I bought a good book yesterday (well, good as in I like it!) which contains a "to do list" of 101 things to do before you die. Having flicked through it, I've already done 35 of them, which gets me off to a flyer really. There's a bunch of them that will prove largely impossible I think (living to 100 and certainly watching England win the world cup). The book itself acts as a journal and it might be quite fun to fill it and give it to the kids one day - it's a great source of information & inspiration about why we're here and why you should spend as much time doing interesting things while you can. For details on the book try www.101thingstodo.co.uk
Whilst flicking through the book I also noticed there was one task that involved conquering a fear. Not many people know than I'm emetophobic, I have a severe (and irrational I know) fear of vomiting. When I feel sick I get tremendously anxious and given my propensity for hangovers and air-travel, you can imagine that this occurs with some regularity in my life.
Having read about this stuff of late, it also appears that Emetophobia is the 6th most common fear, which really surprised me. I absolutely know the reason why I have it, as a 4yr old I was scalded by a family friend whom I used to visit with my mother. One night I'd happened to be sick, as kids sometimes are - and I wasn't a sickly child, but I was shouted and screamed at for making the mess and then every time we went again (which we did for 4-5 years or so) there would be a bucket next to the sofa in case I needed to be sick, always reminding me of that scalding, the sick and the fact it was "wrong". After that incident I wasn't sick again for 13years - I was that obsessive about it.
I've been sick a few times and not known about it (mostly due to being drunk) and even been sick when ill (stomach flu etc) and coped with it ok. Its the phobia/anxiety that gets me more than the actual vomiting, I don't fear I'll choke or anything, or that it hurts - it's overcoming the "programming" instilled when I was so young, I guess.
I can't think that I've got any other real phobias at all and the emetophobia doesnt prevent me from travelling by car/plane etc although motion sometimes exacerbates the feelings.
So, if you do see me the following afternoon when we've been out and I'm acting a bit weird and twitchy, you can probably bet that I don't feel very well and am dealing with anxiety brought on by my phobia - it's something I hope to try and have a go at curing through some hypnosis sessions or something... I certainly don't suffer from Hynophobia (or Potophobia the fear of alcohol for that matter).
Whilst flicking through the book I also noticed there was one task that involved conquering a fear. Not many people know than I'm emetophobic, I have a severe (and irrational I know) fear of vomiting. When I feel sick I get tremendously anxious and given my propensity for hangovers and air-travel, you can imagine that this occurs with some regularity in my life.
Having read about this stuff of late, it also appears that Emetophobia is the 6th most common fear, which really surprised me. I absolutely know the reason why I have it, as a 4yr old I was scalded by a family friend whom I used to visit with my mother. One night I'd happened to be sick, as kids sometimes are - and I wasn't a sickly child, but I was shouted and screamed at for making the mess and then every time we went again (which we did for 4-5 years or so) there would be a bucket next to the sofa in case I needed to be sick, always reminding me of that scalding, the sick and the fact it was "wrong". After that incident I wasn't sick again for 13years - I was that obsessive about it.
I've been sick a few times and not known about it (mostly due to being drunk) and even been sick when ill (stomach flu etc) and coped with it ok. Its the phobia/anxiety that gets me more than the actual vomiting, I don't fear I'll choke or anything, or that it hurts - it's overcoming the "programming" instilled when I was so young, I guess.
I can't think that I've got any other real phobias at all and the emetophobia doesnt prevent me from travelling by car/plane etc although motion sometimes exacerbates the feelings.
So, if you do see me the following afternoon when we've been out and I'm acting a bit weird and twitchy, you can probably bet that I don't feel very well and am dealing with anxiety brought on by my phobia - it's something I hope to try and have a go at curing through some hypnosis sessions or something... I certainly don't suffer from Hynophobia (or Potophobia the fear of alcohol for that matter).
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