Do you have any Phobias?

Mine is spiders and for similar reasons I'm doing my best to combat it. I try not to show any emotion when I see one atm and hope in time I'll be able to get rid of them.

Me too. But I saw a great technique used by a classmate in 8th grade. We had to do verbal book reports. She got up to speak (no podium!), and started with: "I'm going to put the book down on the desk so it doesn't shake out of my hands." Basically just opening with a joke, but it gave us all a laugh and put herself at ease. Pretty good for a 13-year-old.

Heights, Clowns, and Taylor Swift

grasshoppers, crickets, june bugs....anything that can jump or fly at me. spiders scare me too, but it's not a phobia. i am physically capable of killing them and getting over it. june bugs...not so much.

Uh yes, I remember those. How weird was that - 'speaking' before a bunch of people whom I talked to every day in varying quantities anyway freaked me out too. The public speaking thing lasted until the day I was pretty much pushed into the spotlight and had to speak to a lot of strangers. I haven't had a problem with it since, given that I'm at least a little prepared. Of course I hardly have to these days. Which is also fine.

The worst book presentation, btw, was one I had forgotten. Teacher called me out and I just made something up in the seconds it took me to get out. To stall a little, I started by blowing hot air: 'Dear friends and colleagues...' - and promptly, my best friend at the time gave back a hearty 'you have no friends!'. Yea, that one went downhill from right there

Oddly enough, public speaking doesn't freak me in the least. Part of me is a frustrated actress, and I adore an audience.
Which I know doesn't sit well with the agoraphobia and panic attacks, but that just proves how complex people are...

I should add jumping from heights to the list. Heights don't bother me. No matter how high up I am it doesn't do a thing to me, I'll go right to the edge and be fine. But jumping from them... it paralyzes me. I discovered this from the top of a telephone pole, which I then needed to jump off of. It took me half an hour (seemed like at least) to finally find the will to do it. It was like my brain kept telling my body to move but my body just wouldn't do it...

I joined the dive team in high school to force myself to overcome this. I learned to do an inward dive (jump from the edge of the board facing towards the board, then dive towards the board) before I could do just a normal walk to the edge of the board and dive, dive.

I don't have a phobia of mosquitoes but they do terrify me. Tiny, flying, disease carrying bastards.

I had a great joke about Chinese astronauts all lined up when I realized what room we're in.