irrational fears that they know are irrational, but still have anxiety over regardless.

I think you were very brave reaching out to someone. It's hard to do at the best of times, and doing it for something that you know/feel is irrational must've been so much harder.

I'm not sure about you, but I've always been hard on myself. I feel I need to do things right on the first try or I am a failure. For me I think these feelings of not being good enough and having no control over anything have led to beginning of my irrational fears. Whether this correlation is legit or not, I don't know, but I hope it helps you reframe your situation, or alternatively is so off that you can cross it off your list.

In solidarity, here are a few of my irrational fears:

- Any time I go out for a meal I get anxious about what the waitresses/waiters think of my order. I think about it days later too. I've been a waitress and know that they don't care but I get anxious days later.

- What people think about the way I walk on stairs, not anywhere else just stairs!

- I get so anxious that the weekly work meeting will be about all the things I am doing wrong but is said in such a way that I am the only one who doesn't understand that it is about me.

[Moonstruck]

How's this for irrational and silly? For weeks now I have been procrastinating about trying to alter the 'screen display" thing on my dvd player. (which is connected to my TV)

some dvd s have the black strip top and bottom instead of filling the full screen which annoys the hell outta me.

I am scared if I get into the screen set up thing....I won't be able to get out of it (whether I get the result I want or not). I'm scared to touch the buttons...what if I push the wrong one? I will never have any TV programs or dvd s to watch ever again!!!

[CMF]

Well I'll join you Moon. I watch Netflix on my tv via my laptop. It does not fill the whole screen. M's son saw it and told me i could fix it in settings. I told him NO! Just leave it. Well next time he saw it he just changed it. No questions, no arguments and it worked great. So I'm hearing you, I totally get it.

Luv ya

CMF x

[Moonstruck]

Hi CMF...yeah it doesn't faze younger people at all does it? and I'm not THAT ancient...but they just go click click, let's try this...Nuh,let's try this one...there ya go!!

I wonder why this digital tech age is so scary to some older folk like me (I am not unintelligent, just fearful but then that's just my anxiety I guess)....is it because overall, the whole concept is just so "New"?

I mean, most of us were already adults when the Internet etc began...whereas devices were around when our kids/grandkids were babies......glad someone understands....x

[quirkywords]

Moon

o you recall when the crockpots slow cookers first come out and we rushed home to make sure the house was not on fire because we had left the crockpot on all day. My mum did rush home and we were all worried!!

Maybe everyone approaches a new gadget differently.

New things take time to adjust to.

When trains first were used, there were dire predictions it would be then of civilisation as it was unnatural.

Trains are now old school.

Quirky

[Paw Prints]

Hello Quirky & all,

When it comes to tech things I think one big difference for us older folk is ..... when we grew up things took much longer to do & if we stuffed something up it usually stayed stuffed.....or would take a long time to fix.....or would need to be sent off for repair costing time & money.

The younger ones have grown up with being able to & knowing how to .... reset..... back up .....download a patch.....access help online etc. All they know is a digital world so they don't need to unlearn the old way of doing things like we do.

Paws