What's the fear you conquered?

[lxskllr]

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

Even good ladders kind of suck. Ladders are the devil, and just about my last choice for gaining elevation.

 

[nakedfrog]

I suppose fear of public speaking/performance, back in 7th grade when I had to read a paper in front of class, I was riddled with anxiety and shaking so much I could barely read from the paper I was holding. I took a speech class the next year, that helped a bit. Then, eventually after the first five years of performing music in public, I finally stopped shaking and sweating when I played a song. I still get anxious the first time I play a given song in public though, subsequent performances are better (except when I fuck up significantly )

 

[IronWing]

I have no fear at all of public speaking, to the point I have to pause and consider if I have something worth hearing before opening my yap. Obviously, this reservation doesn't apply to public posting.

 

[igor_kavinski]

back in 7th grade when I had to read a paper in front of class

I remember reading something for the class in 9th or 10th grade. My voice was so robotic, drone-y and monotonous that the teacher told me to sit down and gave the job to someone else. That was pretty embarrassing. I don't think my public speaking has improved that much but I would be willing to be a very animated speaker if a million dollars were on the line for delivering the speech

 

[pmv]

Now I think about it, I don't think I've conquered _any_ fears I've ever had. Either was never afraid of something to begin with or I remain as afraid of it as I ever was.

Public-speaking? Done it a number of times now, and it was usually every bit as unpleasant (and, to be honest, unsuccessful) as I expected it to be, and I still would rather not do it again. Heights? Still don't like them (and am not at all convinced that's an irrational fear).

 

[Red Squirrel]

Even good ladders kind of suck. Ladders are the devil, and just about my last choice for gaining elevation.

Using chainsaw from a ladder is where the real fun is.

Did that a few times and every time I do it I get a flash back of all the Youtube fail videos involving that. I guess as long as I'm not filming it, it's safe.

 

[IronWing]

Geometry and gravity be damned, the branch always swings into the ladder.

 

[dullard]

I'm a recovering picky eater.

I had all the typical signs of a picky eater: most food I ate was simple, all-brown colored*, and didn't have strong flavors. But over the years, I have mostly conquered this issue. I still absolutely hate anything with a strong fishy taste (growing up in the Midwest there was no such thing as fresh fish that wasn't fishy). But, now I've been known to eat some fairly exotic and strong flavored foods. Hunger helped, starting with working at Arby's and them running low on foods that I would eat and having the choice between being hungry or eating a fried chicken patty. Then later wine helped: I got through a large platter of only lamb thyroid glands (when I misunderstood French spelling by one letter--always bring a dictionary to a fancy meal in a language you barely know) by drinking most of a bottle of wine. But now I've willingly ordered and eaten ant larva, crickets, strange creatures, raw shrimp brain, etc.

* https://yourkidstable.com/picky-eaters-one-color-of-food/

 

[pmv]

I got through a large platter of only lamb thyroid glands

Pre- or post- Chernobyl?

 

[skyking]

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

Here is a sturdy ladder for ya.

From the top, 100 rungs of death ladder.

It was 15 degrees and blowing about 20 mph so you did not dally on that ladder.
The view was nice from up there and it had a space heater that got it to ~50

 

[dullard]

Pre- or post- Chernobyl?

Post. I'm not quite that old to be drinking prior to the Chernobyl accident.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I was born on an island, but left when I was 6 and haven't been back. I'm scared of the ocean. We go to the beach at least at least 6x a year to camp or just spend the day and I'm a nervous wreck when my daughter is out swimming. I just can't trust rip tides and I'm a crappy swimmer. We also go camping at the lake a few times a year and I don't spend much time in the water there either. But I can at least jump in and swim for a little bit.

I'm also afraid of heights. I don't like flying and will usually appease myself with few beverages before I board. But I love rollercoasters and rides that drop like Tower of Terror or now, Guardians of the Galaxy at Disney's CA Adventures.

 

[Pohemi]

Heights.

I loved climbing trees as a kid, but would never go higher than maybe 15-20ft up. Any higher than that and I'd get vertigo. That fear and physical aversion to it ended at 19yo, the first day on a job doing industrial insulation. Walking steel I-beams 50ft off the concrete foundation cured me of it real quick. It was either get to work or go home. I was 1200 miles from home on that assignment, so I didn't have much choice.

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....

The trick is to not look/focus on the ground. Need to focus on your feet and what your feet are on, and not change focus. You are right in that the change in focus from your feet to the ground can indeed cause dizziness. That might've been the first thing I was taught on that job before ever stepping foot out onto a beam.

Never got over my fear of open/deep water, despite being an excellent swimmer.