Happy Halloween! What is your biggest fear and how have you tried to overcome it?

Nathan Tetley

I am a major sufferer of Aerozoophobia (fear of things that can fly) 🦅

Being 6’3 I have the advantage in most bouts against small land animals with a guarantee my face will remain unscathed. However, if you add the element of flight suddenly my height becomes redundant, my eyes ripe for the pecking and my jugular perfectly placed for a sting or bloodsucker. 

I also have Entomophobia (fear of insects). I think I have watched one too many episodes of I’m a Celeb and have seen too many TikToks of some gnarly critters being pulled out of someone’s ear. I would hate for something to treat my ear as an Airbnb and if it made its way to my brain… NO CHANCE.

What have you done to try and overcome these fears?

My partner’s Gran has a budgie often left to its own devices, flying around the room taunting me with shrieks disguised as bird song.  To mitigate any risk of a potentially fatal encounter, I always wear a hoodie and find the seat furthest away from the bird’s lair, only making essential trips to the toilet, kitchen, or to leave. I once waited 3 hours to get a cup of tea as the kitchen was on the flight path and I’m sure it was watching me. 

For the insect thing – I never leave a spider or bug unattended. When I feel brave I’ll put it in a cup and toss it outside – let the elements handle it. I once tried to shepherd a fly out the back door with two placemats until a sudden change in the fly’s direction caused me to flinch backwards and knock off an old Sports Direct mug. I thought the dog might be some support with pest control but if anything she encourages them. One time I went camping and to alleviate any anxiety I slept in a full tracksuit with my partner’s pink ear muffs on and my hoodie tightened up. She lost respect for me that day!

The one time my dog did help me manage bugs it resulted in a costly trip to the vet. Which led me to a whole new fear – anticipatory grief or fear of losing a pet. (She was absolutely fine!)

Bec Simmonds

I have a fear of long journeys 🚗

It took me a while to accept this was a fear and begin working through it. I would meditate and try relaxation techniques before going on drives. I started with short journeys to boost my confidence. 
I would visualise my route or what I would need to do in the car to make me feel less anxious. 
When actually driving I learnt to do a technique called ‘commentary driving’ where you verbalise what you’re seeing and doing while driving. Helping you feel present and in control. 

Ben Jayston

I used to have a fear of dying 💀

I used to have epilepsy. When I had my first seizure I nearly died – it was 15 mins long – lucky to make it.

I then was understandably terrified of dying for a while, particularly around bedtime as my seizures were nocturnal. But I had an epiphany one day and that was this – I could literally die at any time of anything, and just because my chances had gone up having a seizure disorder, the probability of dying in a car accident remained far higher.

I was not terrified of driving, or trail running down steep cliff faces or many other far more dangerous things I engaged in, so why was I terrified of dying in my sleep from a seizure? It was suddenly and gloriously irrational. I stopped fearing it. It was possible, but not probable. Seizure free now for 14 years and not dead yet from bad curry, or having children…

Michelle Spry

I have a fear of blood tests 💉

I think a fear of needles is pretty common but I’m actually OK with injections, it’s the drawing of blood that fills me with dread! I decided to face this head on a few years ago and go with my work colleagues to give blood – something I’d always wanted to do. I was a complete wreck just sitting in the chair but they managed to get the needle in and start the process. Before I knew it, my vision was going and I was expertly tipped upside down in the chair by a nurse where I remained for a minute or so to stop me passing out. Once back upright, the nurse very kindly said: “I’m sorry lovely, you’ll need to find another way to make the world a better place”. Needless to say my work colleagues (and husband!!!) were in stitches with their tea and biscuits whilst I was made to rest for an hour before leaving!

Carl Wood

My biggest fear is heights 🏗️

There’s a brilliant horror film called Fall, where two girls climb an old TV tower, and it all goes wrong – I found watching that had me in palpitations. Why do I fear heights? I just don’t like the thought of falling, but even when I know I’m safe, just looking over the edge of a high balcony does weird things to me.

Well fear of heights is one of those rational and healthy fears, because falling is genuinely dangerous! But it’s just managing it if I am somewhere high, or doing an activity. I find taking things slow, taking your time, and slow, deep breathing all help. Having people around you that you trust is good too, so you know nothing unpredictable is going to happen. With all these I did manage to complete a Go Ape style course in Chamonix in France – managed to work my way through the trees, really high up. Quite an ordeal but it’s worth it, just to know you did it!

Mel Soutar

I used to have a fear of flying ✈️

Becoming a parent was a turning point as I didn’t want to pass on my fear to my son – no fear of that he’s always off travelling! The second realisation was that if I continued to fear flying I would seriously limit my ability to live a big, adventurous life without a whole world to explore! So glad I did. My top tip for anyone who fears flying – especially turbulence – I try to remain calm by thinking of it as just like hitting bumps in the road when travelling by car. It’s a very high road but it really helps me!

Happy Halloween everyone!