Phobia

[[pretty on the inside]]

I'm not entirely sure if this is the right place to post this, but anyway...

It's starting to warm up and be more like summer, which is all well and good, but I have quite a bad phobia of wasps. It's not just when there's one around, I'm just constantly looking around in case there's a wasp in the vicinity so that I can get safely away from it. I haven't seen any yet this year, but I'm already on the lookout and I don't feel safe outside.

The problem I have is, I don't know how to get over it because it's partly rational. Last time I got stung by a wasp it was really painful and I never want that to happen again. I know that it is irrational. When I'm safely in my room and there are no wasps around, yes, it's ridiculous how stressed out I get around them and realistically they probably won't sting me if I ignore them. But when there is actually one around, all of that goes out of the window because I'm so terrified of them. It's difficult to go outside in the summer because I'm constantly looking over my shoulder and checking for them.

Any tips on dealing with this..?

Kayl xx

[one lie at a time]

Sounds hard to deal with. I'm sorry that you have to go through this. I don't really have much help to offer. My therapist tries to get me to use mindfulness to deal with my worries and phobias. Maybe mindfulness is something that would be helpful for you. Maybe try reassuring yourself that it's unlikely that there's one around, and that the sting won't hurt for that long. Try positive self talk, keep telling yourself it won't happen. That's all I can really suggest. Do you have any kind of doctor or therapist/counselor/ect you can talk to this about? Good luck. xxx

[anabelleagain]

I echo katie's suggestions. Maybe even try looking at pictures and doing research on wasps. On way that phobias are dealt with is by exposure. I understand how terrifying it can be, so try starting small. Pictures, information, etc.

[Kija]

i totally get where your coming from in a weird way. dont laugh but i'm terrified of slugs + snails. wich means going out at evening/night in the summer simply horrible. like you always on the lookout.
i tried researching into them, and found out awful things like slugs can absail from their slime, wich made me scared-er then ever! so not sure if exposure is always so good.
anyways, i dont have any tips at all. sorry. if you find something that works for you let me know! xxx

[[pretty on the inside]]

Don't worry, I would never laugh at another person's phobia... I'm also terrified of mould and nobody understands how much it upsets me. Some people think it's hilarious to shove it in my face, but it makes me break down and cry! =[

I might ask my MH worker about it, but I always feel a little bit stupid. Thank you for the replies and advice, I suppose it's just a case of biting the bullet and trying to make myself get over it =\

I used to have a similar problem with stinging nettles (I guess anything that stings scares the hell out of me =\) but I managed to mostly get over that fear. I still don't like them, but I can go near them without freaking out now, so I suppose that's an improvement.