Over the summer, my 3.5 year old developed a bunch of odd aversions/phobias. And now, over the last three weeks or so, he seems generally anxious when we go out.
I'm wondering if it's just a phase related to his age, and I should keep him mostly at home till it passes? Or is this the start of a more serious anxiety condition? Or a sign that our city life is too much for him?
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posted by misoramen
on Oct 19, 2012 -
26 answers
I am an adult with fear of the dark, along with other anxiety problems. I hate driving in the dark, even on streets with streetlights (I even hesitate to ride in the car at night) and feel panicky in dark rooms. I sleep with a nightlight, but wish it didn't feel like a necessity, and with fall coming, I dread the long nights ahead. Beyond therapy (which I have tried for my other problems and cannot currently afford) are there any methods of coping with this?
posted by juniper
on Sep 6, 2012 -
18 answers
I used to be very shy. Through years of pushing myself (I'm 33 now), I've become pretty amazingly functional. But I find myself in an unexpected spot. While I very much want to be around people and I
can now handle it without freezing up, my experience of actually being around people is one of gritted teeth and willpower. There's very little joy in it. In theory, I'd like nothing more than a bushel of friends hanging out in my kitchen on a Sunday night. In practice, I push myself into social situations like dunking my arm in freezing water, pulling it out with a huge sigh of relief as soon as I let myself. That's not a recipe for forging new friendships, which I know take time and certain amount of vulnerability. What can I do to take myself to the next level -- from functional to genuinely friendly? Do people ever make it to the next level? On the phobia scale, it's not enough for me to be able to let a spider crawl on my arm without having a panic attack, I need to be able to lay down in a cave full of spiders and love it. (I've been in therapy for a year, but aside from that, I'd like to hear from you all.)
posted by anonymous
on Jun 7, 2012 -
21 answers
I want to have sex with my boyfriend for the first time, but I have an extreme phobic reaction to both genitalia and vaginal penetration. How can I possibly overcome this?
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posted by anonymous
on Dec 3, 2011 -
44 answers
Help me become ok with conflict. I avoid conflict. Not just overt, head-butting conflict, but also minor disagreements, disapproving looks, divergent preferences... all the way down to the friction generated by the give and take of an interesting conversation. Anything short of complete harmony, and I'm looking for a way out. Sometimes this means avoiding the person or situation. Sometimes this means just shutting up and smiling. Sometimes it means not developing an opinion of my own until I know what other people think first. My absolute fear of conflict is a drag. It makes me and my life pretty bland and I want to beat it. Tell me how to beat it.
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posted by anonymous
on Sep 16, 2011 -
16 answers
I have a serious problem with being seen to be intellectually 'wrong'. I need ways to get over it
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posted by anonymous
on Jul 24, 2011 -
26 answers
How do I overcome my fear of being yelled at, and getting all disregulated when I do get yelled at?
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posted by ShadePlant
on Nov 12, 2010 -
16 answers
I need to go to the dentist. But, I have a phobia of injections. Not going isn't really an option, so what can I do?
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posted by mippy
on Sep 12, 2010 -
45 answers
I have a near-pathological fear of talking to strangers on the phone. My expanded job duties will soon include calling clients. How do I get past this fear?
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posted by anonymous
on Dec 17, 2009 -
27 answers
I'm scared of going to the dentist. How do I find one that will understand and how do I prepare myself for going to my first appointment in years?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 16, 2009 -
22 answers
My bedroom creeps me the #%^* out. What can I do to alleviate my (somewhat) irrational fears? (hacks, consumer products, etc.)
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posted by the NATURAL
on Sep 30, 2009 -
47 answers
I'm a long-term glasses wearer who is going to try to make the leap to contacts. Problem: I have a really strong flinch reflex/phobia of things going into my eye. What to do about this?
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posted by paultopia
on Sep 9, 2009 -
35 answers
Is there a name for the dislike of the anticipation felt on receiving or opening gifts?
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posted by Sova
on Mar 5, 2009 -
21 answers
Ice falling from tall buildings filter. Help me lay to rest a question that has plagued my wife. We live in Chicago, with lots of tall buildings. Ice falls off of the buildings from time to time and about once a year, some poor bastard gets mushed. Where in terms of physics and I suppose statistics would be the safest place to walk down the sidewalk: as close to the building as possible? The middle of the sidewalk? The far edge? Does it depend on building height?
posted by Ponderance
on Jan 7, 2009 -
16 answers
How do I conquer fear? I'm quite afraid of doing things that I have not done before, and it does not get better when I conquer fear of some things.
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posted by ChabonJabon
on Nov 19, 2008 -
15 answers
How do I get people to respect my phobia? How do I make them stop antagonizing me by showing me the thing I'm afraid of?
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posted by IndigoRain
on Jun 28, 2008 -
53 answers
Comfort my wife's fears. She has recently developed a phobia of flying and we are leaving on a flight on thursday.
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posted by Hands of Manos
on Sep 5, 2006 -
36 answers
My previously relatively benign aversion to dogs has become cripplingly intense in the last few months, to the point that I can't make it to my house's front door without being accompanied.
I'm living in Indonesia, and don't know enough of the language to express my absolute, mortal terror or where to find English-language psychological help. I really need some help here: how can I go home at night?
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posted by mdonley
on Sep 1, 2006 -
27 answers
My wife is afraid of spiders. We just moved to Portland, Oregon, where the spider population seems to be higher than that even of slackers. I would like to not have to go on spider patrol every night, and I'd like my toddler daughter to not grow up with an irrational fear as well. Is there a way to cure her fear of spiders?
posted by sholdens12
on Aug 7, 2006 -
29 answers
Does anybody know of alternative ways to get over an extremely irrational fear of public speaking/presenting?
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posted by repoman
on Jan 3, 2004 -
21 answers
I'll be flying 8+ hours to London two weeks from today. I have a paralyzing fear of flying, any advice?
Also, what should I do once I make it there?
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posted by esch
on Dec 12, 2003 -
30 answers
