Phobophobia Phobophobia in Life After 60

Medical terms. I have never understood why we have them. Much like the legal jargon in a contract which seems to be just double talk to protect the wrong parties from being liable for their mistakes.
Fear is a strong force. Those of us who have them can’t really explain them other than to say we fear certain things. Not just a little but to the point that it can be debilitating. And unless you have them you don’t understand.
My daughter is afraid of clowns. Has been all her life. The list of my fears too numerous to attempt. But I understand those of us who have them. The two that bother me the most? Fear of heights, or more correctly, the fear of falling from them, and fear of dying alone.
I have overcome some fears. Getting up in front of a group of people to speak doesn’t bother me anymore. Fear of drowning is not much of a concern as I learned to swim, plus keep a lifejacket on when on a boat. Some are just common sense cures.
Memory loss, another big one. So I guess you would say I have a fear, of fear of fears! I can be in mid-sentence and forget where I was going with a conversation. I park in the same aisle each time I go to Walmart so I can find my car when I leave. And even then there have been times I forgot if I was in my truck or the car.
Face your fears they tell me. Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. It’s only in your mind. Those may all be true but some of us lack the capacity to deal with them. Take two Valium can proceed with caution. Some days there is just not enough Valium in the world to overcome certain things.