Phobias

Are phobias the new sexy? Or the basis for the new successful? Which in turn is quite sexy.

Within the last month, two incredibly successful and public people have revealed a private shame: they’re phobic. [They probably don’t over-alliterate as I just did though.] Allen Shawn is multi-phobic. And Paula Deen is a former agoraphobe.

I applaud them both for bringing some light to issues millions of us struggle with.

Did you catch that? I said “us”. Yup, I manage phobias as well. Claustro- being a big one.

An admission: I don’t take the NYC subway . The thought of being stuck under there, just the thought of it, makes me a little ill.

Another one: I love going to opera, theater, movies but I have to sit on the aisle. Yup, really. I push myself to sit off the aisle whenever I can but generally the less people around me the better. [Worst offender Alice Tully has no center aisle, hate that!]

New Year’s Eve in Times Square -not for me, ever.

Driving on the open road, with nothing around you, for hours that doesn’t sound like a great idea to me. No hospital? For hours? What if I get sick, allergic, asthmatic-what then? Yup, panic ensues.

I firmly believe that there is a strong correlational component between asthma/allergies and panic. If you couldn’t breathe, trust me, you’d feel panicky. And knowing that nourishing yourself could lead to a trip to the hospital? Yup some general anxiety there too.

I wonder if other allergic/asthmatic people feel like this, manage anxiety, have struggled with panic?

Comments

Heather said…
I, for one, am glad more attention is being brought to this issue. It seems more socially acceptable if you suffer from depression because of all of the *good* attention that has been paid to it, but to me, anxieties seem more taboo--as if people will think less of you if you have them or treat you with kid gloves. That, in turn, exacerbates anxiety.

I'm not a fan of Paula Deen, but I was glad to read that piece about her the other day. I had no idea.
Heather said…
I also read this this morning in Arthur Schlesinger's Times obit. Interesting:

"Immediately after the war, Mr. Schlesinger went to Washington as a freelance journalist for Fortune and other magazines. After 15 months, in 1946, he accepted an associate professorship at Harvard. He said he was so nervous teaching that he vomited before each class; eventually his presentation became so deft that his History 169 course was the department’s most popular offering."
Allergic Girl® said…
i thoughts you'd like this post. im not a fan of paula either, but the review was interesting.

and schlesinger died? i'm so out of the loop here in paradise--
Anonymous said…
yup, i'm an allergic asthmatic and i have anxiety issues. used to have panic attacks all the time, but got myself onto some therapy and drugs and now they hardly ever pop their little heads up!

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