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How do I overcome my overwhelming fear of bugs?

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Phaethon0017

Member
Log4Girlz said:
Become one with them. Eat with them, drink with them, sleep with them.

JOWvsX0.gif
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nTDXnam.jpg


OP I was kinda the same way (except not crickets they can't do anything to you c'mon now). I moved into an apartment and it was infested with spiders. I killed over 100 my first week. I was on my laptop and looked over and saw one chilling on my shoulder cleaning itself or some shit.

Point is I killed them and cleaned the place, but I'm still afraid of them. I actually don't think this was helpful at all...
 
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fierrotlepou

Member
I'm scared of them because I'm afraid they might bite me or cause a rash. That's my biggest fear. Otherwise I'd try to hold them in my hand.

Is it an irrational fear? I just don't know which bugs bite and which don't.
 
C

Carcetti

Member
Get an oculus and play around with virtual bugs. There are demos which make bugs crawl over your virtual hands and into your face and apparently this sort of therapy can help.
 
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Toxi

Banned
Exposure therapy. Look at pictures of bugs, look at real bugs, etc. Seems to be the best way of dealing with phobia.

Also make sure to let them crawl into your bed at night. It gets cold sometimes.
 
D

Derwind

Member
Im cool with creepy crawlies. I can handle them with ease.

Those flying fuckers give me the chills.

Wasps(No No No), Bees(Noooo), Hornets(NOOOOOOOO), Yellow Jackets(DIE), Moths(FUUUUUck), Butterflys, Lady bugs, Dragonflys, biting flies....

Any fucking insect that flies, especially ones that sting can all burn!!!!!
 
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Twilight Gap

Member
I'm the same way as you, OP, except mine is position based. If the bug is slow moving and below my waist, I have no problem with it. If it's fast moving and on the ceiling or something, fuck that shit. Sometimes, however, I can smash them without batting an eyelid. House flies seem to be the only ones I'm indifferent to, but those bastards are probably the most annoying ones.

My ex had at least 2 spiders in every corner of her house. I'd always fuss with her to kill them before I came over, because I'm absolutely not using a bathroom with bugs chillin' in it.

The only thing that helped diminish it for me was to study them. I spent about a year researching several dozen species and collecting dead ones to look at under a magnifying glass. I even kept live caterpillars at one point. I imagine that if I did this regularly, I'd be able to break out of it completely.

I don't understand why I have the fear because the place I grew up had spiders and roaches everywhere. Bathtubs, kitchens, you name it. I don't remember having a traumatizing experience of any kind, and as a kid I'd always mess around in the outdoors with my friends. I'm missing a lot nature thanks to this crap :/
 
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Tugatrix

Member
You are not gonna like the solution but here it goes, usually the therapy for phobias is exposure, there is no magic solution
 
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plasmawave

Banned
iMax said:
Keep watching this GIF until you overcome your fear.

tumblr_myn4nnNiIF1s02vreo1_400.gif
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FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU



I'm actually not as terrified of spiders as I used to be.
Once I realized they are probably just as scared of you as you are of them, I felt better.

Actually, them being scared of you might give them more reason to attack you so fuck that.
 
F

Fusebox

Banned
Ease yourself into it OP. Start off with Herbie the Love Bug:

0078693624401_500X500.jpg


Then progress to a Twilight Ladybug Night Light:

80008845_01_m.jpg


Finally working your way up to a full reading of Incy Wincy Spider:

254-196780.jpg


iMax said:
Keep watching this GIF until you overcome your fear.

tumblr_myn4nnNiIF1s02vreo1_400.gif
Click to expand...

Come on what is this real life or this computer trickery??!!?!
 
S

saunderez

Member
I'd start with a beetle. I don't particularly like bugs and I hate German cockroaches but rhino/elephant/christmas beetles are awesome. I pick em up and let them walk on me, it's all good and they're completely non threatening.
 
D

Droopaloop

Banned
OP:

I'm not afraid of most bugs in particular; but spiders. God damn spiders
and wasps
. I was moving my couch a while back to vacuum under it and there was a wolf spider about 2.5 inches in diameter
6.35 cm
. I damn near tore the walls off my apartment.

Here's my genuine advice, if their not pets

Rv3nH.gif
 
captainraincoat

captainraincoat

Banned
Come to Australia...you will get over your fear of bugs pretty quick as there are worse things that can kill you.......like drunk drivers
 
NekoFever

NekoFever

Member
eravulgaris said:
I'm scared of them because I'm afraid they might bite me or cause a rash. That's my biggest fear. Otherwise I'd try to hold them in my hand.

Is it an irrational fear? I just don't know which bugs bite and which don't.
Click to expand...

The definition of an irrational fear or phobia is going to disproportionate or unreasonable lengths to avoid the object of the fear. So it's perfectly reasonable to be wary of venomous insects, but if you won't go into a room because it might contain one, have a panic attack on seeing one, or can't even look at a picture of one, for example, it's a phobia.

I knew someone who had a phobia of sharks to the point where he wouldn't go into a swimming pool. While it would be rational to fear sharks if you were in the water with one, his reaction was symptomatic of a phobia.
 
A

Anung

Un Rama
Just do what I do and live with the crippling fear forever.

One time I had to get off the bus and walk to town because a wasp was flying all up in my shit and I couldn't deal it with.

so beta ;_;
 
D

dejay

Banned
Structure your whole career and life with the intent on moving somewhere like Alaska.


Bug/spider thread? I'll do my bit...

ibu5al3D4CO4qm.gif
 
eso76

eso76

Member
This thread will soon be filled with pics and gifs..

I have a similar phobia. I don't mind wasps, bees, snakes and most spiders, but grasshoppers, crickets, fireflies, long legged spiders, large moths, all kinds of worms...
no idea why, I used to play with them when I was younger, catch grasshoppers and fireflies in my hands etc. Couldn't bring myself to do it now, but I never kill bugs at least, I'll always catch them in a glass or something and release them outside

oh, it's the same with shrimps, crabs, lobsters and every crustacean,living or cooked.
can't eat them
 
D

Despera

Banned
I remember one time I was eating a sandwich and suddenly my teeth hit something crunchy... I opened it up and apparently I bit off the head of a beetle that was inside it...

So I did what anyone would've done in that situation. I got rid of the remaining beetle parts and continued eating my sandwhich.
 
L

Log4Girlz

Member
Despera said:
I remember one time I was eating a sandwich and suddenly my teeth hit something crunchy... I opened it up and apparently I bit off the head of a beetle that was inside it...

So I did what anyone would've done in that situation. I got rid of the remaining beetle parts and continued eating my sandwhich.
Click to expand...

I once ate a fig newton that I didn't see was crawling with ants. The fuckers were small and the same color as the filling.
 
Exr

Exr

Member
You know it's irrational and they (generally) can't hurt you. Maybe read about them online a bit to get some perspective and try to see them as amazing instead of gross, creepy or foreign in any way.
 
P

PlayALLtheGames

Banned
I'm imagining a 6'2, 240lb dude afraid of getting laundry because two crickets "blocked" his path. That is some funny shit.

Honestly, I can understand spiders but crickets?
 
mcz117chief

mcz117chief

Member
Eat them, simple as that. Find a restaurant that serves bugs and start with fried and work your way down until you get to live ones in a couple of months.


Then .....
You're_winner.gif
 
X

XShadows69

Member
I can't do bees. I just try to stand as still as possible or ignore them. Pretend that I didn't see them. It rarely works but when it does, it works like a charm.
 
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