You’d think that as one ages, previous irrational fears might dissipate with the advancing years. I no longer worry about MAD nuclear confrontations (as I did in the 1970’s), nor do I fear getting wrinkles, grey hairs and saggy boobs!
But my fear of heights has gone from a minor inconvenience to something that will give me a full blown panic attack. Of course, I don’t even THINK of climbing lighthouses anymore…last time I did that I got stuck halfway scaling the internal steps and couldn’t go up OR down without assistance. Nup…no lighthouses for me!
Now I can’t even drive on a road with a drop off. It seriously sends my heart palpitating and my palms sweaty. The fear of going off the edge is so severe that on occasion I’ve had to pull over (when there’s been a place to pullover) and give myself therapy to CALM THE FUCK DOWN YOU SILLY BITCH until I get the nerve to keep driving. It’s not nice, actually it’s bloody awful. It’s not like I’m driving on one of those World’s Ten Worst Roads even…just anything where it’s single-lane with a drop on the side. Bonus anxiety points if it’s a drop down to rocks and ocean. :eek: It is at the point now where I have to pre-navigate my route to anywhere to make sure that I don’t encounter situations that will freak me out.
Share your fears/phobias, and whether they’ve worsened as you’ve aged, please??
My fears have generally attenuated as I’ve aged. I think it’s partly just my don’t-give-a-shit attitude, part living past the age (56) that my dad died, and partly the atenolol which is part of my anti-hypertensive cocktail. If your heart rate doesn’t change in the face of something you once feared, it changes the experience.
There are things I dislike, don’t get me wrong, but it’s different than fear.
I’m 61 these days and I’ve noticed that I wash my hands more often. Fear of disease I think. I believe (irrationally) that my immune system is weaker than it was at 50.
Heights, absolutely. It’s apparently very common for it to become more pronounced as you get older. I don’t even like driving on mountain roads these days, at least not on the drop-off side.
Well, since I not that long ago crossed the old fart horizon, at 35…
Death, certainly. Disease. Accidents. Bad things happening to people I care about. Also, making bad decisions, and bad lifestyle choices (I still make them, but I’m a lot less “ah, it’ll be fine” about it than I used to be). I’m a lot more risk-averse, in general. As I get closer to the grave, awful things start to look less hypothetical.
Fear of heights is certainly on the list, too. Also elevators, and dogs. I guess those aren’t so rational.
The younger generation actually looks pretty impressive to me. They all seem to have multiple masters degrees and mainstream tastes. The kids are all right. My own generation looks much more messed up, by comparison. As far as I’m concerned, the kids can take over if they want, and I’ll retire to the beach and sip margaritas.
Driving in the rain. I used to love it because the rain made the interior of the car feel much more cozy, and I love the smell of rain. However now driving in the rain is a white knuckled attempt to avoid hydroplaning. The last severe rainstorm I just pulled over and parked until the rain stopped.
Funny that so many are saying heights. My fear is nowhere near what others have said, but in my youth I would often crawl out of my bedroom window and walk up the roof of the garage and sit on the edge of the roof over my second story bedroom… with the house on a hill that added about another story should I fall off. Back then it was relaxing. Now, getting on a ladder to clean the gutters is stressful.
Actually, my fear of death has diminished to the point of non-existence.
I’ve already out-lived two lovers and the ‘child forever’ guy at my first-in-CA job - he was all set to live long and happily. Cancer had other plans for him, as it turned out.
I’ve already got 2 ‘progressive, incurable’ diseases - my fear of becoming a bed-ridden old person unable to even off myself is the only fear which has grown.
Young people. Don’t care what color they are or how they look, put a group of 15-20 year olds in a pack and I get nervous; I expect problems from them even though I know better. The bad part is my friends and I usually traveled in packs so I’m basically afraid of something I did myself.
I grow ever more scared of loosing it and going on a idiot murdering rampage and going to jail. The idiots keep getting idiotier. And more of them. I spend a lot more time at home as a result.
Tight spaces, like MRIs. I used to fall asleep in them, now I panic.
My house has a narrow bathtub and I feel like I can’t breathe if I try to soak in it.
