h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Here's a handy website listing pretty much every phobia they could find.

http://phobialist.com/

I've used it often to find those peculiar phobias my friends and colleagues suffer from.

For example, I have a coworker who has a very real coulrophobia (and will not be watching the sequel to IT, I'm sure.

I have another friend who has a very odd phobia indeed, Omphalophobia (belly buttons). She really freaks out if you show her your naval, reach for her naval, talk about navals.

I have to admit I messaged her a photo of my hairy belly button a few times when we were riding together.

A few years ago, I actually gained some empathy and researched omphalophobia a bit and found what I thought would be a truly useful article regarding omphalophobia and how to cope with it and desensitize oneself to it. I tried to share this article with her but she was having nothing to do with it. Why, because, of course, they featured a nice close up picture of a belly button right at the top of the article.

This tells you the magazine had a truly clueless editor...

Thanks, now we know something. The list is much appreciated, and I'd never heard of omphalophobia.

Now, people, you have no excuse. Read that list and figure out what ails you. Then write about it!

I offered to copy the article omitting the image, but she wanted nothing of it. (I can't believe she was hesitant to trust me not to show her yet another belly button. )

She knows you too well.

All I can say is:- There ain't a phobia for me!
A Fear of acting normal!
It'll NEVER Happen!

A grim list indeed. Fear of schools? Once - I hid in the ditch until my mother leaned over the fence and shouted that it was too late to go to school anyway, so I might as well come out of hiding.

Stage fright? Once and I have never been on stage since. One major speech and I shot through that after stepping too far forward and ended up seeing beyond the footlights; fear of people and crowds? definitely that night!

I have no fear of Walloons or the Great Mole Rat, I am happy to announce.