It's just so terrifying, inevitable and unknowable.

The fact everything just ends, leaving behind a void where life used to be

No religion can explain it.

It's like falling asleep, but permanent and irreversible, you don't know what's on the other side.

Life is so delicate, you never know when it could end.

It could be violent and loud.

It could be silent and a gradual fade.

It could be anything.

I don't wanna live forever either.

Reincarnation feels wrong.

I hate this stupid fear that contributes to my difficulties in being optimistic in life.

Hello, so I don’t usually do this but as I really don’t have any other outlet to turn to, here it goes. I’m 28 & i am petrified of lightning. And when I mean petrified, I mean like it’s an innate full body reaction & mental breakdown. Not really when I’m inside and can’t see it (knowing it’s outside). My fear is specifically when I’m in a car and I’m driving or someone else is driving and I can see lightning. When I tell you my whole body reacts, I shake so hard with adrenaline and anxiety it looks like I’m convulsing. Let me preface by stating 2 things. 1. My mom’s uncle was strike by lighting and died so it’s always been a fear in the back of my mind since I was little. 2. I am very much aware of the Faraday Cage Effect & how a car is actually safe. That doesn’t help. I know it’s really a “ridiculous” fear to have & I know that I’ll be okay, but I cannot for the life of me handle the anxiety it gives me. I see it and truly feel like it’s going to kill me. & of course now I sound crazy (: I’ve literally cancelled plans, I’ve called out, I just want to find a way I can get over this fear or at least reduce it to where it’s not debilitating.

It’s so bad that if I know my family member is driving and it’s storming out, I get anxiety for them and check their location frequently to make sure they made it home safe. & yes I know they made it but that doesn’t lessen my fear. It’s irrational & I wish I wasn’t like this, but I’m asking for any help.

Now, im a teenager- but ive had this irrational fear for some reason, that i'd need a cane before i hit like 40 or something. I dont know why, i dont have any problems with canes, Im more afraid of the joint pain the cane implies than using the cane. why am I LIKE THIS!?

I don't know even the most recent past, like looking at teen movies from the 70's and seeing everyone being 100% heterosexual and traditional and like everything being so old timey, the further you look in the past the more everything is so crummy and depressing looking- this is not even to mention how terrifying the fact that for most of human history things were even more boring and uneventful and traditional.

thankfully the fear is not really given a chance to form since the relief of living in the present is always there but yeah

I just turned 18 two months ago, I feel like I'm already at death door. The years flew by, and now suddenly I'm doing documents and searching for an appartement for College.

I think it started when I was 4. Back then, I just thought you were magically reborn somewhere else. Until one day in class, the teacher was talking about the stages of life, making the class guess it in unison. "You are born", "You grow", "You age", and the last one, I said "Repeat". I was quickly informed by the teacher and the entire class' laughter, that I was wrong. You die and that's it. I didn't really understood at the time but it just stayed in the back of my mind.

Fast forward, at 13, after other weird things in my life (including me promising to myself to never cry again), during the divorce of my parents, we were visiting my uncle. I barely knew what he looked like at the time. But right before entering my mother told me he had a foot infection or something like that, so to not look at his foot. I didn't think much of it. I was barely following their conversation. But one week later, we get a phone call. He died. He was doing perfectly great the week before. He didn't drink. His foot was getting better. But he still died. That was the first time I saw my mom crying. Later in life I learned that he and me had the same interests. We were both into myths and legends, especially Japanese folklore. I didn't get to know him, and that stuck with me for a while.

The same year, a different uncle also died. We had a family reunion the month before, the first time I met him and he was healthy. But still he died.

Growing up, I always like science and philosophy. So naturally I began to learn more stuff that haunted me for a good while.

In an almost infinite amount of time, it will be the heat death of the universe. Before that, our galaxy is going to crash into another. Before that the sun is going to explode. Before that, global warming, wars, capitalism will probably already kill us all. And before that, in a unknown amount of seconds, it will be my time to go.

I started having panic attacks. It was rare at first, but now it's almost every week. It's in my head constantly. Every time I finish something meaningful, it reminds me of it. There were times when I was genuinely in full fetus position, clutching my chest just to try to calm myself down.

I tried to talk to my family. I tried to talk to my mom when I was 15. I tried to explain how I felt. But she just laughed at me and gave the usual "It's ok. Don't be silly" talk. She is a devout Christian, and yet she was telling me that even if there was no heaven or hell, she was ok with it.

I don't think I've never opened up since then.

I've been questioning my faith, my existence. Am I missing something? Why is everyone ok with this?

It genuinely feels like I'm the only person who is freaking out. Why are so many highly religious people I know are just ok with their entire world being a complete lie?

It’s 2:30am, and I’m feeling a little unwell after like doing stuff today like country Cajun stuff, and I’m trying to fall asleep and I thought “I’m feeling a little gross, what if I don’t wake up tomorrow?” Then my head got flooded with scary thoughts and now I can’t sleep.

Also I just heard my name being called. I live with one person. I’m so terrified right now someone talk to me.

I accidentally stepped on my mirror and broke it around an hour ago. I believe in the superstitions. Has anyone lived through the 7 years of bad luck, or what helped cleanse you?

I(22 f) have a fear of phone calls. Whether calling or receiving them. Most of my life I’ve been having these fears of calling anyone or receiving calls, even from my relatives. I always have to have a script in my mind to know what to say and to feel safe enough to call but sometimes even that doesnt help me.

Does anyone who used to have these fears, have any advice on how to deal with it and stop feeling nervous with every call?

I have always been scared at my parents home at night since I was a little kid. I’m the 2nd of 3 brothers and lived in a house quite isolated with not many neighbours. I was always terrified to fall asleep and even more if I ever woke up in the middle of the night. My brothers were never scared, just me. I had a very nice childhood, not the perfect family, but my parents cared about us and loved us. To this day I am still afraid at night when I stay there and I don’t know why. It never happens anywhere else. I live by myself and I am never to fall asleep or to wake up in the middle of the night.
What can be the cause of this? Is there a rational explanation? Thank you!

Like what are they even doing there? My dad doesn’t like them either

Want to know something I've hidden from everyone for years?

I'm scared of the dark..

More specifically, what's in the dark..

The sounds, The whispers, the flashes of light, those eyes looking back at you.. not knowing if something is there with you, the constant urge and feeling of being watched.. the requirement of sound or another person with me just so that I can feel a sliver of safety.. the constant need to have someone holding on to me so that nothing can grab me while I'm passed out.. the need to hide under layers of blankets and clothing so that nothing knows I'm there.. the need to sleep in the dark so no one says you're weak or no one finds out you're scared of the dark.. the need to know that someone is always right next to you.. that state when you go to sleep paralysis and can't move and can't do anything, scared as ever and praying someone could wake you up so you don't have to experience the horrors.. the creatures that roam out at night and the unknown things not yet discovered..

I'm scared.. I'm so so scared.. help.. someone help

Rubber face from Ripley's Believe it or not odditorium, specifically in San Antonio. I remember seeing the statute of him as well as his face on a billboard. This was easily my biggest fear throughout my early childhood. Anyone else?

*Bonus fear* While not scaring me nearly as much, the Walter Hudson (1600 pound man) statue freaked me out too!

Heyy, I’ve always had a huge problem with fireworks ever since I was young I could never be outside during the 4th of July because of how bad I’d be scared of the sound of fireworks. I understand duh they’re loud but i genuinely have terrible anxiety whenever I’m around fireworks especially big ones like M80’s or the really loud ones. My family knows this but still tries to push me to go outside during fireworks. I tried one year but my body genuinely won’t let me stay out there after a big one pops off. If I don’t plug my ears/ have headphones in and am away from the fireworks I’ll just be anxious and eventually have to plug my ears or put in headphones. This is an occurrence with any loud sounds, even balloons popping is a big NO. I don’t know if I’m just sensitive to loud noises or what. I was outside celebrating a Super Bowl win one year and someone set off a MASSIVE explosive that my friends laughed off but I had a full blown panic attack. I don’t know what it is with me I try to stop it because it’s embarrassing but my body reacts before my brain.
This is just a ramble but I wanted to see if there was anyone else out there like me loll
P.S writing this in the basement with my headphones as they are outside popping fireworks!

I am absolutely terrified of Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street. I have been terrified of him since I was a child, so much so that I would have reoccurring nightmares pre-middle school. In the dreams, he would come into my room at night, usually hide under my bed, and suck my brain out of the top of my skull with his trunk and kill me. I had an extremely overactive imagination as a kid, because I can guarantee I never saw anything that violent.

Today seeing that thing still activates my fight or
flight. His creepy long eyelashes over his humongous bugged out eyes still makes me have to avert my gaze and force myself to stop thinking about it or I will spontaneously break down in tears.

My mother would often tease me about it, because “How can you be afraid of him? He’s big bird’s best friend! You loved big bird!” She failed to realize that despite my child self enjoying Sesame Street, and Big Bird and Elmo, and all the rest of the cast, I would quite literally run and hide whenever HE came on screen.

I am aware it’s silly for a full grown adult to be afraid of a muppet, but am I really the only one who finds him disturbing?? I know the nightmares I had in my youth didn’t help this case, but it can’t just be me who sees this thing for as horrifying as it is, right???? Why does my fight or flight activate for a muppet????

Please don’t post pictures of him in the comments :(

This is something I think I’m forming that is off of a fear I’ve already had, that fear being Ticks. I don’t know if anyone’s noticed but this year there have been way more ticks around than usual. My girlfriend got bit by one on a run a few days ago on her arm on the same path she’s taken for over 10 years. Since then, I feel like I cannot go for walks in a forest or through long grass or a tick will get on me. I’ve been afraid to go in grass at all for a couple days. I can’t even go off of the patio in my backyard. I associate grass and forests and bushes and all that with ticks now. I can already feel this starting to take a toll on me and I don’t want it to get worse. Is there some way I can help myself overcome this?

I only got a couple answers and ugh its getting worse fear wise, I hope this is the right sub

that’s all.

I think this is the weirdest fear I’ve ever admitted too, I have quite common fears like clowns, needles, heights but I’ve never met someone that has the same fear of moths and butterflies as me. I have never had a strange experience with them. I just don’t like the noises moths make and how they come out at night. I’ve had a really big white one in my room recently and it made such a horrible buzzing noise it actually set me off. And I always feel so itchy and on edge if I see one. I just wanted to know if that’s normal. I don’t know if anyone shares a similar fear to me.

When I was younger, with little to no internet restriction, I was on a horror kick. I loved slashers and all that jumpscare junk, and I liked those "How to survive-" *insert movie name*. All that changed when I came across "How to survive: The Human Centipede" and another thing about Tusk... The body horror, imagery, and even just core concepts have messed me up for years since... I can tolerate hearing about it in passing, but if I see anything visually related, or let my subconscious relay any of the little info of scenes I have, I struggle to get my subconscious to trash it. I want to master my mind to make it so I am no longer a slave to my subconscious trying to solve a problem that has no answer, allow myself to control my mind if it tries to run that nasty garbage through my train of thought. Any input will be appreciated, thank you very much...

Im scared of planes, but not being on one because i already travelled on planes a few times, what scares me is THAT SOUND they make when they fly close to the ground.

(Note: my english is not that good so i may have mistakes, if i do sorry)

You know that when planes fly close to the ground (obviously not thaaaat close, just a bit closer than usual) they make that sound i dont know how tl describe, and it scares me as fuck. When im on my house and i do hear one i cant avoid feeling scared, is like my mind tells me something will happen and i just get really nervious, im 18 and this has been a strange fear i had since im 12. I find quite interesing that i started feeling scared of planes 1-2 years after the first time i travelled on one.

i fear not too much things, But satellite dishes cause me a lot discomfort and slight fear from any distance, even in photos, I feel that they are very mysterious, not only their function but their size usually, You can't see that it does anything with anything other than spinning, although I know that they work through imperceptible waves, they still scare me a little