Instead of allowing life to happen to me, instead of sitting by powerlessly as things took a turn for the worst, I took the reigns and faced misfortune head on.
homeless
ms
I’ve thought a lot about fear in the last 12 hours after hearing the news that Annette Funicello died due to complications with multiple sclerosis.
robbery
I'm jumpy around passing cars and men on the street. I fall asleep with a low voice telling me not to scream ringing in my ears.
public speaking
I was one of those girls who mostly sat at the back and spoke when I was coaxed into speaking.
fear
Someone jumped out at me from behind a scary dark corner and I screamed like somebody's business -- and then when I realized I wasn't going to die, I reflected on life.
abuse
Although the circumstances are very different, I have been feeling exactly like that trapped little girl with blood on her spelling test and fear of the unknowns in her heart.
domestic abuse
Once, my mom spotted a bruised woman with three children holding a cardboard sign in the Wal-Mart parking lot. It was pouring down rain. I was seven. “Stay in the car,” she said, locking me in.
childhood fears
Flushing the toilet at night? Return to Oz? Thriller? FERNGULLY? These are just a few of the xoJane editors' childhood fears and why I love all the weirdos I work with.
Daisy in
Issues,
childhood fears,
return to oz,
attack of the killer tomatoes,
so many people are scared of toilets,
fear
Oct 8, 2012 at 4:00pm | 378 comments
clothes
It took me a really long time to wear heels after 9/11 because I was scared. Now I just don't wear them because I'm lazy.
healthy
I've never actually been attacked, only had close calls, felt really afraid, uncomfortable. Still, each time I run, frightening fantasies tend to run along with me.
diseases
When my PCP first sent me to the hospital for abdominal X-rays four years ago, the radiologist wanted to know what kinds of symptoms I’d been experiencing. “I don’t have an appetite,” I told her. “I wish I had that problem,” she responded.
bullying
I took to writing stories about vengeance, about stabbing my friends with whatever was near to hand; pencils in the classroom, sporks in the cafeteria, a ruler in the hallway while classes were changing. I walked around with vivid images in my head of tearing those girls' faces off.
balloon animals
I'll wait while you laugh at me. Go on, I'm used to it at this point.
Marianne in
Issues,
balloon animals,
balloons,
clown school,
clowns,
consent culture,
enthusiastic consent,
facing fears,
fear,
new skills
Feb 22, 2012 at 11:00am | 62 comments
africa
The most notable emotion that African travel conjures up for folks in the US seems to be fear. Especially if the traveler is a woman.
class
The scrappy poor kid in me will never die.
