Fears and Vulnerability

I read a quote once along the lines of: One death is a tragedy. One thousand deaths is a statistic. 

This is how the internet feels to me. To share your deepest vulnerabilities with one person is terrifying. To share them with the whole word is freeing. 

I took a big leap of faith this week. I had a post featured on the Huffington Post, and in doing so, I put my vulnerabilities out there for anyone to see.  

Sharing on a massive platform like the Huffington Post actually didn't feel that scary - those readers are "strangers from the Internet", so it's easy to take negative comments with a grain of salt. Sharing the link with you here feels a lot more personal. I'm not fooling myself into thinking that my readership here is huge. In fact, I kind of assume that if you're a frequent reader, you're also a commenter. If you've commented, chances are I've checked out your blog too, and we've maybe even become friends. So sharing this with you feels a lot more intimate to me. You do not fall in the "strangers on the Internet" category - you're more than that, and if I don't say so enough, I'm glad to have you here!

If you're interested, I'd love for you to have a read of my post, Scared Sick: Living with Emetophobia. Then if you're willing to, come back here and tell me about something your scared of. I promise not to laugh at your secret fears if you promise not to laugh at mine.

Comments

[Kathleen]

Thanks for sharing! I think it's important that people who struggle with less common things do so, if they feel comfortable. I'm sure it will help others and I'm glad it's therapeutic for you. :)

Thankfully I don't have emetophobia because I seem to be strangely susceptible to stomach bugs and I catch multiple each year. Boo.

[Katherine]

Hi, found you through your Huffington Post. Just wanted to thank you for sharing your story and say 'hi' from a fellow emetophobe and blogger. It really, REALLY helps to know you are not along sometimes. So, again, thank you.

[Kari]

Hi! im an 18 year old girl suffering from severe emetephobia since I was 11. Anyway, I just wanted to point out you are an amazing writer. I read your Huffington post article. I liked the words you used and when you said you chose the short stick. Anyway, I suffer as well and it was nice to read your article.

[Delaney]

Thanks, everyone! I'm so glad you enjoyed the article and found your way here! xo

[John]

So glad to have found you, and the article. I now have a name for this. I felt as though I was the ONLY person on the face of the earth that had this phobia. It's debilitating to say the least. I'm 40+, and have had this pretty much my entire life. I have no idea how to get treatment/help for this embarrassing phobia.

Thanks for sharing Delaney. Glad to know I am NOT the only person who has this phobia.