What's the fear you conquered?

[AndImSinging]

Being afraid of elevators.

 

[Charmonium]

Fear of death. I mean, I'm not looking forward to it obviously and I deserve precisely zero credit for that.

Psych meds are you friend. Just be sure to get a good shrink

 

[pete6032]

I started posting in P&N occasionally even though I was skerd to do it at first.

 

[BoomerD]

About the only fear I have...other than my wife...is heights.
I can fly in planes or helicopters, I've parachuted out of quite a few...I can stand on top of a building or cliff and look over the edge no problem...but walking on the structural iron or the top of a wall? Nope.
Can't really do the "zoom boom" types of manlifts...and getting in a manbasket on a crane hook is a big NOPE!

 

[biostud]

Speaking in front of a crowd.

 

[stargazr]

The one I did not conquer is snakes. I used to do a lot of hiking, often along streams so would see them from time to time. That unexpected siting really jolts my nervous system. Sometimes you can't see the whole thing in leaves or whatever as they move

 

[lxskllr]

None, I just try to work through it. Like Boomer, I REALLY hate walking steel. I've been over 100' in a tree on ropes, and it doesn't bother me, but walking laterally 25' off the ground, really weirds me out, even when I'm clipped off. Just thinking about it causes my hands to hurt. Just have to suck it up and do it; try to think happy thoughts...

 

[brianmanahan]

i never do anything that i'm afraid of

i figure that's what fear is for, to stop me from doing what i'm not supposed to do

 

[Muadib]

None. I'm still deathly afraid of rats, and deep water.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Not a lot of stuff scares me, but I am deathly afraid of spider webs, I don't know why but it's a weird phobia I've had since I was a little kid. When I'm walking in the bush I usually carry a stick with me just to clear any webs that may be in front of me as I'm walking. My crawlspace tends to get spider webs too so I'll use the broom to clear them before I go further in to get something. I've only ran into a big cob web once and I screamed like a little girl. I actually still can picture it in my head and get shivers even to this day. The way it just tugged on me, and felt icky and was all over me.

I am slightly afraid of some power tools but I don't know if it's really a fear, more of a knowledge that this thing can really mess me up if something goes wrong. Angle grinders and table saws are on top of that list where I'm very diligent. I actually try to avoid the angle grinder unless it really is the best tool for that job.

 

[bbhaag]

I started posting in P&N occasionally even though I was skerd to do it at first.

I kind of envy you......that is the place that I cannot go.

It's like North Sentinel Island or Area 51 for me......I can only look at it from a distance.

 

[WelshBloke]

About the only fear I have...other than my wife...is heights.
I can fly in planes or helicopters, I've parachuted out of quite a few...I can stand on top of a building or cliff and look over the edge no problem...but walking on the structural iron or the top of a wall? Nope.
Can't really do the "zoom boom" types of manlifts...and getting in a manbasket on a crane hook is a big NOPE!

I get that exact thing about heights. I think that it's a visual thing where my eyes can't cope with the near and far being so close together and that kinda makes me dizzy. And then when you feel dizzy and you can't see properly in that situation....

 

[skyking]

My fears have changed with my physical capabilities.
I have grown out of shape, and my balance and ability to self-rescue is down. I know that I can get back into decent shape but I am acutely aware of my age now.
I never liked walking walls either. Now I just won't do that.
This really bothered me but I got it done last month.

The handrail pockets are right there, there was enough 2x4 for posts and I would have been OK with the 1x12 for rails.
The concrete was coming and there was just not the time to do it. It was about 8' up and a lot of ugly stuff to land on, and you had to climb to the top of a lightweight multi ladder and step off the very top of it to get on that 2x8. You can see the bullshit ladder situation through the window here. Note that it does not even get to the level of the scaffold plank.

I'm OK with ladders and manbaskets, anywhere I can take my time and tie off.
That took some time to get there.


EDIT: I am using the same scaffolding and jack setup on our home and you can bet your ass it will have a handrail installed on it and a real Q#$%^ LADDER!

 

[purbeast0]

I don't really have any fears in that sense that I had to overcome them.

I used to get anxious/nervous when flying and now I don't at all.

I was kind of scared to get SUCBA certified since I have asthma but I did research and did a dive physical so I could do it and it all went perfectly fine. Now when I dive I get a bit anxious the day prior up until I dive, but like as soon as I'm on the boat and get in the water, it's totally gone. That has also gotten a lot better as I've done more dives. I just wish I could do it more often to get more comfortable.

 

[I'dluv2]

I used to get anxious/nervous when flying and now I don't at all.

The first time I flew I was nervous as a whore in church but a friend gave me some great advice. Don't worry til you see a flight attendant panic. They know when it's time to start worrying. But the one I can't get past is heights. For some reason flying is different. Go into a tall building is ok til someone says " come over here and check out this view." F that. Went to the Grand Canyon and the wife walks to the edge that has a gorgeous view. She tells me get over here and look at this view. F that. I can see fine from 40 feet back.

 

[I'dluv2]

Like this video my sphincter slammed shut just opening this video up.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I get thrill at heights and like stuff like high towers or rollercoasters etc, but as I get older I also have a respect for it. I probably wouldn't want to walk a wall either. One slip and fall and you have a life changing injury or even death, if you land on rebar sticking out or something and get impaled. Tower climbing actually looks like fun, provided you have climbing gear. I would not want to free hand.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Speaking in front of a crowd.

Gave a presentation in front of a bunch of C programmers.

Had really bland presentation slides.

But I focused on what I wanted to say and kinda blanked everything out.

Froze for a few seconds and forgot what to say when I saw a bunch of guys whispering into each other's ears and smirking (probably about me). My professor just stared at me weird, like thinking, so?????

I regained my composure and kept going.

Every one was supposed to have max 5 minutes to talk.

I went on for 15 minutes and the professor didn't interrupt me.

There was an applause at the end. Not sure if they really liked my presentation or if it was out of politeness to not want to make me feel bad, since I was one of the oldest guys there (aged 42 while most of them were 20 somethings. Few in their 30s. In fact, I suspect my professor was in his early 40s).

Few weeks later, I receive an email from my professor with the grade for my presentation.

It shocked me.



Was NOT expecting that at all.

 

[skyking]

Fear of flying and heights are really disconnected. A guy down the hangar row from me would ask me to change out light bulbs in his hangar. He had flown across the US a few times, but his feet 7' off the ground on a good ladder? Not going to happen.
The airplane becomes your frame of reference.
I have had one person onboard who had it bad, but he wanted to try. He was a chilhood friend.
I flew over to Pullman-Moscow airport in an old 172 and we talked about it a while, then off we went. I kept the wings level and climbed out and observed how he was doing.
It was not good.
I made this grand shallow turn back and the biggest pattern with shallow banks, and got him back on the ground ASAP without steep turns.
I don't know if he ever flew commercially.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I can kinda understand fear of heights, when you're high up and look down and everything below you is far, it can mess with your perspective. I think people who are afraid of heights will even get dizzy from it.

I went on this ride a few times:

https://www.canadaswonderland.com/rides-experiences/xtreme-skyflyer

My second time on it once I was done being hoisted up and ready to pull the cord I was like "what have I done, why am I here?". It's a crazy thrill though. I hope to do it again some day now that I got LASIK so I can actually see things. The last time I was at Wonderland they had to close it down because of incoming thunderstorms so totally missed my chance to try it with good vision.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I would only do thrill seeking if I were a superhero and invincible or could heal in seconds.

Heights? No.

Being in a fighter jet? No.

Being in a space fighter? No.

Being in a race car? No.

Being on a bike doing more than 60 KM/h? No.

Being near a dog? No.

Being near anything venomous? No.

Being near anything that may want to munch on me? No.

I'm not afraid of dying but dying in a horrible way? No, thanks.

 

[IronWing]

I used to be afraid to be my authentic self. Then I turned two years old and got over it. TBH, I haven’t changed much since.

 

[biostud]

Gave a presentation in front of a bunch of C programmers.

Had really bland presentation slides.

But I focused on what I wanted to say and kinda blanked everything out.

Froze for a few seconds and forgot what to say when I saw a bunch of guys whispering into each other's ears and smirking (probably about me). My professor just stared at me weird, like thinking, so?????

I regained my composure and kept going.

Every one was supposed to have max 5 minutes to talk.

I went on for 15 minutes and the professor didn't interrupt me.

There was an applause at the end. Not sure if they really liked my presentation or if it was out of politeness to not want to make me feel bad, since I was one of the oldest guys there (aged 42 while most of them were 20 somethings. Few in their 30s. In fact, I suspect my professor was in his early 40s).

Few weeks later, I receive an email from my professor with the grade for my presentation.

It shocked me.

View attachment 90162

Was NOT expecting that at all.

When I got my first job after my studies, it was as a teacher, no I had never thought before. So I just had to learn...

 

[KB]

I was afraid of rickety ladders. I got over it by buying a really good sturdy ladder.

 

[KB]

Fear of death. I mean, I'm not looking forward to it obviously and I deserve precisely zero credit for that.

Psych meds are you friend. Just be sure to get a good shrink

That's interesting that you had a fear of death so strong you needed meds. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and realize I am going to die someday and on that day I won't wake up ever again. It lasts like 15 minutes as I contemplate what nothingness would be like, then I remember I was dead for 12 billion years before my birth and will be dead for billions of years after that, so they aren't that different. Now my only fear with death is dying in a slow and painful manner and having to decide if death is better than life because of the pain.