Does anyone with Aspergers have a tendancy to be afraid of

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irrational things? Things that you know you shouldn't be afraid of but if your mind hears about it it becomes afraid. It's almost like being a young child who is afraid of things all the time. Its annoying to have that tendency in my mind , I jus't try to ignore it . I wonder if others have silly fears?

What is your definition of "irrational"?
My definition may differ from yours, but some of the things that I feel kind of silly about being afraid of are: making phone calls, walking across bridges, and traffic jams. Over the years I've learned to just force myself to carry on regardless, and I'd like to think it has given me an advantage in life. When making a stupid phone call is as scary as traveling alone to another country, but I can and have done both, I think in the end it has made me a braver person.

For example I know logically that nothing will happen on 12-21 part of my brain still wants to frak out about it and I will most likely be anxious. I fear the little bit of chance of dying from the flu shot when I take the vaccine even though its very slim. I have this irrational fear about taking medicines (even if I have taken them before), and will be afraid of how the Novocaine will feel.

No, I'm quite the opposite.

I do experience irrational fears, but not about the above type things. I can deal with anything nature can dish out. If we all fell off the grid tomorrow, I'd be in my element. I avoid any dangers I can and figure a way through the ones I can't.

In life threatening emergencies that I've in been, everything goes into super slow motion for me. I pick my way through the melee to get everyone including myself safe. The NTs around me are freaking out during and only get the macho back when it's all over.

My irrational fears are when it comes to dealing with people situations. My freeze ups are when I can't decide the right thing to say, to go or to do, or not to. Always always afraid I'll do or say something that will mess up others or me. The mess ups are many in my life, even when I had thought through the situation ahead of time. My judgement of these is horrible. My insight into people is nearly nonexistant.

It is very upsetting, but I have mostly surrendered to 'this is how I am'. I survive this by just usually avoiding all things human.

Ha! the lion with the thorn in his paw and no mouse around that 'gets it'.

(Thread moved from News to Random)

I'm extremely cautious and circumspect about most things, it has generally served me well.
However I can go to worst case scenario too often, which is not healthy

OP, I read this interesting book called "The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - And Why", by Amanda Ripley.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Unthinkable-Survives-Disaster-Strikes/dp/0307352900

In it, she explores the limits of modern medical and scientific research into human disaster assessment and response. Why some people run out of a building as soon as they smell smoke, while others wait.

One of the many interesting chapters focuses on how we subconsciously evaluate risk, and why a school shooting of 20 kids bothers us more than the knowledge that thousands of people die every year in automobile accidents.

I recall that one researcher had actually come up with a formula to calculate our expected reaction to such information.

In it, they accounted for things like the magnitude of the outcome, the likelihood of the event, the unusualness of the event, the relevance of the event to our lives, and things like that.

I thought of that when you mentioned 12/21. True, it's extraordinarily unlikely to be anything worth worrying about. However, the magnitude of the outcome would be enormous; even if it were just a puff of smoke, it would redefine our views of history and of human understanding. And since it's suggested to be global, it would be relevant. And extremely unusual.

Similarly, if you're particularly sensitive to skin contact, then shots that are likely may also seem significantly harmful to you, at least subconsciously. So the additive effect of all the various aspects might result in a very rational conclusion by your subconscious mind that "they're worth worrying about".

So that author had actually located, in absolutely modern research that's still only barely been explored, a way to mathematically or at least rationally understand why we think the way we think about these things.

I wish I could remember enough terminology about the actual formula to point you toward the specific researcher, or a link discussing that research.

Just know that what you think is irrational may not actually be. You might very reasonably decide to override your gut feeling, but that doesn't mean that your gut is crazy.

If you're curious about this, and think it might help, let me know and I'll check the book to get you better information about that particular subject.

(This is my third book reference of the night here, hopefully I'm not turning into a card catalog. Nice to see the memories used productively, though.)

ETA: Oh, here we go!

Click here:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Unthinkable-Survives-Disaster-Strikes/dp/0307352900#reader_0307352900

If that doesn't pop up the reader, then just click the image of the book on the amazon page to "look inside".

Then use the "Search inside this book" textbox on the left of the reader to search for "formula". That will take you right to the page where it talks about how she'd come up with a (very generalized, of course) formula of the factors that go into our sense of dread.

It's a wonderfully illuminating discussion, and it might help you get your head around how "normal" or "rational" your worries are.

(For instance, she includes "imaginability" in her equation. I suspect that you, like myself and many other people here, have a very vivid imagination. That would probably make you more likely to experience dread, everything else being equal, than the average human. But that doesn't mean you're broken, it means you have a great imagination! It's really a fantastic book.)

My daughter has phobias of things that she knows can't hurt her. She's frightened of berries. Her speech and language therapist spoke to her about it and thinks it's because she knows she shouldn't eat berries from bushes, as some are poisonous. But, she has extended it to all berries, even those I buy in the supermarket. And she's terrified of berries lying on the ground. It now seems to be the reason behind her fear of grapes too. She's going to a 'Roman feast' in school and the parents were given a consent form (really so that the teachers could be extra sure about allergies). I said that she wasn't allergic to anything, but I'd rather she didn't have the diluting juice (trying to avoid additives), but she wanted me to write that she hadn't to get grapes. I've told her just to tell them that she doesn't want any, but she insists that, if they're put on her plate, she won't eat anything.

As for me, I have irrational fears too. I loathe sticking plasters (bandaids) and can't bear the thought of one being stuck somewhere it shouldn't be. Honestly, it fills me with revulsion. Every time my husband gives blood, I demand he tells me where he's put the plaster, as I really don't want to come across it in the bathroom. I really don't like any sticky things (labels, sellotape) being stuck where they shouldn't be, but plasters are the worst.

I think phobias are quite common among autistics, I've read it as a co-morbid symptom on one of the main criteria lists.
For me it's vomiting and minor-moderate illness (cancer, broken legs etc don't scare me at all but flu does.) And I'm scared of losing freedom, and any time I have a job paid or not I feel claustrophobic and trapped. And I don't like seeing people force fed, so when parents try to force their kids to eat what's on the plate it really disturbs and panics me.

I can say I definately have had a long history of wrestling with fears. But its very inconsistant. Some things I do very well with, some just average, and some really are difficult to control, and occasionlly will turn into a phobia. It is possible to work the phobia back down to managable, but its a process. I have also felt I was definately more aware then most people, of the whole risk analysis aspect of things, always on guard so-to-speak.

I have a fear of becoming emotionally attached to people other than my immediate family.

If I start thinking about the Ebola virus, I can't stop thinking about it. I start to think that anything that I touch could be infected with the virus. In the past it has consumed my life. It's a pretty horrible virus. Whenever I see a headline or anything about it, I resist reading it so that it won't get my mind on the subject.

yes. irrational fears are me. i sometimes wonder if i have OCD on top of everything else. fire. crime. illness. normal fears for many, but trust me, i take them to a higher level.