Arachnophobia:the irrational fear of spiders
The reactions of arachnophobics often seem irrational to others (and sometimes to the sufferers themselves). People with arachnophobia tend to feel uneasy in any area they believe could harbor spiders or that has visible signs of their presence, such as webs. If arachnophobics see a spider they may not enter the general vicinity until they have overcome the panic attack that is often associated with their phobia. In some extreme cases, even a picture or a realistic drawing of a spider can also evoke fear.
(I actually tried searching an image for this post and then felt like I was about to puke when the first images came up. Seriously, try searching spiders and you'll see what I mean)
Anyone who knows me knows I have a HUGE fear of spiders. It makes me sick to my stomach to see one, and I get all panicky and nervous and my heart starts beating really fast. I even have dreams about spiders coming down the ceiling onto the bed when I am in that almost sleeping stage right before you actually fall asleep. Gary could tell you more about this in extreme detail. I actually swat away the "webs" and jump out of bed running to the other side of the room. Crazy, I know.
Anyway, so it has warmed up and we have had some rain. That means it's time for our annual spring time visitors to arrive. I don't know what it is, but every spring for about a week, the wolf spiders come out and we see one a day for about a week, then they never come back. It's really weird. Long story short, the first one came 4 days ago, of course when everyone else was in bed. I saw it scurry across the floor while I was watching TV, so I found a heavy book and threw it on top. That's where it stayed until Gary found it the next morning. I felt so sick, I just went to bed. Then #2 came the next day, making its way down the hallway. I screamed for Gary to come get it, and here comes Gabe running down the hall to see what's going on. The poor kid almost stepped on it, which made him freak out. Sick. #3 came out late Sat. night, ironically just after me and Gary said I guess we weren't going to see one tonight. Wrong. And lastly, this morning- what greets me in the shower? Of course #4. I am freaking out here, people!!!!! I can't take these things anymore, and why is it I am the one finding it each time???????? If the same holds true this year as in past years, we should only have a few more days of this left. I am just about at the breaking point. I would just about take anything over a spider. HELP!
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I also suffer from arachniphobia! I almost didn't click on your link for fear that you would have one on here! Thank you for not having a picture :-)
ReplyDeleteSo, I understand your problem. I have had to semi-get over my issues since Rob has had so many deployments. At our old house, we had some spiders that were the size of Sam's foot! I couldn't stand stepping on them -- because I could hear the 'crunch'. So I started spraying them with spider killer spray from across the room. I would pay extra money to get the spray that had a directed stream (instead of the spray all over). One night, a huge spider made its way across the living room. The spray was out of reach, but the clorox clean-up wasn't. But clorox didn't even kill this monster. It ended up drowning because I sprayed so much on it.
On another note: I'm okay with spiders outside. It is just when they come into MY house that I freak. And I have weird moments where I swat at my hair because I think they are on me. Ugh...
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteThat is so funny. One time I was alone with Gabe when I found a pretty good size spider in the house. I kept telling myself, "you have to be brave for Gabe, you can do this, what if Gary wasn't around and you were a single parent?" Finally I talked myself into killing it, but it took every ounce of strength I had. I am always afraid it is going to come running at me, or worse, hide somewhere I can't see. And by the way, how in the world did you handle killing one the size of Sam's foot? You are my hero.
i've sort of gotten over it. i still over-spray them with the streamer spray (they make my hairs stand up too), but i don't want to project my fear of spiders onto my children. they'll never see me scared of them. stomp them, yes. scared, no. (well, unless i walk through a web where i KNOW there was a little one that must be in my hair... that'll make me freak.)
ReplyDeleteoh and then there are the ones that crunch when you step on them, gross. totally gross.
BTW, i hate ticks. we're spraying our yard this year. it kept not only the ticks away, but also the voles. no bugs in the yard... no voles... no ankle-breaking-holes.