9 was when I saw Waterworld in the cinema. It triggered a long running fear of end of the world scenarios that peaked when I was in 6th form college, but it's something that had caused a lot of high anxiety, despair and depression for many years.
Eventually I came to terms with being powerless. But those fears included:
- Rising sea levels
- Asteroids (Deep Impact & Armageddon terrified me)
- Aliens (Independence Day - a lot of cinema messed me up)
- Grey goo (self-replicating nanotechnology)
- Supervolcanic eruptions
- Killer viruses being released - I forget the name of the very depressing Hollywood film about such a thing.
- Zombies were obviously depressing too, whilst a little unlikely I could still convince myself now and again it'd happen.
- Carrington Class Supernova - interestingly enough a solar flare stronger than the above narrowly missed earth in 2012. So ye olde prediction of the end of the world could've been true if it had hit and wiped out/fried electronics on earth.
I also found out about many end of the world dates before they were to occur - and spent each one of those days in a state of panic.
Asides from that - there was a TV show in UK called "Strange But True" and it dealt with ghosts, aliens and had re-enactments. I recall one which was about the "Enfield Poltergeist" which was one of the most famous paranormal cases in the UK. When the dramatisation showed furniture moving on it's own - that idea terrified me to the core and I spent many a night struggling to sleep - convincing myself something in my room would move of it's own accord.
I did have a recurring dream/sleep walking episode as a child where I'd run out my room and wake up half way through running down the stairs. My parents were often awake, in the living room which is next to the stairs and would ask if everything was ok.
One time, before I went to bed I noticed a glove on top of my chest of drawers which was at the foot of my bed. I got it into my head that it would throw itself at me by unforeseen hands.
Thing is - I had a dream that this happened, and it triggered me to run out the room, down the stairs and again, I woke up half way down the stairs.
I go back into my room, and the glove is on my bed.
Sweet baby Jesus and the orphans. I still have no explanation for how that happened, and it was one of the spookiest things to have ever happened to me.
I guess it's a little off topic for "silly things" to be afraid of. But when I look back on how many years I wasted on "what if" worries - it's kind of surprising I ended up doing a similar thing with health anxiety for half a decade as well.
A vivid imagination is great for creative hobbies and ventures, but it's humbling when you turn that creativity towards fears, worries and predictions.
Ed
